- CMS: Medicare Program; Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems for Acute Care Hospitals and the Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System and Policy Changes and Fiscal Year 2026 Rates; Requirements for Quality Programs; and Other Policy Changes; Correction
- CMS: Medicare Program; Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems for Acute Care Hospitals and the Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System and Policy Changes and Fiscal Year 2026 Rates; Requirements for Quality Programs; and Other Policy Changes; Correction
- CMS: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Contract Year 2026 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage Program, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program, Medicare Cost Plan Program, and Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly; Correction
- CMS: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Contract Year 2026 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage Program, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program, Medicare Cost Plan Program, and Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly; Correction
- CMS: Medicare Program; Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities; Updates to the Quality Reporting Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2026
- CMS: Medicare Program; FY 2026 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements
- Public Inspection: CMS: Medicare Program: Fiscal Year 2026 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements
- Public Inspection: CMS: Medicare Program: Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities; Updates to the Quality Reporting Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2026
- CMS: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; CY 2025 Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Changes to Part B Payment and Coverage Policies; Medicare Shared Savings Program Requirements; Medicare Prescription Drug Inflation Rebate Program; and Medicare Overpayments; and Appeal Rights for Certain Changes in Patient Status; Corrections and Correcting Amendment
- CMS: Request for Information; Health Technology Ecosystem
- CMS: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; CY 2025 Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Changes to Part B Payment and Coverage Policies; Medicare Shared Savings Program Requirements; Medicare Prescription Drug Inflation Rebate Program; and Medicare Overpayments; and Appeal Rights for Certain Changes in Patient Status; Corrections and Correcting Amendment
- VA: Staff Sergeant Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program Funding Opportunity
- State: 60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: J-1 Visa Waiver Recommendation Application
- HHS: Request for Information (RFI): Ensuring Lawful Regulation and Unleashing Innovation To Make American Healthy Again
- Public Inspection: CMS: Request for Information: Health Technology Ecosystem
Hospital Groups to Fight Price Transparency Rule
Millennials’ Health Worse that Previous Generations
Millennials are experiencing chronic health issues at greater rates than previous generations, according to a report released this month by Moody’s and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. The report noted that higher rates of chronic conditions could have a significant effect on millennials’ economic potential and health spending in the future. (Source: Bloomberg, 11/6)
Time to Celebrate the #PowerofRural!
Every year, the third Thursday of November is designated as National Rural Health Day (NRHD). What began as an annual, single day of recognition has grown to be a national conversation and movement!
Multiple events are happening in every state across the country throughout the week and on November 21. the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health has made it easy to participate by offering free communication tools, an idea guide, and an extensive listing of and registration for activities around the country – all available on PowerofRural.org!
Thanks again for all you do to help us transform this moment into a movement!
Report Demonstrates How Medicaid Increases Adult Access to Oral Health Care
Part 2 of a research report from the DentaQuest Partnership for Oral Health Advancement demonstrates how Medicaid, with its limited dental coverage, significantly improved adults’ access and utilization of dental services, compared to those who lack medical coverage. Click to read about Medicaid, family income and dental services.
National Rural Hospital Week & National Rural Health Day
During the week of November 18, 2019, the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) will partner with the Federation of American Hospitals to celebrate National Rural Hospital Week (November 18-22). NRHA will share messages on the importance of rural hospitals and ways rural providers do more with less together via a variety of media platforms: including an Op-Ed in ModernHealthcare, an episode of the Hospitals in Focus podcast, social media shares, and more! NRHA will also partner with the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) to promote National Rural Health Day (November 21) and will share stories and factoids that highlight the #PowerofRural. Join NRHA as they draw attention to the challenges in rural America and celebrate the ways that rural health care is special.
Rural Americans are More Likely to Die from Preventable Causes
A new government study shows that rural Americans die more often from potentially preventable causes than their urban counterparts. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) studied preventable diseases from cancer, heart disease and respiratory disease in rural areas and compared the outcomes with city areas. The results saw that between 2010 and 2017, rural counties saw a widening disparity in preventable deaths from cancer, heart disease and respiratory disease, compared to city areas. Researchers found a “persistent and striking gap between rural and urban Americans for this (cancer) and other leading causes of death.”
Best Performing Health Care CEOs
Harvard Business Review recently released its annual ranking of the 100 “Best-Performing CEOs in the World,” and the list includes nine CEOs in the health care industry. Health care CEOs who made the list lead companies in the pharmaceutical, life sciences, and other health-related sectors. (Source: Harvard Business Review, November-December 2019)
Public Comment Period for Council on Pennsylvania Reform Recommendations
This summer Pennsylvania Governor Wolf announced the creation of the Council on Reform, aimed at providing policy recommendations on vulnerable populations, with a report due by the end of the year. The Council recently released its draft recommendations. Recommended policies range from focusing on prevention in the child welfare system to increasing home visiting services for women and children. The recommendations are now open for a 45-day public comment period with a deadline of December 16.
Click here to provide comments or recommendations.
CMS Issues Final Rule on Hospital Price Transparency, Pushes Effective Date to 2021
After months of feedback from payers and providers unhappy with a proposal to mandate price transparency in healthcare, the Trump administration unveiled its final rule on the topic.
- The final rule on hospital price transparency is effective January 1, 2021, which is a year later than originally proposed
- A separate proposed rule would also impose price transparency requirements on health insurers.
The final rule gives CMS additional enforcement and auditing capabilities, including the potential for monetary finds of $300 per day. Read the full story…
Research Reveals Big Shift in Employment Trends in Appalachia
The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) released Industrial Make-Up of the Appalachian Region, a new report examining employment and earnings across the Region. Drawing on data from 15 industry sectors, the report catalogs how the Region’s industrial make-up and earnings compare to that of the country as a whole. The report primarily focuses on the period from 2002–2017 — the years immediately before, during, and after the Great Recession – and finds that employment growth varies across the Region. Overall, while post-Recession employment growth has been positive in Appalachia, it lags behind the growth that was experienced by the country as a whole. The report also finds an overall employment shift across the Region towards professional & technical services; health & social services; and tourism-related jobs.
Among the Report’s key findings: from 2012 to 2017, employment across all industries in Appalachia grew 4.7 percent. While growth was positive, employment nationwide grew 9.6 percent during the same time period. From 2012 to 2017, the fastest growth in employment occurred in Appalachia’s South Central and Southern subregions, at 6.6 percent and 10.4 percent, respectively. In 2017, the five industries with the largest employment shares in the Region were professional & technical services (12.1 percent), health and social services (11.6 percent), retail and trade (11.1 percent); state and local government (11.1 percent); and manufacturing (10 percent). In 2017, 10 percent of Appalachia’s total employment was in the manufacturing industry, a larger share than the country as a whole (6.8 percent).