- VA Announces Expansion of "Close to Me" Cancer Program as Part of the Cancer Moonshot, Bringing Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Closer to Thousands of Veterans
- Biden-Harris Administration Releases National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and First-Ever Federal Action Plan
- Biden-Harris Administration Takes Historic Action to Increase Access to Quality Care, and Support to Families and Care Workers
- Biden Administration Sets Higher Staffing Mandates. Most Nursing Homes Don't Meet Them.
- Rural Jails Turn to Community Health Workers To Help the Newly Released Succeed
- Rural Communities Face Primary Care Physician Shortage
- Miles for Milk: How Student-Run Grocery Store Reshaped Rural Community's Food Access
- Native Americans Have Shorter Life Spans, and It's Not Just Due to Lack of Health Care
- Promotoras Play Essential Role in Connecting Farmworkers with Health Care in Rural NorCal
- Across the Country, Amish Populations Are on the Rise
- Using Medicaid to Address Young People's Mental Health Needs in School Settings
- Sunsets, Wildlife and Limited Care: Challenges of Aging in Place in Rural America
- City-Country Mortality Gap Widens amid Persistent Holes in Rural Health Care Access
- Tribal Environmental Impact Network
- Minnesota's Rural Ambulance Providers Look to State Capitol for Their Own Lifeline
Hospital Utilization for Non-Traumatic Dental Conditions in Oregon from 2013 to 2015
Access to oral health benefits is a state by state issue – either the coverage is uneven or totally lacking – and can result in costly trips to the hospital for non-traumatic dental conditions. The DentaQuest Partnership took an in-depth look into Emergency Department (ED) visits specifically in Oregon for non-traumatic dental conditions, and found a need for multi-level solutions, such as teledentistry, to decrease ED utilization across the state. Read the study here.
The Burden of Out-of-Pocket Expenditures for Dental Care on Medicare-Enrolled Elderly and Disabled
The DentaQuest Partnership’s latest report is a continuation of compelling research about how out-of-pocket spending on health care presents challenges for patients on fixed incomes. The report findings show that Medicare recipients pay for at least 75% of dental costs out-of-pocket, contributing to financial strain and poor oral health. Read the report.
Census Bureau: Request for Nominations of Members To Serve on the National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic, and Other Populations
The Census Bureau is accepting nominations to fill eight vacancies on the National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic and Other Populations (NAC). The NAC provides advice to the Director of the Census Bureau on the economic, housing, demographic, socioeconomic, linguistic, technological, methodological, geographic, behavioral, and operational variables affecting the cost, accuracy, and implementation of Census Bureau programs and surveys, including the decennial census. The committee should have representatives with a variety of experience and from varied backgrounds in order to have balanced representation in terms of geography, age, sex, race, ethnicity, technical expertise, community involvement, and knowledge of census programs. Some members may serve as representatives for broad populations groups, including hard-to-count populations and racial and ethnic populations, among others. Nominations are due by August 1, 2020.
Public Comments Accepted on the Draft 2021 CMS QRDA I Implementation Guide (IG) and Schematron for Hospital Quality Reporting (HQR)
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is requesting public comments on their draft of the CMS Quality Reporting Document Architecture (QRDA) Category I Implementation Guide and Schematron for Hospital Quality Reporting. The guidelines outline requirements for eligible hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals to report quality measures for the 2021 calendar reporting year. Comments are due by April 1, 2020.
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Launches $4.5M Geriatric Emergency Department Initiative for Rural Patients
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center has launched a three-year initiative to build a “hub-and-spoke” model geriatric emergency department which will utilize telemedicine to extend services to rural areas. The goal of the initiative is to keep geriatric patients near their rural homes and keep complicated cases at Dartmouth-Hitchcock.
Depressed, Rural Moms Face Greater Health Challenges—and so Do Their Kids
The report summarizes research that found rural, low-income mothers with chronic depression were likely to experience more health problems and face challenges in dealing with their children’s behavioral problems. Discusses how physician distrust and stigma keep rural mothers from seeking mental health treatment.
Source: Washington State University
Working to Advance the Health of Rural Americans: An Update from the ABFM
This new report covers existing disparities between the health of rural and urban Americans, describes research from the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) on the role of Family Physicians (FPs) in improving rural healthcare delivery. Includes proposed solutions from the ABFM to maintain the presence of FPs in rural areas.
Source: Annals of Family Medicine
CMS Sends More Detailed Guidance to Providers about COVID-19
March 10, 2020 — The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) provided additional guidance to home health agencies and dialysis facilities in response to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The guidance offers information to healthcare workers on the screening, treatment, and transfer procedures to follow when interacting with patients.
Source: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
COVID-19 Response News Alert: CMS Issues Key Protective Mask Guidance for Healthcare Workers
March 10, 2020 — The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a memorandum to State Survey Agencies on the types of facemasks health care workers may use when in situations involving Novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). The guidance is part of an effort to ensure a maximum supply of facemasks and respirators are available to health care providers.
Source: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Pennsylvania Gov Wolf: Medicaid and CHIP Recipients’ COVID-19 Testing and Treatment Resources are Covered
Harrisburg, PA – March 11, 2020. Governor Tom Wolf announced that the state’s Medicaid program, Medical Assistance (MA) and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), will cover COVID-19 testing and treatment for recipients and is lifting some prior authorization requirements to ease access to necessary testing and treatment. There are no MA or CHIP copayments for laboratory tests for COVID-19. For those services that do have copayments, MA providers may not deny services if a beneficiary is unable to pay the copayment.
“We are prepared to mitigate COVID-19 throughout the commonwealth, and part of this mitigation includes ensuring that anyone who needs to be tested for COVID-19 can access the test,” said Governor Tom Wolf. “No Pennsylvanian should forego testing for any reason, if deemed medically necessary, including fear of what it might cost.”
The MA and CHIP programs will pay for COVID-19 testing when a health care practitioner determines it is needed, and prior authorization is not required. While there is no specific antiviral treatment for COVID-19, the MA and CHIP programs cover a broad range of services that help relieve symptoms.
The Department of Human Services reminds Pennsylvanians that Medicaid enrollment is year-round and if anyone is currently uninsured, they should go to compass.state.pa.us to see if they qualify for Medicaid.
“We are pleased to make this announcement today and thankful to our partners at the Centers for Medicare for Medicaid Services and our managed care organizations for working with us to ensure that anybody who needs to be tested for COVID-19 will have no barriers to the test,” said DHS Secretary Teresa Miller.
Providers and patients can consult the Medicaid FAQ and CHIP FAQ for more information and answers to common questions related to medical assistance coverage and COVID-19 and information on who to contact if consumers need more information.
The Wolf Administration recently released guidance through the Pennsylvania Insurance Department outlining resources available and coverage for COVID-19 testing through commercial health insurers. Read more on common questions related to commercial insurance coverage and COVID-19 here.
Visit the PA Department of Health’s dedicated Coronavirus webpage for the most up-to-date information regarding COVID-19.
MEDIA CONTACT: Lyndsay Kensinger, 717-783-1116
Erin James, 717-425-7606