The Rural Health Value team has released the annual update of the Catalog of Value Based Initiatives for Rural Providers.  This is your “go to” resource for staying current on CMMI payment demos that are germane for rural health care organizations and clinicians. Please share this resource as appropriate with your networks and stakeholders:

Catalog of Value Based Initiatives for Rural Providers
One-page summaries describe rural-relevant, value-based programs currently or recently implemented by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), primarily by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and its Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI).   (2023)

Link:    https://ruralhealthvalue.org/files/Catalog%20Value%20Based%20Initiatives%20for%20Rural%20Providers.pdf

Related resources on the Rural Health Value website:

• Medicare Shared Savings Program: Rule Changes and Implications for Rural Health Care Organizations – A summary of the changes made to the Medicare Shared Savings Program taking effect January 2023 and 2024. This Rural Health Value analysis outlines how the changes would reduce barriers to participation for potential or reentering ACOs that operate in rural contexts.
• How to Design Value‐Based Care Models for Rural Participant Success: A Summit Findings Report – Based on the input from a two-day virtual summit of rural participants in value-based care models and programs, summarizes themes and actionable recommendations that can be used by those designing and supporting value-based care models to improve the viability, relevance, and likelihood of rural health care organization participation and success.
• Experience in the Pennsylvania Rural Health Model: Barnes-Kasson County Hospital – A critical access hospital in Susquehanna, PA provides insight into their experience participating in the Pennsylvania Rural Health Model, which includes a global budget and transforming care to address community health needs.

Contact information:

Clint MacKinney, MD, MS, Co-Principal Investigator, clint-mackinney@uiowa.edu

According to a new study, the number of undergraduate public health majors has increased significantly over the past two decades. The study analyzed the popularity of undergraduate public health majors, the demographics of those programs, and the careers their graduates pursue. The increased interest can partially be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Click here to read the study.

The Flex Monitoring Team released a new policy brief, Care Coordination and Community Partnerships for Cancer Care in Critical Access Hospitals. This brief presents data from a survey of 135 CAHs across the U.S. and provides specific data on care coordination services provided in CAHs and staff providing these services, as well as information related to CAH partnerships with community organizations in community cancer initiatives.

New Brief Highlights Changes to Urban Areas in Pennsylvania

The U.S. Census Bureau released an updated list of urban areas, boundary maps and other related material this month. Read more on our Research Briefs page or click here to go straight to the brief.

Census Bureau Updates

• American Community Survey 2017-2021 5-Year Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) Released

The 2017-2021 ACS 5-year PUMS were released this month. PUMS files allow data users to create custom estimates and tables that are not available through ACS pretabulated data products. Click here to explore options for accessing the latest data.

• New ACS Data Products Available for the 118^th Congress

The Census Bureau released new social, economic, housing, and demographic statistics for the 118th Congress. The four Data Profiles are available for all 435 congressional districts and are available in the Census Bureau’s FTP site and through a web-based lookup tool on the ACS website.

• American Community Survey Migration Flows

The U.S. Census Bureau released new data tables from the 2016-2020 American Community Survey (ACS) highlighting the geographic mobility of people. Click here to learn more.

• Census Bureau and AmeriCorps Released the Civic Engagement and Volunteering Supplement

Click here to access the 2021 Current Population Survey (CPS), Civic Engagement and Volunteering (CVC) Supplement Microdata File. This is the most robust longitudinal survey about volunteerism and other forms of civic engagement in the United States.

Title:  Prevalence of Meeting Aerobic, Muscle-Strengthening, and Combined Physical Activity Guidelines During Leisure Time Among Adults, by Rural-Urban Classification and Region — United States, 2020

Summary: Physical activity is important in health promotion and disease prevention; rural-urban and regional disparities among adults in meeting the combined leisure time physical activity guidelines exist. Analysis of 2020 National Health Interview Survey data found a low proportion of U.S. adults met leisure-time aerobic, muscle-strengthening, and combined physical activity guidelines. Residents in larger metropolitan areas and in the West U.S. Census Bureau region were more likely than were those in less populated urban and rural areas or other regions to meet these guidelines. Rural residents might benefit from investments in structural capacity and policy, systems, and environment change to support leisure-time physical activity.

Suggested Citation: Abildso CG, Daily SM, Umstattd Meyer MR, Perry CK, Eyler A. Prevalence of Meeting Aerobic, Muscle-Strengthening, and Combined Physical Activity Guidelines During Leisure Time Among Adults, by Rural-Urban Classification and Region — United States, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2023;72:85–89. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7204a1.

Early in the Pandemic, Private Insurers Paid Similarly for In-Person and Telemedicine Services, Including for Mental Health Therapy

Telehealth use surged as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, though the shift toward virtual physician and mental health care did not materially affect how much insurers paid for each patient encounter in 2020, a new KFF analysis finds.

Using data from the Health Care Cost Institute, the analysis examines nearly 100 million claims to compare the average paid amount for in-person and telehealth evaluation and management services and mental health therapies.

In each case, the average payments were similar in 2020.

The analysis suggests that the expanded use of telehealth services did not lead to significant cost savings early in the pandemic though likely provided other benefits by making services more convenient and accessible for patients. Whether insurers have continued to pay similar rates for telehealth and in-person services is not yet clear. The analysis also does not assess the extent to which the availability of telehealth substitutes for in-person services or leads to greater use of health care overall.

The analysis is available through the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker, an online information hub that monitors and assesses the performance of the U.S. health system or by clicking here.

Check out our data webpage to access recent Pennsylvania KIDS COUNT® Data Center updates! We have updated information from various sources across the Economic Well-Being, Education & Health categories, including data from the American Community Survey, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, and Pennsylvania Departments of Education, Health and Labor & Industry.

A new policy brief is available on the Flex Monitoring Team (FMT) website: Impacts of Critical Access Hospital Independence and System Ownership during the COVID-19 Pandemic. In this brief, the FMT describes findings from a survey of CAH CEOs about their response to COVID-19, with a specific focus on advantages and disadvantages of system ownership or independence as described by survey participants.

Additionally, a new webinar recording is available on the FMT website: COVID-19 Response in System-Owned and Independent CAHs. In this webinar, the FMT presents findings from their survey of CAHs including advantages and disadvantages of system ownership or independent status, support received from State Flex Programs, staff recruiting challenges, partnerships, and patient transfers.