Reimbursement Environment (Part III of V) The U.S. government is the largest payor of medical costs, through Medicare and Medicaid, and has a strong influence on healthcare reimbursement. In 2017, Medicare and Medicaid accounted for an estimated $705.9 billion and $581.9 billion in healthcare spending, respectively. The prevalence of these public payors in the healthcare marketplace often results in their acting as a price setter and being used as a benchmark for private reimbursement rates. This is particularly true for RHCs, which tend to serve a disproportionately large Medicare population. This third installment in the five-part series on RHCs will…
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for Rural Health Clinics (Part I of V) The first of a five-part series where the authors describe the issues encountered valuing rural health care clinics. This first article discusses fair market value considerations for rural health clinics. Introduction Rural health clinics (RHCs) are specially certified entities that were created in order to increase access to primary care services for patients located in rural communities.[1] RHCs were established via the Rural Health Clinic Service Act of 1977, which law was promulgated to address the increasing shortage of healthcare services in rural areas.[2] These clinics are specially licensed healthcare organizations through…