- 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
Two New Requests for Information from the Health Resources and Services Administration
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) are seeking public input and feedback to inform policy consideration related to the establishment of Maternity Care Health Professional Target Areas and scoring criteria for Helath Professional Shortage Areas. Both request for information (RFIs) are due September 18th, and responses should be emailed to RFIComments@HRSA.gov and reference either “Maternity Care Health Professional Target Area RFI” or “Health Professional Shortage Area Scoring Criteria RFI” in the subject line.
House Appropriations Committee ‘Pumps the Breaks’
The House Appropriations Committee (HAC) will likely pursue a less ambitious timeline than previously hinted to pass the Fiscal Year 2021 appropriations bills before the September 30th deadline. Majority Leader Steny Hoyer had outlined a plan to complete bill markups by the end of June, and Politico is reporting, “That timeline has slipped as top Democrats raced to draft this month’s $3 trillion coronavirus relief package, which passed on May 15. And now leaders of the House Appropriations Committee say they won’t move to marking up its bills until Congress can agree on another massive infusion of federal coronavirus relief, which may be weeks down the line.” Thus far, no appropriations bills have been released or considered by committees.
CMS Update: COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) Billing
On May 27, 2020, CMS issued updated FAQs. Among other topics, CMS noted that the RHC productivity limits may be waived during the COVID period at the discretion of the MACs (page 31). Based on this FAQ, if an RHC expects to have difficulty meeting the productivity guideline because of COVID, they should proactively consult with their MAC.
Another FAQ notes the treatment of telehealth costs on the cost reports (page 32). This FAQ response is consistent with current cost reporting instructions – as non-reimbursable costs excluded from the all-inclusive rate calculation. Other RHC FAQs are on pages 31-33.
The FAQs are attached and available at the following link.
The FAQs in this document supplement the previously released FAQs: 1135 Waiver FAQs, available at https://www.cms.gov/About-CMS/Agency-Information/Emergency/Downloads/MedicareFFS-EmergencyQsAs1135Waiver.pdf.