READ The Future of Rural Health Report Here The RUPRI Rural Health Panel, the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) and West Health held a facilitated convening in November, 2024 to identify the needs of the rural health communities, build on existingstrengths, and develop a cohesive approach to improving the health of rural Americans through policy. …
The RUPRI Health Panel has provided comments to CMS on the Medicare and Medicaid Programs Contract Year 2026 policy and technical changes to the Medicare Advantage program, Prescription Drug Benefit Program, PACE and the Medicare Cost Plan Program. Find the Comments Here
RUPRI Health Panel has provided comments on CMS RFI CMS-4207-NCI Medicare Program: Request for Information on Medicare Advantage Data. READ COMMENT LETTER HERE
The RUPRI Health Panel has released a new brief, Rural Hospitals’ Perspectives on Health System Affiliation. This brief explores the current trend in hospital affiliation from a rural perspective and offers guidance to rural hospital leaders in navigating a potential affiliation. With an understanding of the rural context and challenges facing rural hospitals, risks and …
RUPRI Health Panel Provided Comments to CMS-3442-P Proposed Rule: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Minimum Staffing Standards for Long-Term Care Facilities and Medicaid Institutional Payment Transparency Reporting. November 6th, 2023. Read Comment Letter Here
The RUPRI Health Panel offers comments in response to the Committee on Ways and Means Request for Information regarding Improving Access to Health Care in Rural and Underserved Areas. The comments focus on all five topics included in the RFI. The five topics include comments on: Geographic Payment Difference: The Panel recommends that changes to …
The RUPRI Health Panel has offered comments and resources in response to the Physician-Focused Payment Model Request for Information (RFI) regarding rural participation in population-based total cost of care models. The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation in HHS convenes the PTAC. Find the Comments Here
The RUPRI Health Panel responded to a CMS proposed rule CY 2024 Payment Policies Under the PhysicianFee Schedule and Other Changes to Part B Payment and Coverage Policies; Medicare Shared Savings Program. READ COMMENTS HERE
RUPRI Health Panel Provided Comments to CMS-5540-NC Request for Information (RFI) seeking input regarding the design of a future episode-based payment model. August 15th, 2023. Read Comment Letter Here
The RUPRI Health Panel provided comments on the HHS 2023 Smoking Cessation Framework. Read the Comments Here. To be most impactful in rural communities, the Panel recommends a broader approach to tobacco cessation, not just smoking cessation. The prevalence of smokeless tobacco (e.g., snuff, dip, snus, and chewing tobacco) is higher in rural areas than …
Continue reading “RUPRI Health Panel Submits Comments on HHS Smoking Cessation Framework”
RUPRI Health Panel Provided Comments to CMS-2439-P Proposed Rule: Medicaid Program; Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Managed Care Access, Finance, and Quality. July 1st, 2023. Read Comment Letter Here
The RUPRI Health Panel submitted comments on CMS-1785-P: Medicare Program: Proposed Hospital PPS for Acute Care Hospitals and the Long-Term Care Hospital PPS and Policy Changes and Fiscal Year 2024 Rates Proposed Rule Read Comments HERE
Keith Mueller presented State and National EMS Policy Recommendations at the 2023 National Rural EMS & Care Conference in April 2023. View Presentation Here
The RUPRI Health Panel has released a new brief, The Role of Telehealth in Achieving a High Performing Rural Health System: Priorities in a Post-Pandemic System, as a commentary on the preconditions for the optimum use of telehealth, looking at experiences of telehealth usage during the PHE. KEY CONSIDERATIONThe Panel continues to contribute to discussions …
The RUPRI Health Panel has released a new Policy Brief, State-Based Recommendations to Support Rural Ambulance Agencies. State-Based Recommendations• To ensure access to emergency medical services (EMS) for all rural residents, state legislatures should designate EMS as an essential service and provide a portion of the funding necessary to support the costs of maintaining essential …
RUPRI Health Panel Provided Comments to CMS-4201-P Proposed Rule: Contract Year 2024 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage Program; Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program; Medicare Cost Plan Program; Medicare Parts A, B, C, and D. February 13th, 2023. Read Comment Letter Here
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
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
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 …
Continue reading “Comment to CMS on Medicare Advantage Program. RUPRI Health Panel. August 2022.”
RUPRI Health Panel Provided Comments to HHS Request for Information (RFI): Initiative to Strengthen Primary Health Care. July 31st, 2022. Read Comment Letter Here
RUPRI Health Panel Provided Comments to CMS-1765-P Proposed Rule: Medicare Program; PPS and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities; Request for Information on Revising Requirements for Long-Term Facilities to Establish Mandatory Minimum Staffing Levels. June 8th, 2022. Read Comment Letter Here
RUPRI Health Panel Provided Comments to CMS-1771-P Proposed Rule: Medicare Program; Hospital Inpatient PPS for Acute Care Hospitals and the Long-Term Care Hospital PPS and Proposed Policy Changes and Fiscal Yar 2023 rates; Quality Programs and Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program Requirements for Eligible Hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals. June 8th, 2022. Read Comment Letter Here
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 …
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 …
RUPRI Health Panel Provided Comments to CMS-4192-P: Medicare Program; Contract Year 2023 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Programs. February 2022. Read Comment Letter Here
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 …
Continue reading “RUPRI Health Panel Releases Comments on Rural Emergency Hospital RFI”
Read comment letter here.
Read comment letter here.
Read comment letter here.
RUPRI Health Panel Provided Comments to 85 FR 59806 Request for Public Comments on Revised Geographic Eligibility for Federal Office of Rural Health Policy Grants. October 22nd, 2020. Read Comment Letter Here
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 …
RUPRI Health Panel Provided Comments to CMS-1734-F Proposed Rule: Medicare Program; CY 2021 Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Changes to Part B Payment Policies. September 23rd, 2020. Read Comment Letter Here
RUPRI Health Panel Provided Comments to CMS-1730-P Proposed Rule: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; CY 2021 Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate Update, Home Health Quality Reporting Program Requirements. July 19th, 2020. Read Comment Letter Here
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 …
RUPRI Health Panel Provided Comments to HRSA Request for Information (RFI) regarding health access and core health care services needed in rural communities. October 9th, 2019. Read Comment Letter Here
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 …
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 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 …
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
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
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 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
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
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
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
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 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
Rural Policy Research Institute
The University of Iowa
College of Public Health
319-384-3857 | info@rupri.org