The Quality of Medicare Outpatient Claims Data and Its Implications for Rural Outpatient Payment Policy

This report describes the potential negative impact of the Medicare Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) on rural hospitals compared with other types of hospitals. It compares three indicators of claims quality across urban, rural, and small rural hospitals. The report concludes that there are no significant differences among three types of hospitals with regards to OPPS. It includes figures and references.