Rural policy brief最新文献

In this policy brief, we estimate and document the national magnitude of charges associated with hospitalizations due to ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs) in rural hospitals. The brief also reports this type of charge by hospital size. This research will inform policy makers about the magnitude of rural preventable hospitalizations and the associated potential savings in hospital resource utilization.

In this policy brief, we estimate and document the regional magnitudes of charges associated with hospitalizations due to ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs) in rural hospitals. This research will inform policy makers about the regional magnitudes of rural preventable hospitalizations and the associated potential savings in hospital resource utilization when rural patients receive timely and effective primary care.

The purpose of this policy brief is to provide researchers, policy makers, and stakeholders with the locations of independently owned pharmacies in rural America that are the sole sources of access to local pharmaceutical services. Organizations representing those pharmacies have argued that the advent of Medicare prescription drug plans threatens the financial viability of those pharmacies (Grisnik 2006). In addition, some pharmacists have expressed concerns about changes in Medicaid reimbursement for pharmaceuticals brought about by the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) of 2005. We focus on those communities with only one pharmacy, independently owned, to lay a foundation for analyzing vulnerability of pharmacy services in rural America.

Enrollment in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans in rural areas grew more than 50% in the first three quarters of 2007 and has more than tripled since the inception of the MA program at the beginning of 2006. However, rural enrollment remains well below urban enrollment as a percentage of the eligible population. This brief updates early findings from analysis of the Medicare+Choice/MA program presented in previous RUPRI Center policy briefs.

Unlabelled: Enrollment in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans has more than tripled since the inception of the MA program at the beginning of 2006. However, rural enrollment remains well below urban enrollment as a percentage of the eligible population. This policy brief provides findings about enrollment in the newly designed MA program in rural and urban areas across the United States and updates early findings from analysis of the Medicare+Choice/ MA program presented in previous RUPRI Center policy briefs.

Key findings: As of June 5, 2007 (date of release by CMS), (1) Over 780,000 rural Medicare beneficiaries were enrolled in an MA plan, an increase of 50% since November 2006, and a 222% increase since 2005. (2) Despite significant growth in MA plans, only 8.6% of rural persons were enrolled in MA plans in June 2007, compared to 21.7% of urban persons. (3) Over half (55%) of rural persons enrolled in MA or prepaid plans were in private fee-for-service (PFFS) plans, compared to only 14% of urban persons. (4) PFFS enrollment in rural areas in June 2007 was concentrated in several PFFS plans, with almost 90% of rural persons enrolled in plans run by seven organizations serving about 2,000 counties in the United States.

Enrollment in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans more than doubled in rural areas in 2006, the first year of the MA program. However, rural enrollment remains well below urban enrollment as a percentage of the eligible population. This policy brief provides findings about enrollment in the newly designed MA program in rural and urban areas across the United States and updates previous findings published in RUPRI Center policy briefs. Analysis of rural-urban differences in costs to beneficiaries that compares type of plan will be released in a policy brief in June 2007.

This policy brief provides findings about Medicare beneficiary enrollment in prescription drug plans (PDPs) in rural and urban areas across the United States, updating early findings from an analysis of plans presented in a previous RUPRI Center policy brief (PB2006-8).