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.
