- 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?
CDC Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will make 57 awards of up to $175,000 each to support collection of population-based data on maternal and child health indicators that can be used to inform programs, research, and systems changes that influence maternal and infant health. Eligible applicants include state, local, and tribal governments, community-based organizations, and institutions of higher education. Extended to August 11th.
Committee Analysis Examines Longstanding Racial and Economic Disparities that Expose Inequities in the U.S. Health System
The House Ways and Means Committee released a report that analyzed health care inequity among different U.S. residents. It found that although 97% of America is rural, only a small percentage of Americans live in these areas. This creates challenges in sustaining the health care workforce and capacity for service delivery in rural communities. Some of these issues include an aging infrastructure, economic disinvestment, workforce shortages, and environmental challenges to higher burdens of chronic conditions. The report also highlighted the disparities among minority groups in statistics such as infant mortality, life expectancy, language diversity, and access to mental health care.
Updates to Regulations on Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder Patient Records
This week, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) issued a final rule that makes changes to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ (HHS) regulations governing the Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder Patient Records. The final rule includes a discussion of comments, some of which address rural issues. Read more here.
Comments Requested: Rural-Relevant Quality Measures – July 30
The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy has been partnering with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the National Quality Forum on the Measures Application Partnership (MAP) Rural Health Workgroup. The group has built upon previous work and the current report provides recommendations for rural-relevant quality measures for testing of statistical approaches to address low case-volume. The MAP Rural Health Draft Report for Comment is posted for public comment. All public commenters should use this link to submit comments through July 30, 6 PM ET.
Post-Acute Skilled Nursing Care Availability in Rural United States
This study from the Southwest Rural Health Research Center finds that portions of rural America are possibly skilled nursing deserts, thus lacking the physical presence of facilities to provide post-acute skilled nursing care. Read more here.
Development of a National Childhood Obesogenic Environment Index in the United States: Differences by Region and Rurality
Researchers at the Rural and Minority Health Research Center identified community-level variables associated with healthy eating and physical activity for youth and ranked all counties to develop a childhood obesogenic environment index (COEI). The COEI can be applied to benchmark obesogenic environments and identify geographic disparities and intervention targets. Future research can examine associations with obesity and other health outcomes. Find more information here.
The Unique Impact of COVID-19 on Older Adults in Rural Areas
The University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center identifies pre-existing rural/urban inequities related to health care capacity, economic security, access to technology, and social needs that amount to heightened risk of illness and isolation for many older adults in rural areas. Read more here.
AJPH Examines the Rural-Urban Gap in Health and Social Services
In a special issue released the week of July 16, the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH) features a collection of 15 new studies demonstrating the connection between health and social services. The publication makes the case that these cross-sector connections have been slower to develop in rural communities than in urban. Read more here.
USPSTF Requesting Comment on Plan for COPD – July 29
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has posted a draft research plan on screening for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Find more information here.
Telehealth Information for Patients Now Available in Spanish
The recently-created website for telehealth launched by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services in April now provides information in Spanish to help patients understand what types of care are available, how to prepare for a telehealth visit, and tips on finding telehealth options. Information in Spanish that’s geared toward providers will be available in the future. Find the website here.