Workgroup, asked by Medicaid and Medicare agency, develops yardsticks for measuring rural health care access - Entrepreneur Generations

Improving patients' health literacy and reducing out-of-pocket costs can help improve the health outcomes of the more than 59 million Americans living in rural areas, according to a report by National Quality Forum, a non-profit independent organization that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services tasked with identifying better ways to address and measure rural health outcomes. CMS will use the recommendations to fine-tune its recently announced Rural Health Strategy, which aims to ensure rural residents have better access to healthcare.

NQF created the Measure Applications Partnership Rural Health Workgroup to develop potential quality reporting measures. The workgroup recommended that health care leaders facilitate better communication between health care providers and patients, and educate patients about insurance plans. For example, patients might not understand the implications of choosing a high-deductible insurance plan, Jessica Kent reports for Health IT Analytics.

MAP recommended that health insurance providers speed up administrative processes to help patients see providers more quickly, and developed measures to address transitions in care from a general health care provider to a specialist. And because transportation is a barrier to access for many rural patients, MAP suggested health care organizations partner with existing transportation services and invest more in telehealth.

"Moreover, the workgroup supported the inclusion of measures that address specific conditions that are relevant for rural populations, including measures related to mental health, substance abuse, and chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension," Kent reports.

from The Rural Blog https://ift.tt/2O1xBKU Workgroup, asked by Medicaid and Medicare agency, develops yardsticks for measuring rural health care access - Entrepreneur Generations

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