Promoting Telehealth in Rural America 47 CFR Part 54 The Panel is pleased to offer comments in response to the proposed rule for Promoting Telehealth in Rural America, specifically the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Rural Healthcare (RHC) Program. View Comment Letter
Tag Archives: Health
Rural Cultural Wealth Lab Digital Exchange Webinar
January 23, 2018 The RUPRI Rural Cultural Wealth Lab is one of four inaugural National Endowment for the Arts Research Labs named last year, following a national competition. This national effort unites the knowledge and lived experiences of a diverse array of scholars and practitioners to explore the intersection of rural arts and culture, entrepreneurship and innovation, …
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Dr Keith Mueller, RUPRI Health Panel Chair presents at Reinventing Rural Health Care: A Case Study of Seven Upper Midwest States
January 17, 2018 Wednesday, January 17, 2018 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. ETBipartisan Policy Center, 1225 Eye St NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC, 20005 To better understand the challenges and opportunities rural communities face with health care delivery and infrastructure, the Bipartisan Policy Center led an effort over the past 6 months to learn from …
Webinar: RHIhub – Understanding Health Disparities in Rural America – Insights from the CDC MMWR Rural Health Series
December 18, 2017 Did you know rural racial and ethnic minorities are less likely to have a usual source of care? These and other unique health challenges experienced by rural racial and ethnic populations are often overlooked in conversations on rural health. The recent MMWR report, Racial/Ethnic Health Disparities Among Rural Adults – United States, …
RUPRI Partner, Rural Health Information Hub, Celebrates 15th Anniversary
The Rural Health Information Hub (RHIhub), a RUPRI partner, celebrates it’s 15th Anniversary this month. RUPRI co-founded RHIhub with Dr. Mary Wakefield and the Center for Rural Health at the University of North Dakota in 2002 with funding from the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy at the Department of Health and Human Services. Since it’s …
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RUPRI Health Panel Provides Comments to CMS on HHS Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2019. November 2017.
RUPRI Health Panel Provided Comments to CMS-9930-P Proposed Rule: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; HHS Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2019. November 27th, 2017. Read Comment Letter Here
Rural Long-Term Services and Support: A Primer. RUPRI Health Panel. November 2017.
Rural Long-Term Services and Supports: A Primer provides policymakers and other interested stakeholders a primer on rural long-term services and supports (LTSS): (1) the fundamentals of the rural LTSS system, (2) rural access to and use of LTSS, and (3) discussion of the opportunities within and limitations of current Federal and State LTSS policy for advancing …
Accessing Behavioral Health Services in Rural Communities
This presentation explains the concepts of affordability and availability as well as broadening network of participating local organizations to include social services. It also discusses the future of health homes and behavioral health services. Presented by Keith J. Mueller, PhD (College of Public Health, University of Iowa) at the National Academies on November 14, 2017. …
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Rural Health and the Law: Emerging Issues and Trends
This presentation discusses the transformation underway as a result of payer policies designed to improve the value and outcomes of health care while attempting to slow cost growth. It also touches on gaps affecting rural people, places, and providers. Presented by Jennifer P. Lundblad, PhD (President and CEO, Stratis Health; Member RUPRI Health Panel) on …
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RUPRI Health Panel Provides Comments to CMS on Updates to the Quality Payment Program for Calendar Year 2018. August 2017.
RUPRI Health Panel Provided Comments to CMS-5522-P Proposed Rule: Medicare Program; CY 2018 Updates to the Quality Payment Program. August 11th, 2017. Read Comment Letter Here
Digital Exchange Webinar: Integrating Community Health, Arts, and Culture
June 28, 2017 Join us for this Next Generation Digital Exchange Webinar discussing focused on integrating community health with arts and culture in rural regions. Across the country, new health systems approaches are leveraging multi-sector programs and policies to foster a culture of health in rural communities. Webinar participants will learn from Arkansas, California, Kentucky, …
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After Hospital Closure: Pursuing High Performance Rural Health System without Inpatient Care. RUPRI Health Panel. June 2017.
The RUPRI Health Panel describes opportunities for rural communities to develop a high-performance rural health system after hospital closure, including three case studies that describe real-world transitions from a hospital-based locus of care to new models of care delivery in rural places. After Hospital Closure: Pursuing High Performance Rural Health System without Inpatient Care This paper describes …
RUPRI Health Panel Provides Comments to CMS on the Revision to the Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems (IPPS). May 2017.
