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- Submit Nominations for Partnership for Quality Measurement (PQM) Committees
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- 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
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New Brief: Engaging Critical Access Hospitals in Addressing Rural Substance Use
Substance use is a significant public health issue in rural communities. Despite this fact, substance use treatment services are limited in rural areas and residents suffer from significant barriers to care. Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), frequently the hubs of local systems of care, can play an important role in addressing substance use disorders. To develop a coordinated response to community substance use issues, CAHs must identify and prioritize local needs, mobilize local resources and partnerships, build local capacity, and screen for substance use among their patients. These activities provide a foundation upon which CAHs and their community partners can address identified local needs by selecting and implementing initiatives to minimize the onset of substance use and related harms (prevention), treat substance use disorders, and help individuals reclaim their lives (recovery).
This brief makes the case for why CAHs should address substance use, provides a framework to support CAHs in doing so, describes examples of substance use activities undertaken by CAHs to substantiate the framework, and identifies resources that can be used by State Flex Programs to support CAHs in addressing this important public and population health problem.
The report may accessed here or on the Flex Monitoring Team website.
In Case You Missed It: Health Affairs Blog by CMS Administrator Seema Verma – New CMS Payment Model Flexibilities For COVID-19
New CMS Payment Model Flexibilities For COVID-19
The coronavirus has taken a devastating toll on Americans across the country, in lives lost and economic impacts. The health care system has been impacted along with many other aspects of American life. Providers have been greatly affected as they strive to do the right thing by delaying elective surgeries; they have faced disruption in critical revenue streams, and simultaneously experienced increased costs for Personal Protective Equipment. That’s why President Trump signed legislation providing $175 billion for the health care system, in addition to $100 billion in advance and accelerated payments to Medicare providers.
That’s why, in response to COVID-19, CMS is providing new flexibilities and adjustments to current and future CMMI models to address the emergency. We’re releasing a chart today that outlines the models and the new changes.
To read the full Health Affairs blog, go to: https://protect2.fireeye.com/url?k=8b32cb01-d767c2d1-8b32fa3e-0cc47a6a52de-9c90d78754c08b6a&u=https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hblog20200602.80889/full/
JUST RELEASED: Interim COVID-19 Guidance for Agricultural Workers and Employers
The CDC and the Department of Labor jointly developed and released new interim COVID-19 guidance for agricultural workers and employers. It is available at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/guidance-agricultural-workers.html.
This guidance provides a template of action to protect agriculture workers from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Agricultural employers can adapt these recommendations to protect workers at their particular work sites or in specific work operations.
Questions concerning this guidance may be directed to ruralhealth@cdc.gov.
Pennsylvania Governor Signs Executive Order Extending Mail Ballot Deadline in Six Counties to June 9
Amid a surge in mail-in ballots, the COVID-19 public health emergency and civil disturbances in six counties, Governor Tom Wolf today signed an executive order extending the deadline for county election offices in Allegheny, Dauphin, Delaware, Erie, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties to receive absentee or mail-in ballots by mail to 5 p.m. June 9, 2020. The ballot must be postmarked no later than Tuesday, June 2, 2020. The deadline to hand deliver absentee or mail-in ballots remains 8 p.m. June 2, 2020.
The six counties included in today’s executive order are part of a disaster emergency declaration the governor signed Saturday in response to civil unrest to provide all necessary assistance to the municipalities.
While the vast majority of counties have been able to process their applications and mail their ballots, the volume of applications in the six counties caused by the COVID-19 crisis combined with the recent civil disturbance make it necessary to extend the deadline for the counties to receive completed civilian absentee and mail-in ballots. Curfews, travel restrictions and other unforeseen circumstances have made returning ballots more difficult in these counties. The extension will help to ensure that voters in those counties are not disenfranchised through no fault of their own.
Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association Remind Pennsylvania Pet Owners to Maintain Up-to-Date Rabies Vaccinations
Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association president Dr. Kate Harnish today reminded Pennsylvanians of the importance of getting back on track with regularly scheduled pet vaccinations and boosters. Maintaining up-to-date vaccines is not only important for the health and well-being of cats and dogs, but for the health and safety of Pennsylvanians.
By Pennsylvania law, all cats and dogs three months of age and older are required to have current rabies vaccinations. Even pets that are indoors only are required to be vaccinated. Each year, dog wardens visit neighborhoods across Pennsylvania to conduct dog license and rabies compliance checks. Owners of pets without current rabies vaccines can face fines of up to $300.
Rabies is a virus of the central nervous system that can affect any mammal, it is widespread throughout Pennsylvania. It is of great public health concern because it can be transmitted to humans and is nearly 100 percent fatal without post-exposure treatment. Since 2000, between 350 and 500 animals in Pennsylvania annually are confirmed in a laboratory to have rabies. The most commonly affected animals are raccoons, bats, skunks, and cats. The last diagnosed human case of rabies in Pennsylvania was in 1984. The best way to prevent the spread of rabies and protect human health is vaccination of domestic mammals.
For more about Rabies in Pennsylvania visit pa.gov/guides. For a current map of rabies cases in Pennsylvania, visit agriculture.pa.gov.
Why Rural Hospitals May Not Survive COVID-19
With fear of COVID-19 keeping many routine visitors away, rural hospitals have too few patients to stay afloat financially, and virtual medicine isn’t saving them.
Read in National Geographic: https://apple.news/AicA2t8yaSHqtw9hnTN0vWw
Small Rural Businesses Fight for Bailout Aid
By April Simpson
While the federal government has taken steps to support small businesses, some advocates say rural enterprises have been left out.
Rural America Could See Dramatic Rise in Mental Health Issues and Suicides, Experts Say
By Liz Carey
Research shows that with stress and anxiety caused by the epidemic the number of people suffering from mental disorders, suicide could rise, and even more so in rural America.
Rural Counties Rank among Best – and Worst – for Infections in May
By Tim Marema and Bill Bishop
Large swaths of rural America had no Covid-19 infections during the month of May. But other parts of rural America were among the hardest hit and deadliest.
ECHO Diabetes in the Time of COVID-19
The ECHO Model for health professions training uses interactive video technology to connect remote providers with specialists at centers of excellence in real-time collaborative sessions. The Stanford Center for Continuing Medical Education is providing credits for this series of free webinars using the ECHO model to support primary care providers and their patients with diabetes during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more here.