The RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis has released a new brief on Changes in Service Offerings Post-System Affiliation in Rural Hospitals. Affiliations between rural hospitals and regional and national health systems have increased from 10 to 30 per year in the 2000s to approximately 30 to 70 per year in the 2010s. This …
Tag Archives: Health
RUPRI Health Center Releases Analysis on COVID-19 Mortality by Geography & Community Characteristics. January 2023
The RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis has released a new policy brief COVID-19 Mortality Rates across Noncore, Micropolitan, and Metropolitan Counties by Community Characteristics, December 2020-January 2021. This policy brief examines differences in COVID-19 mortality rates across rural-urban designations and stratifications by geography, county-level sociodemographic factors, and county-level health care factors. Between December …
RUPRI Research on COVID Featured in Scientific American Article on Rural Mortality
Research on Nonmetropolitan COVID-19 Cases & Death Rates from the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis was featured in a December 14, 2022 Scientific American® article on mortality rates in rural. The article, People in Rural Areas Die at Higher Rates Than Those in Urban Areas by Tanya Lewis, highlights RUPRI’s ongoing COVID tracking …
RUPRI Health Panel Releases New Paper on Payment Policies and Implications for Rural Hospitals. December 2022
The RUPRI Health Panel Releases Evolution of Hospital Designations & Payment in the U.S.: Implications for Rural Hospitals Rural hospital closures have increased over the past few decades, and more are at risk for closure. Medicare hospital payment policies affecting rural hospitals play a significant role in the financial viability of rural hospitals. Programs have …
Keith Mueller Appointed to HHS Rural Health Equity Expert Panel
RUPRI’s Keith Mueller has been selected by the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to serve on a Delphi Panel tasked with developing consensus on a standard definition for “rural health equity.” A Delphi Panel is a selected panel of experts that participate in a structured process to arrive at a group opinion or …
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New Rural Insurance Chartbook Released by RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
The RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis released An Insurance Profile of Rural America: A Chart Book. READ the CHART BOOK HERE Over the past decade, health insurance coverage has changed in major ways in rural areas with shifts towards public and publicly subsidized coverage among the nonelderly – Medicaid, Marketplace plans — and …
RUPRI Health Webinar: It’s Not Easy Being a Rural Pharmacy. November 14, 1:00 pm Eastern
The Rural Health Research Gateway will host a Webinar It’s Not Easy Being a Rural Pharmacy – Services, Payments, Closures, and Deserts with Fred Ullrich and Keith Mueller, PhD of the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis. November 14 at 1:00 pm Eastern. Register for Webinar Here Date: November 14, 2022Time: 10:00 am Pacific, …
RUPRI Health Center Releases New Report on Health Insurance Marketplaces.
The RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis has released an update on Health Insurance Marketplaces: Issuer Participation Trends in Non-Metropolitan Places, 2014-22. Read the Report Here. Key Findings Include: Non-metropolitan counties (counties classified as either micropolitan or noncore using urban influence codes) have had less marketplace participation than metropolitan counties since their implementation in …
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RUPRI Health Panel Submits Comment Letter on Hospital PPS. September 2022
The RUPRI Health Panel submitted a comment letter to CMS responding to Request For Information CMS-4203-NC: Medicare Program: Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment Systems and Quality Reporting Programs… Rural Emergency Hospitals. READ THE COMMENT LETTER HERE
RUPRI Health Panel Submits Comments to CMS RFI 1770-P Medicare and Medicaid Programs; CY 2023 Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule; Medicare Shared Savings Program Requirements. September 2022.
