- Telehealth Study Recruiting Veterans Now
- USDA Delivers Immediate Relief to Farmers, Ranchers and Rural Communities Impacted by Recent Disasters
- Submit Nominations for Partnership for Quality Measurement (PQM) Committees
- Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation of the Medicare Program (Executive Order 14192) - Request for Information
- Dr. Mehmet Oz Shares Vision for CMS
- CMS Refocuses on its Core Mission and Preserving the State-Federal Medicaid Partnership
- Social Factors Help Explain Worse Cardiovascular Health among Adults in Rural Vs. Urban Communities
- Reducing Barriers to Participation in Population-Based Total Cost of Care (PB-TCOC) Models and Supporting Primary and Specialty Care Transformation: Request for Input
- Secretary Kennedy Renews Public Health Emergency Declaration to Address National Opioid Crisis
- Secretary Kennedy Renews Public Health Emergency Declaration to Address National Opioid Crisis
- 2025 Marketplace Integrity and Affordability Proposed Rule
- Rural America Faces Growing Shortage of Eye Surgeons
- NRHA Continues Partnership to Advance Rural Oral Health
- Comments Requested on Mobile Crisis Team Services: An Implementation Toolkit Draft
- Q&A: What Are the Challenges and Opportunities of Small-Town Philanthropy?
Contact Tracing – Guidance on this Path Out of Isolation
Contact tracing is what is now on everyone’s radar in order to help in the next step to begin to open up the country. Contact tracing is a process designed to halt the chain of transmission of an infectious pathogen–like the coronavirus–and slow community spread. When someone tests positive for an infectious disease, they become a “case.” Public health workers then reach out to the case to make sure they have what they need and that they are self-isolating. They will then figure out who they had contact with who may be at risk of infection, too. NPR recently released a guide on the basics of the process and how it might help society restart after the current wave of coronavirus cases.
Virtual Conferences – Alzheimer’s Association
The Alzheimer’s Association has been committed to continuing to provide meaningful information and support virtually to all those impacted by Alzheimer’s and other dementia. They are excited to offer three virtual LIVE professional conferences to be held in May covering a variety of topics with expert speakers covering the latest on research and most up to date information on providing the highest quality of care for those impacted by Alzheimer’s and other dementia.
Register online for one of the conferences and see attached the brochures for more information on each conference. Reach out to the Alzheimer’s Association with any questions you may have.
SE Professional Conference Registration
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
8 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Questions: Barb Bingham, babingham@alz.org or 717.651.5020 x 1795.
Register by May 20, 2020,
SW Virtual Conference Registration
Thursday, May 28, 2020
8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Questions: Sara Murphy, smurphy@alz.org or 814.636.6391.
Register by May 20, 2020.
NE Virtual Conference Registration
Thursday, May 28, 2020
8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Questions: Jessica Hill, jshill@alz.org or 717.651.5020 x 1787.
Register by May 22, 2020.
US’s digital divide ‘is going to kill people’ as Covid-19 exposes inequalities
Amanda Holpuch, The Guardian
Exclusive research shows drop in connectivity is impacting rural and urban areas with populations already underserved by the medical system or racked with poverty
The Covid-19 crisis is exposing how the cracks in the US’s creaking digital infrastructure are potentially putting lives at risk, exclusive research shows.
With most of the country on lockdown and millions relying on the internet for work, healthcare, education and shopping, research by M-Lab, an open source project which monitors global internet performance, showed that internet service slowed across the country after the lockdowns.
“This is going to kill people,” said Sascha Meinrath, co-founder of M-Lab.
In late March, most people in 62% of counties across the US did not have the government’s minimum download speed for broadband internet, according to M-Lab.
Between February and mid March, when the pandemic was only just beginning to hit the US, there was a 10% increase in how many counties saw download speeds fall below the government standard, representing about one in 10 US counties, M-Lab found.
“Now that people’s livelihoods, schools and lives, are literally on the line, we can’t survive,” Meinrath said. “These communities that are underserved are not going to be able to transition to an online workplace or school environment.”
Borne the Battle: VA Podcast for Veterans
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) launched this weekly podcast in 2016 to engage and reach out to veterans. Recent recorded episodes provide updates related to the Coronavirus, including how to manage debt and get access to benefits. Find more information here.
Comments Requested: Proposed Updates for FY 2021 Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities – June 9
On April 14, CMS published the proposed rule for the FY 2021 Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities (IPF) Prospective Payment System (PPS). CMS proposes updates to the wage index and payment rates, including a payment increase of 2.4 percent or $100 million in FY 2021. Rural IPF providers will continue to receive a 17 percent payment adjustment and IPF payments are estimated to increase by 2.5 percent in rural areas. The rule also proposes to adopt the most recent Office of Management and Budget (OMB) statistical area delineations and a 5 percent cap on wage index decreases for all IPF providers impacted by their wage index. Read more about it here.
Comments Requested: Proposed Rule for Hospice Providers – June 9
On April 15, CMS published a proposed rule for the FY 2021 Hospice Prospective Payment System (PPS). The proposed rule includes updates to the hospice wage index, payment rates, and cap amount for fiscal year (FY) 2021, including an overall 2.6 percent payment increase of $580 million. Rural hospice providers would experience an average 2.8% increase. The rule also proposes a 5 percent cap on wage index decreases and adopts the most recent Office of Management and Budget (OMB) statistical area delineations with 34 urban counties becoming rural and 47 rural counties becoming urban. Find more information here.
Comments Requested: Proposed Rule for Skilled Nursing Facilities – June 9
On April 15, CMS published a proposed rule for the FY 2021 Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Prospective Payment System (PPS). The proposed rule includes a proposal to update the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) delineations used to identify facility as an urban or rural and to calculate the wage index. CMS has proposed that 47 currently rural areas will become urban and 34 currently urban areas will become rural if the proposal is finalized. The rule also includes a S748 million payment increase to SNFs and non-CAH swing beds which rural SNFs will experience as an average increase of 2.5%. CMS also proposed several changes to coding used by the Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM) case mix system and the SNF Value-Based Purchasing Program (SNF VBP). Find more information here.
Summary of Medicare Emergency COVID-19 Waivers for Health Care Providers
CMS has temporarily waived several Medicare regulations to support hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare facilities during the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The new waivers focus on reducing supervision and certification requirements so that practitioners can be hired quickly and perform work to the fullest extent of their licenses. This Fact Sheet summarizes the new changes in addition to previous waivers that impact all types of providers, including Critical Access Hospitals, Rural Health Clinics, physicians, skilled nursing facilities, and others.
Rural Response to Coronavirus Disease 2019
The Rural Health Information Hub has created a guide to help you learn about activities underway to address COVID-19. Find more information here.
Confirmed COVID-19 Cases, Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Counties
The RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis provides up-to-date data and maps on rural and urban confirmed cases throughout the United States. Find data briefs here. An animated map shows the progression of cases beginning January 21.