RUPRI Health Panel Provided Comments to CMS-1677-P Proposed Rule: Medicaid Program; Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems for Acute Care Hospitals and the Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System and Proposed Policy Changes and Fiscal Year 2018 Rates. May 18th, 2017. Read Comment Letter Here
RUPRI Leader – Interview with Mario Gutierrez on the future of healthcare
We sat down to talk about the future of healthcare with Mario Gutierrez, who serves as the Executive Director of the Center for Connected Health Policy (CCHP). Last year, Gutierrez participated in a panel with TSC Director Pamela Villacorta at the Governor’s Conference on Aging and Disabilities. We asked him about his perspective on the state of …
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RUPRI Leader, Dr. Keith Mueller receives award
Marion L. Huit Faculty Award The Marion L. Huit Faculty Award was established in 1978 to recognize M. L. Huit’s outstanding dedication and service to students of The University of Iowa during his tenure as dean of students. The award is presented annually to a faculty member who best characterizes M. L. Huit’s contributions to …
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RUPRI Health Panel Member, Jennifer Lundblad, Discusses Antibiotic Stewardship for Rural Hospitals
In a recent Rural Monitor article for the Rural Health Information Hub, Jennifer Lundblad, CEO of Stratis Health and a member of the RUPRI Health Panel, discusses the economic impact of antibiotic stewardship (AS) programs for rural hospitals. She also referenced a RUPRI Health Panel public comment letter on a proposed rule from the Centers on Medicare and Medicaid that would require …
RUPRI President Fluharty presents to USC at series of lectures focused on issues impacting rural communities
March 21, 2017
National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services Social Determinants of Health Webinar
The HHS National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services (NACRHHS) presented a webinar on March 14 to highlight their findings on social determinants of health from the most recent committee meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico. RUPRI Human Service Panel member and NACRHHS Committee member, Kathleen Belanger, participated in the webinar and presented the Committee’s recommendations …
RHIHub Hosts Webinar on CDC Series on Rural Mortality and Preventable Deaths
A recent CDC study demonstrates that Americans living in rural areas are more likely to die from five leading causes than their urban counterparts. In 2014, many deaths among rural Americans were potentially preventable, including 25,000 from heart disease, 19,000 from cancer, 12,000 from unintentional injuries, 11,000 from chronic lower respiratory disease, and 4,000 from stroke. …
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RUPRI Health Center releases report on the Changing Rural and Urban Enrollment in State Medicaid Programs
The RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis has analyzed Medicaid enrollment in a new brief, Changing Rural and Urban Enrollment in State Medicaid Programs and found that growth was happened in most states, but was largest in expansion states and metropolitan areas generally had higher growth than micropolitan and rural areas. County-level data on Medicaid enrollment …
RUPRI Health Center Releases Report on Rural Enrollment in Health Insurance Marketplaces
The RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis has released a brief, 2016 Rural Enrollment in Health Insurance Marketplaces, by State. The data shows that about half of all states had higher enrollment growth in non-metropolitan areas than metropolitan areas. In this brief, cumulative county-level enrollment in Health Insurance Marketplaces (HIMs) through March 2016 is presented …
RUPRI Health Panel Provides Comments to CMS on Additional Reforms and Policy Options to Help Accelerate the Provision of Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) to Medicaid Beneficiaries. January 2017.
RUPRI Health Panel Provided Comments to CMS-2404-NC Request for Information (RFI): Federal Government Interventions to Ensure the Provision of Timely and Quality Home and Community Based Services. January 9th, 2017. Read Comment Letter Here
RUPRI Health Panel Provides Comments to CMS on MACRA and the Quality Payment Program. December 2016.
RUPRI Health Panel Provided Comments to CMS-5517-FC Finalized Rule with Comment Period: Medicare Program; Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Alternative Payment Model (APM) Incentive Under the Physician Fee Schedule, and Criteria for Physician-Focused Payment Models. December 14th, 2016. Read Comment Letter Here
RUPRI Health Panel Provides Comments to CMS on Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2018. October 2016.
RUPRI Health Panel Provided Comments to CMS-1631-P Proposed Rule: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; HHS Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2018. October 4th, 2016. Read Comment Letter Here
NACRHHS Webinar: Policy Briefs on Emergency Care Models and Rural Opioid Misuse Implications
September 29, 2016 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm The National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services (NACRHHS) has released two new policy briefs with recommendations to the Secretary of U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) on ways to address pressing issues. The first, Alternative Models to Preserving Access to Emergency Care, examines …
RUPRI Health Center Webinar on Geographic Variation in Health Insurance Marketplaces, Hosted by Rural Health Research Gateway
August 9, 2016 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Geographic Variation in Health Insurance Marketplaces: Rural and Urban Trends in Enrollment, Firm Participation, Premiums, and Cost Sharing in 2016 Timothy McBride, PhD, Professor, Health Policy and Management at Washington University in Saint Louis, along with Abigail Barker, PhD at the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis …
RUPRI Health Panel Provides Comments to CMS on Hospital and Critical Access Hospital Changes to Promote Innovation, Flexibility, and Improvement in Patient Care. August 2016.