The RUPRI Health Panel has submitted a response to CMS -17700P Medicare and Medicaid Programs; CY 2023 Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Changes to Part B Payment Policies; Medicare Shared Savings Program Requirements. READ THE COMMENT LETTER HERE
RUPRI Health Panel Comment Letter on Medicare Advantage Program
The RUPRI Health Panel has responded to a CMS Request for Information on the Medicare Advantage program. READ COMMENT LETTER HERE Rural Perspective on Medicare AdvantageOur comments and feedback are offered from the rural perspective, where Medicare Advantage is an increasingly important source of health care coverage. As of March 2022, MA accounted for 45.7 …
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RUPRI Releases Nursing Homes in Rural America: A Chartbook. July 2022
The RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis released a Nursing Homes in Rural America Chartbook. Policymakers are increasingly concerned about the availability of post-acute care and long-term care services in rural areas. In this chartbook, we define nursing homes as Medicare and/or Medicaid certified facilities providing post-acute care (skilled nursing facilities) and/or long-term care …
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RUPRI Health Panel Comment Letter on Access to Coverage and Care in Medicaid & CHIP. April 2022
Click Here for Comment Letter The Panel underscores the importance of recognizing the variance in demand for Medicaid access and coverage across non-metro and metro areas. In 2019, the percent of Medicaid coverage in non-metro areas was 22.4 percent, whereas in metro areas the percent of Medicaid coverage was 19.1. The three percent difference signifies …
RUPRI Health Panel Releases Comment Letter to Federal Communications Commission RFI on Promoting Telehealth in Rural America. April 2022
Click Here for Comment Letter on 47 CFR Part 54 The Panel is encouraged by the efforts of the FCC to increase broadband access for rural providers. We encourage FCC to lead an effort to quantify the actual costs of connecting and operating broadband capacity supporting access to healthcare services. With that information subsidies could …
Listen to Dr. Keith Mueller Interview on Rural Health Leadership Radio Podcast. April 2022
Listen to Podcast Here If you could hit the reset button on healthcare policy, what would you change? In this week’s episode, Dr. Keith Mueller shares his thoughts on what he would improve given the chance to hit the policy reset button, particularly in rural healthcare. “The pandemic taught us we need flexibility to move …
RUPRI Health Panel Releases New Report, Meeting The Behavioral Health Needs of Farm Families in Times of Economic Distress. February 2022.
Meeting the Behavioral Health Needs of Farm Families in Times of Economic Distress. Given recent global economic and climate trends, including those induced by the COVID-19 public health emergency, behavioral health consequences related to economic distress will likely continue as a public health concern for the foreseeable future. The RUPRI Health Panel offers guidance for …
RUPRI Health Panel Releases Updated High Performing Rural Health System Brief.
This document updates the RUPRI Health Panel’s framework for a high-performing rural health care system, originally published in 2011. It offers a revised vision statement and updates the high-performing rural health system pillars (access, affordability, community health, and quality), and describes an underlying base of equity considerations. Abstract: This brief presents the RUPRI Health Panel’s …
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RUPRI Discusses COVID-19 on C-Span
On October 18 during the morning news program, Washington Journal on C-Span, Keith Mueller & Fred Ullrich discussed research from the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis on COVID-19’s impact on rural people and places. Watch the interview here.
Keith Mueller Presentation “Delivery of Healthcare in Rural America” to Dakota Wesleyan University
Dr. Keith Mueller presented “Delivery of Healthcare in Rural America” to the Dakota Wesleyan University on September 28, 2021. View Presentation
RUPRI Health Panel Releases Comments on Rural Emergency Hospital RFI
The Panel is pleased to comment in response to the proposed rule for Medicare hospital outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS) program and the Request for Information (RFI) on Rural Emergency Hospitals (REH). Our comments will focus only on the latter, Section XVII of the proposed rule, Federal Register pages 42285 – 42289. We also limit …
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RUPRI Health Panel Comment Letter on proposed changes in the CY 2021 Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule Rule. September 2021
Read comment letter here.
RUPRI Health Panel Comment Letter on Census Bureau Urban Definition. May 2021
Read comment letter here.
Pharmacy Vaccination Service Availability in Nonmetropolitan Counties
The RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis releases this report on Pharmacy Vaccination Service Availability in Nonmetropolitan Counties. In February 2021 the White House announced the launch of the first phase of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program for COVID-19 Vaccination. The “public-private partnership with 21 national pharmacy partners and networks of independent pharmacies” is …
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Characteristics & Challenges of Rural Ambulance Agencies. RUPRI Health Panel. January 2021.
The RUPRI Health Panel has released a new brief, Characteristics and Challenges of Rural Ambulance Agencies. Every year, nearly 10 million rural Americans receive EMS care. There are 23,272 ambulance agencies in the U.S. and 73 percent of those agencies report serving rural areas. Thus, rural Americans rely on EMS professionals to deliver life-saving emergency …
RUPRI Participates in University of Iowa Podcast Series on Rural Health
The Midwest Public Health Training Center in the College of Public Health at the University of Iowa is hosting a new podcast series on rural health. In the series Share Public Health: Rural Health listeners will hear a variety of perspectives about their experiences in rural life, employment and health. Listen to the Podcast Here
Advancing Population Health in Rural Places: New from RUPRI Health Panel. January 2021.
