Redesigning Medicare: considerations for rural beneficiaries and health systems.

Serving rural Medicare beneficiaries

required that the Commission report on: • rural Medicare beneficiaries' access to care, • rural providers' quality of care, • special rural Medicare payments, and • the adequacy of Medicare payments to rural providers. In addition to the findings presented on each of the four topics, this report presents a set of principles designed to guide expectations and policies with respect to rural acces...

Facilitating the formation of accountable care organizations in rural areas.

This Policy Brief presents characteristics contributing to the formation of four accountable care organizations (ACOs) that serve rural Medicare beneficiaries. Doing so provides considerations for provider organizations contemplating creating rural-based ACOs. Key Findings. (1) Previous organizational integration and risk-sharing experience facilitated ACO formation. (2) Use of an electronic he...

The Effect of New Medicare Reimbursement Methodologies on Rural Home Health Agencies and Their Beneficiaries The Effect of New Medicare Reimbursement Methodologies on Rural Home Health Agencies and Their Beneficiaries

December 2009: rural Medicare Advantage enrollment grows 15% in 2009.

Rural enrollment in Medicare Advantage (MA) and other prepaid plans grew by 15% from December 2008 to December 2009, faster than the 10% national growth rate. Preferred provider organization (PPO) plans drove the increased enrollment in MA plans in rural areas in 2009, while private fee-for-service (PFFS) plans continued to dominate the market with over 50% of enrollment. This landscape could c...

What affects rural beneficiaries use of urban and rural hospitals?

Analysis of the Medicare provider analysis record (MEDPAR) data during fiscal years 1984 through 1989 indicates that the proportion of rural Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized in urban hospitals has remained constant during the prospective payment system (PPS). Much of the use of urban hospitals by rural beneficiaries during this period was to obtain specialized care or surgery, as suggested b...