RUPRI Health Panel Provided Comments to CMS–3295–P Proposed Rule: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Hospital and Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Changes to Promote Innovation, Flexibility, and Improvement in Patient Care. August 9th, 2016. Read Comment Letter Here
Rural Medicare Advantage Market Dynamics and Quality: Historical Context and Current Implications
In this policy brief, we assess variation in Medicare’s star quality ratings of Medicare Advantage (MA) plans that are available to rural beneficiaries. Evidence from the recent Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) quality demonstration suggests that market dynamics, i.e., firms entering and exiting the MA marketplace, play a role in quality improvement. Therefore, …
RUPRI Health Panel member, Jennifer Lundblad, discusses rural hospital innovation
In Health & Hospitals Networks latest publication, Jennifer Lundblad, RUPRI Health Panel Member and president and CEO of Stratis Health, discusses how rural hospitals and rural communities are well-positioned to create innovative population health and wellness programs. “A rural environment lends itself to population health and wellness,” she says. “Providers probably know the patient and their family, they …
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RUPRI Health Panel Provides Comments to CMS on the Revisions to Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule for Calendar Year 2017. July 2016.
RUPRI Health Panel Provides Comments to CMS-1631-P Proposed Rule: Medicare Program; Revisions to Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Revisions to Part B for CY 2017 (Part II). July 22nd, 2016. Read Comment Letter Here
RUPRI Health Center Examines Rural Premium Trends in Health Insurance Marketplace
Health Insurance Marketplaces: Premium Trends in Rural Areas Since 2014, when the Health Insurance Marketplaces (HIMs) authorized by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) were implemented, considerable premium changes have been observed in the marketplaces. This policy brief from the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis assesses the changes in average HIM …
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RUPRI Health Center Examines Beneficiary Assignment Updates in Medicare ACOs
Medicare Accountable Care Organizations: Beneficiary Assignment Update This brief updates Brief No. 2014-3 and explains changes in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Accountable Care Organization (ACO) regulations issued in June 2015 pertaining to beneficiary assignment for Medicare Shared Savings Program ACOs. Overall, the regulatory changes are intended to (1) encourage ACOs to …
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Medicaid Payment and Delivery System Reform: Challenges and Opportunities for Rural Health Systems. RUPRI Health Panel. June 2016.
Medicaid has grown significantly in its importance to rural health systems and communities; a higher proportion (22 percent) of rural residents was enrolled in Medicaid than Medicare (20 percent) in 2014. At the same time, the use of payment and delivery innovations has grown significantly, but varies across the U.S. As a result of expansions …
RUPRI Health Panel Provides Comments to CMS on Concepts for Regional Multi-Payer Prospective Budgets. May 2016.
RUPRI Health Panel Provided Comments to CMS Request for Information on Concepts for Regional Multi-Payer Prospective Budgets. May 13th, 2016. Read Comment Letter Here
RUPRI Leader Keith Mueller Receives Regents Award for Faculty Excellence from the University of Iowa
Keith Mueller, Director of the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis, Gerhard Hartman Professor and head of the Department of Health Management and Policy, was chosen by the selection committee of the Faculty Senate as one of six members of the University of Iowa faculty to receive a 2016 Regents Award for Faculty Excellence. …
RHIhub Integrating Health & Human Services in Rural Communities Webinar
April 14, 2016 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm The Rural Health Information Hub and the NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis will introduce a new Rural Services Integration Toolkit designed to help rural communities improve access to health and human services. Developed by NORC on behalf of the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP), …
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Rural “Adjacent Possible” Innovation: Systems Thinking for Collective Impact, Beyond the Health Sector
This presentation discusses the four rural considerations which includes our ‘disruptive milieu’, systems thinking: rural advantage, regional rural innovation, and new rural opportunities. Presented by Charles W. Fluharty (President and CEO, Rural Policy Research Institute) to the Iowa Center for Rural Health and Primary Care Advisory Committee on March 7, 2016 in Iowa City, Iowa. …
Featured RUPRI Leader: Jennifer Lundblad
Jennifer is the President and CEO of Stratis Health, a non-profit based in Minnesota that focuses on collaboration and innovation in health care quality and safety. She has been a member of the RUPRI Health Panel since 2009, in addition to Stratis Health and RURPI partnering on a national Rural Health Value Project that focuses …
RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis reviews Rural Medicare Advantage Plan Payment in 2015
Payment to Medicare Advantage (MA) plans was fundamentally altered by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA). This brief finds that while plans operating in both rural and urban areas have experienced a reduction in MA payment, the reduction in rural payment overall has been less significant. In addition, MA plans have …
RUPRI Health Panel Provides Comments to CMS on Data Metrics and Alternative Processes for Access to Care in the Medicaid Program. January 2016.