The RUPRI Health Panel has released a new paper, Advancing Population Health in Rural Places: Key Lessons and Policy Opportunities. This paper advances policy discussion of population health in rural places, focusing on the role of rural health care organizations. Lessons from ongoing programs provide policy considerations. Medicare and Medicaid programs should prioritize staff and …
RUPRI Health Panel Comment Letter Responding to HHS RFI to Assess Temporary Deregulatory Actions in Response to COVID-19. December 2020.
Read comment letter here.
Rural Health Value to Hold Webinar on CHART Planning – December 14
In September, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Innovation Center (CMMI) released the notice of funding opportunity for the Community Health Access and Rural Transformation (CHART) Community Transformation Track. CMMI states that the “CHART Model will test whether aligned financial incentives, increased operational flexibility, and robust technical support promote rural health care providers’ capacity …
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Health Panel Presentation by Jennifer Lundblad, PhD to Bipartisan Policy Center, October 2020
Health Panel member Jennifer Lundblad participated on a Panel at the Bipartisan Policy Center in October 2020 on the state of rural healthcare in Minnesota and other states. View Presentation
The Evolving Landscape of National Telehealth Policies during a Public Health Emergency: Responsiveness to Rural Needs
The coronavirus pandemic precipitated significant but temporary changes in telehealth policy and the use of telehealth services to ensure access to needed health services during a public health emergency (PHE). Extending the temporary policy changes will require statutory and regulatory action. This paper takes stock of current telehealth policies and assesses options for expanding the …
Maternal and Obstetric Care Challenges in Rural America: Policy Brief and Recommendations to the Secretary
August 26 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm More than 700 women a year die of complications related to pregnancy in the U.S., and two-thirds of these deaths are preventable. Maternal mortality is disproportionally affecting black and American Indian/Alaska Native women in the U.S. Additionally, there are disparities between rural and urban populations. According to publicly available …
Webinar: Community Health Access and Rural Transformation (CHART) Model – Overview
August 18, 2020 The Community Health Access and Rural Transformation (CHART) Model team will be hosting an overview webinar on Tuesday, August 18, 2020 from 1:00 – 2:30 PM EDT. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear an overview of the CHART Model, including its objectives, eligible participants and their roles, payment options, and timeline. Participants …
Considerations for Defining Rural Places in Health Policies and Programs
The RUPRI Health Panel has released a new brief that identifies key questions to ask when creating, modifying, or using a definition. Rural definitions in statute and policy are used to direct resources to underserved peoples. But changes in population behavior and Census processes have led to concern about historic methods of defining rural. This …
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Health Panel Comment Letter – Maternal and Infant Health Care in Rural Communities
In May 2020, the Health Panel offered comments in response to the CMS Maternal and Infant Health Care in Rural Communities Request for Information. View Comment Letter
Health Panel Comment Letter – Medicare Advantage & Part D – April 2020
The Health Panel is pleased to offer comments in response to the proposed rule CMS-4190-P related to Medicare Advantage (Part C), Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit (Part D), Medicaid, Medicare Cost Plan, among other policy areas. View Comment Letter
Confirmed COVID-19 Cases, Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Counties
The presence of COVID-19 cases impacts rural and metropolitan areas differently – a small number of cases creates stress for low capacity systems just as a large volume of cases creates stress for larger capacity systems. This RUPRI data brief shows the current nonmetropolitan and metropolitan spread of the disease, and the associated map shows …
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Health Panel Comment Letter – ONCHIT Strategic Plan – March 2020
The Panel is pleased to offer comments in response to the proposed 2020-2025 Federal Health IT Strategic Plan. View Comment Letter
Behavioral Health in Rural America: Challenges and Opportunities
The prevalence of mental health and substance use diagnoses and unmet treatment needs are not equally distributed, with rural residence being one factor associated with these differences. Moreover, the rural context has proven challenging for ensuring the availability of and access to prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and recovery services in rural areas. This paper reviews the …
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Health Panel Comment Letter – Anti-Kickback Statute – December 2019
The Panel is pleased to provide comment on the proposed rule Revisions to Safe Harbors Under the Anti-Kickback Statute, and Civil Monetary Penalty Rules Regarding Beneficiary Inducements. The Panel is encouraged by OIG’s recognition that there are certain circumstances that warranttreating rural providers differently than those in urban geographies. The Panel offers comments ontwo specific …
