Stakeholders Welcome and Also Dispute Various Changes On July 13, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) for calendar year (CY) 2024. In addition to the agency’s suggested cut to physician payments, the proposed rule announced changes in policies for the advancement of health equity, as well as the expansion of access to crit ...

Regulatory Issues (Part IV of V) As discussed in the first installment of this five-part series, rural health clinics (RHCs) are statutorily-created entities, established via the Rural Health Clinic Service Act of 1977. These providers face a range of federal and state legal and regulatory constraints, which affect their formation, operation, and transactions. This installment will discuss two important reg ...

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 a ...

For Rural Health Clinics Competition (Part II of V) As discussed in the first installment of this five-part series regarding Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), the significant proportion of RHCs operating at a loss has led to an overall reduction in the number of RHCs. Despite this decrease, the demand for RHCs continues to rise, limiting access to care for patients in rural communities. This second installment w ...

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 ...