Rural Health Value is an initiative funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy to provide analysis, technical assistance, and strategy for rural health care delivery.  Along with a new website and logo, they’ve launched two new resources to help rural healthcare organizations, payers, and communities make the transition from volume-based to value-based health care and payment models:

• Rural Value-Based Care – The Payer Perspective, Rural Health Value Summit Report
• A one-page summary of CMS’s Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM) (p.30)

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has an updated factsheet for its Frontier Community Health Integration Project (FCHIP) Demonstration. The model tests new models of health care delivery in the most sparsely populated rural counties by waiving certain Medicare requirements regarding skilled nursing facility beds, telehealth, and ambulance services.  In the initial demonstration period (August 2016 through July 2019), CMS received applications from Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in Montana, Nevada, and North Dakota (though eligible to apply, CAHs in Alaska and Wyoming did not apply). The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 extended FCHIP.  Five CAHs in Montana and Nevada are continuing their participation with the goal of improving health and reducing Medicare expenditures.

– Effective January 1, 2025. On November 1, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule updating payment rates and policies under the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Prospective Payment System (PPS) for renal dialysis services for Medicare beneficiaries. This rule includes updates to base payment rates, a modified low volume payment adjustment, new inclusion of oral-only dialysis drugs in bundled payments, and coverage for home dialysis services for beneficiaries with acute kidney injury.

– Effective January 1, 2025. On November 1, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the calendar year 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) final rule to update payments for physicians and other providers under the PFS and other Medicare Part B policies. The rule contains updates for Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), like the ability to bill for administration of Part B vaccines at the time of service beginning July 1, 2025, removal of RHC productivity standards, changes to the Conditions of Certification, changes to required lab services, and new care coordination billing processes. CMS continues several telehealth flexibilities through the end of 2025, and changes for behavioral health, opioid treatment programs, and more are also in the rule. Learn how these changes affect Rural Health Clinics at the NARHC webinar listed under Learning Events below.

This policy brief presents findings from key informant interviews with nine administrators representing rural hospitals in seven states (Arkansas, California, Illinois, Texas, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia). Using content analysis of interview data, researchers share findings around hospital and community-level implications of medical debt, and policies that may help or hinder this issue.

Building from the Medicaid Transportation Coverage Guide issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in 2023, this fact sheet helps clarify and encourage partnership at the state level and includes commonly asked questions and relevant resources.  Stakeholders, such as state Departments of Transportation staff, provided input into the document.  Many FTA public transit grantees offer NEMT, providing vital access to health care for low-income Medicaid beneficiaries, particularly in rural areas. Research has found that Medicaid covers a relatively greater share of individuals in rural counties than in urban counties.

– December 12.  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requests nominations for members to their newly formed Health Equity Advisory Committee (HEAC).  This Committee will advise and make recommendations to CMS on how they can promote quality and access for beneficiaries in all CMS programs, like Medicare and Medicaid. Nominations must be submitted by email to HEAC@cms.hhs.gov with the subject line “HEAC Nomination” by December 12.

The new lists, maintained and updated by HRSA’s Data Warehouse, were announced in the Federal Register last week. They identify all geographic areas, population groups, and facilities designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). Designations that are currently proposed for withdrawal will remain in this status until a second notice is published in the Federal Register.

In August of this year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Center for Medicare and Medication Innovation (“Innovation Center”) borrowed an idea-generating concept from the tech industry to come up with actionable steps for tough challenges in rural health care.  A new report describes what CMS learned from three sessions – Bozeman, MT; Dallas, TX; and Wilson, NC – and how they might use this input for current and future programs.  The Innovation Center at CMS was created to develop and test alternative payment models that improve quality while reducing costs in Medicare, Medicaid, and Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP) – public health insurance programs that play a critical role in providing coverage in rural areas where people are more likely to face challenges accessing health care.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Office of Minority Health presents summary information on the quality of health care received by people with Medicare nationwide, highlighting (1) rural-urban differences in health care experiences and clinical care, (2) how rural-urban differences in health care experiences and clinical care vary by race and ethnicity, and (3) historical trends in quality of care for rural and urban residents.