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Health Panel Comment Letter – Stark Law – December 2019
The Panel is pleased to provide comments on the proposed rule Modernizing and Clarifying the Physician Self-Referral Regulations.The Panel is encouraged by CMS’s recognition throughout the proposed rule of the unique ruralhealth care environment. The Panel agrees that circumstances exist in which it is appropriate to treatrural providers differently than other kinds of providers. View …
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Health Panel Comment Letter – PFS Proposed Rule 2020 Revisions – September 2019
The Panel is pleased to offer comments in response to the proposed updates to the CY 2020 Revisions to Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) The Panel applauds CMS’s attention to rural issues throughout the proposed rule. CMS hasdemonstrated its commitment to rural areas in considering innovative telehealth care delivery foropioid use disorder …
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New Report from RUPRI Rural Health on Effects of the ACA on Coverage and Access to Care
A new policy brief from the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy & Analysis shows that access to health insurance coverage has changed significantly following changes in public and private insurance due to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). From 2013-2016, the PPACA led to an overall increase in coverage rates of nearly 13 and …
Legatum Institute Releases State by State Prosperity Index at American Enterprise Institute
July 18, 2019 @ 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm Prosperity entails much more than wealth; it reaches way beyond the financial and into the well-being and character of a nation and its institutions. It is about creating an environment where citizens can reach their full potential. A nation is prosperous when it has an open economy, an …
Toward a High Performing Rural Health Care System: Key Issues and Recommendations from Rural Health Care System Innovators. Roundtable with Rural Health Innovators. RUPRI Rural Health Panel. December 2018.
Toward a High Performing Rural Health Care System: Key Issues and Recommendations from Rural Health Care System Innovators View Report On December 6-7, 2018, the Rural Health Policy Research Institute’s (RUPRI) Health Panel convened a meeting in Washington, DC, of rural health leaders from around the country to discuss strategies and models for rural health …
Health Panel Comment Letter – NQF Draft Report – February 2019
The Panel welcomes the opportunity to submit comments on Addressing the Low Case-Volume Challenge in Healthcare Performance Measurement of Rural Providers: Recommendations from the MAP Rural Health Technical Expert Panel. The RUPRI Health Panel strongly supports the NQF Measure Applications Partnership Rural Health Workgroup. Valid and reliable quality performance measures are critically important to rural …
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Meeting Needs in Rural Health Research, Action, Policy
In this presentation, we discuss the changing landscape of rural Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), new models of care delivery, and community responses to loss of service. Presented by Keith J. Mueller, PhD (The University of Iowa and Director of RUPRI) to the American Health Association Rural Health Care Leadership Conference on February 5, 2019. View …
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Health Affairs blog Features RUPRI Writing on Affordable Health Insurance Options in Rural Areas
The Health Affairs blog recently featured a piece by Abigail Barker, Timothy McBride & Keith Mueller of the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis, examining whether the health insurance market can deliver affordable health insurance options in rural areas. Can the Market Deliver Affordable Health Insurance for Rural Areas, discusses the multiple challenges that rural areas …
Health Panel Comment Letter – Medicare, Medicaid & CHIP – January 2019
RE: 42 CFR Parts 438 and 457 – Medicaid Program; Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP)Managed Care The Panel welcomes the opportunity to submit comments on the Medicare Advantage, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit, Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), Medicaid Fee-for-Service, and Medicaid Managed Care Programs for years 2020 and 2021 proposed …
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Health Panel Comment Letter – Medicare, Part D & Medicaid – December 2018
RE: 42 CFR Parts 422, 423, 438, and 498: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Policy and Technical Changes tothe Medicare Advantage, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit, Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly(PACE), Medicaid Fee-for-Service, and Medicaid Managed Care Programs for Years 2020 and 2021 The Panel welcomes the opportunity to submit comments on the Medicare Advantage, …
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Assessing the Unintended Consequences of Health Policy on Rural Populations and Places
The RUPRI Rural Health Panel, through the support of the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) in the Department of Health and Human Services, has released a new Policy Brief, Assessing the Unintended Consequences of Health Policy on Rural Populations and Places. The purpose of this paper is to illuminate the unintended consequences of health …
