- Weathering the Storm Together: Community Resiliency Hubs Hold the Promise of Local Self-Sufficiency and Supportive Mutual Aid
- Virginia Tech Researchers Bring Rural Families into the Nation's Largest Study of Early Brain and Child Development
- Expanding Access to Cancer Care for Rural Veterans
- VA: Veterans Rural Health Advisory Committee, Notice of Meeting
- Scaling Rural Wellness with Clever Collaboration
- Stroudwater Associates Enhances Rural Healthcare Dashboard with New Data to Support State Rural Transformation Grant Applications
- Harvest Season Is Here: Busy Times Call for Increased Focus on Safety and Health
- HHS Dispatches More Than 70 Public Health Service Officers to Strengthen Care in Tribal Communities
- Wisconsin Rural Hospitals Team up to Form Network
- CMS Launches Landmark $50 Billion Rural Health Transformation Program
- American Heart Association Provides Blood Pressure Kits at Southeast Arkansas Regional Libraries to Support Rural Health
- Broadening Access to Minimally Invasive Surgery Could Narrow Rural-Urban Health Gaps
- Instead of Selling, Some Rural Hospitals Band Together To Survive
- Help Line Gives Pediatricians Crucial Mental Health Information to Help Kids, Families
- Rural Health: A Strategic Opportunity for Governors
Study Ranks Pennsylvania 24th in the Nation for Worker-friendly Policies
A recent report by the anti-poverty group Oxfam America ranked all 50 states based on a variety of metrics, from whether workers can earn a livable wage, its friendliness to organized labor, and the support services it offers to workers. Based on those metrics, Pennsylvania finished 24th in the nation, finishing behind five of the Keystone State’s six neighbors.
“While the U.S. economy is thriving for some, it is leaving millions of working families behind. As the federal government has refused to advance labor laws that would help, most states have stepped up to make vital improvements in wages and conditions,” the study’s authors wrote.
Here’s how Pennsylvania’s neighboring states finished overall: Delaware (16), Maryland (13), New Jersey (12); New York (13), Ohio (20) and West Virginia (25). The full report can be accessed here.
CMS Revamps Medicare Plan Finder
During the week of August 26, 2019, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it launched a redesigned Medicare Plan Finder that aims to make it easier for Medicare beneficiaries to compare their coverage options. CMS said the update to the Medicare Plan Finder is the first in a decade and is part of the agency’s eMedicare initiative, “which expands and improves on current Medicare consumer service options.”
Broadband Research Base
The National Data Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) has created a searchable collection of reports, studies and journal articles that address the impact of broadband and digital inclusion on community and individual well-being. Click here to access the resource.
New Report Offers State-Level Analysis of Primary Care Investment
The Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative (PCPCC) 2019 Executive Report provides quantitative data and analysis of primary care spend at the state and payer levels, as well as a window into the association between primary care spend and key patient outcomes. The report shows:
- Primary care investment as a percentage of total health care expenditures was low between 2011 and 2016, and it varied considerably across states and across payers
- An association between more primary care investment and better patient outcomes
- A description of legislative/regulatory efforts in 10 states to measure and report on primary care spend and to shift more resources into primary care
Rural Guide to Improving Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Care (COPD)
A policy brief issued last year by the University of Minnesota reported that while the COPD prevalence rate is higher for individuals living in rural areas, Critical Access Hospitals are less likely to employ any respiratory therapists. With support from HRSA’s Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, the National Rural Health Resource Center created this guide to help rural hospitals and clinics identify areas for improvement with diagnosis, treatment, and long-term care of COPD patients. The guide is developed as part of the COPD National Action Plan, with the goal of developing resources for improving the lives of patients living with COPD in rural communities. Click here to access the full brief.
Comments Requested: Proposed Changes to Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder Patient Records
The Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder Patient Records regulations (42 CFR Part 2), aka “Part 2,” protect patient privacy when receiving substance use disorder treatment. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has proposed changes to these rules based on stakeholder feedback and to facilitate coordination of care. The proposals include allowing non-opioid treatment program providers to become eligible to get information from prescription drug monitoring programs and changing the requirements for patient consent. See this HHS Fact Sheet for a summary of the proposals and RHIhub for more information on substance use disorder treatment in rural areas. Comments are due on October 25, 2019.