RE: 42 CFR Part 405, 410, 411, 414, 415, and 495: Medicare Program; Revisions to Payment Policies Under thePhysician Fee Schedule and Other Revisions to Part B for CY 2019; Medicare Shared Savings ProgramRequirements; Quality Payment Program; and Medicaid Promoting Interoperability Program The Panel is pleased to offer comments in response to the proposed rules …
Continue reading “Health Panel Comment Letter – Revisions to Physician Payments – September 2018”
Accountable care organization (ACO) models are the most widely adopted value-based payment initiatives from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The Shared Savings Program, started in 2011, is the most commonly adopted Medicare ACO model. This policy brief updates findings from previous RUPRI Center reports. It shows that there is continued growth in the …
Continue reading “Spread of Medicare Accountable Care Organizations in Rural”
Research released last month on rural independent pharmacy closures by the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis was highlighted in The Health 202, a morning health care policy newsletter published by the Washington Post. As the newsletter states, “The impact on rural pharmacies’ profits is tangible. The RUPRI report found that 630 rural communities saw their only pharmacy close …
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Professor Keith Mueller was featured in WalletHub’s recent piece regarding the best and worst states for health care. View Full Article
This paper will review elements of a robust rural primary care system, including development and maintenance of a high performance rural primary care system and workforce as well as policy considerations and opportunities that address the sustainability of rural primary care. Written by Keith J. Mueller (PhD), Charlie Alfero (MA), Andrew F. Coburn (PhD), Jennifer …
This paper discusses the realities and challenges of designing a market structure that will result in affordable health insurance being offered in rural markets, and reviews the rural implications of policies affecting rural health insurance markets and health systems. Written by Keith J. Mueller (PhD), Charlie Alfero (MA), Andrew F. Coburn (PhD), Jennifer P. Lundblad …
This testimony focuses on three areas of particular relevance, rural experience with Medicare’s accountable care organization and use of Telehealth. It will conclude with general observations about future directions in rural health policy. Spoken by Keith J. Mueller (PhD) (Interim Dean, College of Public Health; Director, RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis; Chair, RUPRI …
Continue reading “Oral Testimony for the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance”
This statement focuses on three areas of particular relevance, rural experience with Medicare’s accountable care organization and use of Telehealth. It will conclude with general observations about future directions in rural health policy. Written by Keith J. Mueller (PhD) (Interim Dean, College of Public Health; Director, RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis; Chair, RUPRI …
Continue reading “Written Statement for the U.S. Senate Finance Committee”
May 24, 2018 @ 9:00 am – 11:00 am Keith Mueller, Ph.D., Interim Dean of the College of Public Health at the University of Iowa and Director and Chair of RUPRI’s Rural Health Initiatives, has been invited to testify at a United States Senate Finance Committee Public Hearing on rural health. The hearing will be held on …
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Presented by Keith J. Mueller, PhD (Director, RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis) to Pennsylvania Rural Health Model Summit in Harrisburg, PA on April 11, 2018. View Presentation
This week, RUPRI partnered with the Kentucky Arts Council, Owensboro Health, the Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation, and Art of the Rural to host a statewide conversation in Owensboro, KY about the dynamic intersection of food, art and health. More than seventy-five people travelled to Owensboro to attend the event, which offered participants a broad understanding of …
Continue reading “Owensboro Gathering a win for Food, Art, and Health in Kentucky!”
This paper examines the progress of health system transformation and the gaps that remain as they affect rural people, places, and providers. The health system transformation activities examined here are not limited to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA), but also touch upon activities undertaken by states, insurance plans, and public …
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
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, …
Continue reading “Rural Cultural Wealth Lab Digital Exchange Webinar”
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 …
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, …
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 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 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 …
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. …
Continue reading “Accessing Behavioral Health Services in Rural Communities”
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 …
Continue reading “Rural Health and the Law: Emerging Issues and Trends”
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
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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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 a High Performance Rural Health System without Inpatient Care. This paper …
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
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 …
Continue reading “RUPRI Leader – Interview with Mario Gutierrez on the future of healthcare”
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 …
Continue reading “RUPRI Leader, Dr. Keith Mueller receives award”
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 …
March 21, 2017
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 …
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. …
Continue reading “RHIHub Hosts Webinar on CDC Series on Rural Mortality and Preventable Deaths”
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 …
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 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 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 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
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 …
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 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
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, …
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 …
Continue reading “RUPRI Health Panel member, Jennifer Lundblad, discusses rural hospital innovation”
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
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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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 …
Continue reading “RUPRI Health Center Examines Beneficiary Assignment Updates in Medicare ACOs”
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 Provided Comments to CMS Request for Information on Concepts for Regional Multi-Payer Prospective Budgets. May 13th, 2016. Read Comment Letter Here
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. …
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), …
Continue reading “RHIhub Integrating Health & Human Services in Rural Communities Webinar”
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. …
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 …
