Rural policy brief最新文献

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 health record system fostered core ACO capabilities, including care coordination and population health management. (3) Partnerships across the care continuum supported utilization of local health care resources.

In this policy brief we analyze the effect of Medicare payment adjustments on Medicare-derived revenues to rural primary care providers. Building on prior work in this area, we look at the effect of changes in the Geographic Practice Cost Indices (GPCIs) from 2013 to 2014 as implemented in the Pathway for SGR Reform Act of 2013 and the Protecting Access to Medicare Act. Key Findings. (1) Changes to the GPCIs made between January 1, 2013, and March 31, 2014, resulted in an average 0.12% (median 0.18%) Medicare-derived revenue increase in rural primary care practices. (2) Without the GPCI work floor reinstatement, primary care practices in rural areas would have been disproportionately impacted through lower Medicare-related revenues.

Key Findings. (1) From March 2003 to December 2013, there was a loss of 924 (12.1%) independently owned rural pharmacies in the United States. The most drastic loss occurred between 2007 and 2009. From 2010-2013, the trend has been for more closures, although the decline is not as pronounced or clear as in earlier years. (2) Four hundred ninety rural communities that had one or more retail pharmacy (including independent, chain, or franchise pharmacy) in March 2003 had no retail pharmacy in December 2013.

Key Findings. (1) State-level decisions in implementing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA) have led to significant state variation in the design of Health Insurance Marketplace (HIM) rating areas. In some designs, rural counties are grouped together, while in others, rural and urban counties have been deliberately mixed. (2) Urban counties have, on average, approximately one more firm participating in the marketplaces, representing about 11 more plan offerings, than rural counties have. (3) The highest-valued "platinum" plan types are less likely to be available in rural areas. Thus, the overall mix of plan types should be factored into the reporting of average premiums. (4) Levels of competition are likely to have a greater impact on the decisions of firms considering whether to operate in higher-cost areas or not, as those firms must determine how they can pass such costs on to consumers, conditional on the market share they are likely to control.

Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) are groups of providers (generally physicians and/or hospitals) that may receive financial rewards by maintaining or improving care quality for a group of patients while reducing the cost of care for those patients. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA) established a Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) and accompanying Medicare ACOs to “facilitate coordination and cooperation among providers to improve the quality of care for Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) beneficiaries and reduce unnecessary costs.” The MSSP now includes 343 ACOs; an additional 23 ACOs participate in the Medicare Pioneer ACO demonstration program, and there are approximately 240 private ACOs. Based on our analysis, among the Medicare ACOs 119 operate in both rural and urban counties and seven operate exclusively in rural counties. A little over 24 percent of non-metropolitan counties are included in Medicare ACOs. To assist rural providers considering ACO formation, this policy brief describes MSSP eligibility and participation requirements, beneficiary assignment processes, and quality measures.

Key Findings. (1) Assuming Medicaid expansion in each of the fifty states and the District of Columbia, a larger proportion of the rural (non-metropolitan) uninsured (43.5%) than the urban uninsured (38.5%) would be eligible for Medicaid. (2) In both urban and rural places, across the adult non-elderly population, uninsured rates decline dramatically with age. (3) Within each age group of the uninsured, rural people are less likely to have incomes above 400% of the federal poverty level (FPL), meaning that overall more rural uninsured would be eligible for some form of health insurance assistance under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), either subsidized coverage in new marketplaces, or through Medicaid if all states were to implement expansion. (4) While over half of the uninsured in both rural and urban areas are younger than 40 years, the uninsured in rural areas are disproportionately older across all income categories, which reflects the age distribution in the population.

Key Findings. (1) Hospital network participation from 2007 to 2012 increased in larger hospitals (more than 150 beds), non-government not-for-profit hospitals, and metropolitan hospitals. Network participation changed inconsistently in other types of hospitals. (2) Hospital system affiliation has generally increased in hospitals of all sizes, non-government not-for-profit hospitals, hospitals in all census regions, CAHs, and both metropolitan and nonmetropolitan hospitals. There are notably higher percentages of system affiliation among midsized and large hospitals, investor-owned hospitals, and metropolitan hospitals compared to their counterparts.

Key Findings. Data from 4,727 hospitals in the 2013 HIMSS Analytics database yielded these findings: (1) Two-thirds (66.0% of rural defined as nonmetropolitan and 68.0% of urban) had no telehealth services or were only in the process of implementing a telehealth application. One-third (34.0%rural and 32.0% urban) had at least one telehealth application currently in use. (2) Among hospitals with "live and operational" telehealth services, 61.4% indicated only a single department/program with an operational telehealth service, and 38.6% indicated two or more departments/programs with operational telehealth services. Rural hospitals were significantly less likely to have multiple services (35.2%) than were urban hospitals (42.1%) (3) Hospitals that were more likely to have implemented at least one telehealth service were academic medical centers, not-for-profit institutions, hospitals belonging to integrated delivery systems, and larger institutions (in terms of FTEs but not licensed beds). Rural and urban hospitals did not differ significantly in overall telehealth implementation rates. (4) Urban and rural hospitals did differ in the department where telehealth was implemented. Urban hospitals were more likely than rural hospitals to have operational telehealth implementations in cardiology/stroke/heart attack programs (7.4% vs. 6.2%), neurology (4.4% vs. 2.1%), and obstetrics/gynecology/NICU/pediatrics (3.8% vs. 2.5%). In contrast, rural hospitals were more likely than urban hospital to have operational telehealth implementations in radiology departments (17.7% vs. 13.9%) and in emergency/trauma care (8.8% vs. 6.3%).

Key Data Findings. (1) The average rural Medicare Advantage (MA) plan enrollee in 2012 experienced a quality rating of 3.60 stars (of a potential 5.0), compared with a rating of 3.71 stars experienced by urban enrollees. (2) The measured rural-urban difference in the MA plan quality is a result of the difference in the composition of the enrollment and plan availability in MA markets, rather than differences between MA plans of the same type. (a) In general, rural Medicare beneficiaries often have limited MA plans available from which to choose, and typically have lower quality ratings than urban MA plans. (b) Rural MA beneficiaries are more likely to be enrolled in preferred provider organization (PPO) plans than in health maintenance organization (HMO) plans. (c) PPO plans have lower quality ratings on average than HMO plans. (d) HMO plans had the highest average quality rating at 3.83 and 3.78 stars, respectively, in rural and urban areas. PPO plans had lower quality ratings, at 3.52 and 3.50, respectively. (3) In rural areas, 32% of the MA population is enrolled in a plan with a star rating of 4.0 or higher, and 92% are enrolled in a plan with a star rating of at least 3.0, as contrasted to urban enrollment of 36% and 94% respectively, making these plans eligible for quality based bonus payments. (4) The quality rating of rural MA plans varies significantly across the country, with the highest quality ratings in rural areas in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Maine.

Key Findings. (1) Based on analysis of 2009 Medicare claims data, more than 70% of rural primary care physicians (PCP) and non-physician practitioners (NPP) qualify for payments under the Primary Care Incentive Payment Program (PCIP) threshold (i.e., meet the > 60% of allowable Medicare charges). (2) The average incentive payment for qualifying rural PCPs would result in an additional $8,000 in Medicare patient revenue per year. For qualifying NPPs, the result is an additional $3,000 in Medicare patient revenue per year. (3) Only 9% of non-qualifying rural primary care providers were within 10 percentage points of the minimum threshold (60%) of Medicare allowed charges to qualify for PCIP payments.