RUPRI Health Panel Provided Comments to CMS–2328–NC Request for Information (RFI): Medicaid Program; Data Metrics and Alternative Processes for Access to Care in the Medicaid Program. January 4th, 2016. Read Comment Letter Here
RUPRI Health Panel Provides Comments to CMS on HHS Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2017 and Network Adequacy. December 2015.
RUPRI Health Panel Provided Comments to CMS-9937-P Proposed Rule: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; HHS Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2017; Network Adequacy. December 21st, 2015. Read Comment Letter Here
RUPRI Health Panel Provides Comments to CMS on the Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan Program. December 2015.
RUPRI Health Panel Provided Comments to CMS-9933-IFC Interim Final Rule: The Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan Program. December 21st, 2015. Read Comment Letter Here
Policy Brief: Medicare Value-Based Payment Reform: Priorities for Transforming Rural Health Systems. RUPRI Health Panel. November 2015.
Medicare Value-Based Payment Reform: Priorities for Transforming Rural Health Systems View Policy Brief | Related: View Full Report In January 2015, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Burwell announced new goals and timelines for moving Medicare reimbursement from fee-for-service to value-based payment. These payment changes are driving delivery system reforms by making healthcare …
Medicare Value-based Payment Reform: Priorities for Transforming Rural Health Systems
View Report | Related: View Policy Brief In recognition of unsustainable healthcare cost growth and sub-optimal delivery system performance, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA) contains provisions that redesign healthcare payment and delivery. ACA payment change provisions are driving delivery system reform by making healthcare organizations more accountable for patients’ health …
National Rural Health Day- Live Webcast: Featuring Dr Keith Mueller – Rural Health Delivery System Reform
November 19, 2015 November 19th, 2015 is the 5th Annual National Rural Health Day! The Rural Assistance Center is pleased to partner with the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health for a series of live National Rural Health Day events that celebrate the power of rural. Join Dr. Keith Mueller, Director of the Department of …
Dr. Tim McBride, RUPRI Health Panel Member, to lead Center for Health Economics and Policy – Washington University
View Full Article Washington University in St. Louis has announced the launch of the Center for Health Economics and Policy (CHEP), to be housed in the Institute for Public Health. The goal of the new center is to improve population health in America by encouraging health policy and economics research and dissemination. The center will …
RUPRI Health Panel Provides Comments to CMS on the Implementation of the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System and Promotion of Alternative Payment Models. November 2015.
RUPRI Health Panel Provided Comments to CMS–3321–NC Request for Information Regarding Implementation of the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System, Promotion of Alternative Payment Models, and Incentive Payments for Participation in Eligible Alternative Payment Models. November 2nd, 2015. Read Comment Letter Here
RUPRI Health Panel Provides Comments to CMS on Revisions to Payment Polices Under the Physician Fee Schedule for Calendar Year 2016. August 2015.
RUPRI Health Panel Provided Comments to CMS-1631-P Proposed Rule: Revisions to Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Revisions to Part B for CY 2016. August 25th, 2015. Read Comment Letter Here
RUPRI Health Panel Provides Comments to CMS on Medicaid Managed Care. July 2015.
RUPRI Health Panel Provided Comments to CMS-2367-P Proposed Rule: Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance (CHIP) Programs; Medicaid Managed Care. July 27th, 2015. Read Comment Letter Here
Accountable Care Communities in Rural: Laying the Groundwork in Humboldt County, CA . RUPRI Health & Human Services Panels. June 2015.
This joint paper was authored by members of both the Health and Human Services Panel in June 2015. The paper presents a case for the viability of Accountable Care Community (ACC) models in rural communities, including in rural Humboldt County, California. Accountable Care Communities reflect a unified approach to improving the health and reducing the …
