- Using Virtual Care Tech to Curb Care Barriers in Rural South Carolina
- Research and Analysis: Rural Internet Subscribers Pay More, New Data Confirms
- A Prescription for Better Rural Nutrition
- A Reason to Care: How Students Choose Rural Health
- Focus on Fellows: Checking in with Three Rural Leaders
- In Texas' Panhandle, a Long-Awaited Oasis for Mental Health Care Is Springing Up
- City-Based Scientists Get Creative to Tackle Rural-Research Needs
- Public Payment of Dialysis Treatment Has Changed the Rural Healthcare Marketplace
- Reps. Sewell, Miller Introduce the Bipartisan Assistance for Rural Community Hospitals (ARCH) Act on National Rural Health Day
- How the Bad River Tribe Flipped the Script on the Native American Opioid Crisis
- Could a Solution to Provide Legal Care in Alaska Work in Rural Minnesota?
- How Telehealth Is Bringing Specialist Care to the North Country
- Western Alaska Salmon Crisis Affects Physical and Mental Health, Residents Say
- VA Announces New Graduate Medical Education Program to Help Expand Health Care Access to Veterans in Underserved Communities
- Rural Vermont Community Finds Success Distributing Narcan With a Vending Machine
CMS Releases Frequently Asked Questions for the CHART Model
Last week, CMS released a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) document addressing stakeholder questions regarding the Community Health Access and Rural Transformation (CHART) Model. The FAQs are posted on the CHART website.
Delayed Start Date for the Radiation Oncology Payment Model
In response to stakeholder feedback, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is changing the start date of the Radiation Oncology Model to July 1, 2021, instead of January 1. Participation in this model is required for all providers of radiotherapy treatment. It creates a single, bundled payment system that is the same across providers, regardless of whether care occurs in an outpatient department or in a physician’s office.
New CMS Rural Health Listserv
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has a new rural health care listserv dedicated to sharing information about programs, policies and resources. To subscribe to the new topic, click on the link above for CMS Email Updates, then look for Outreach and Education, then Rural Health. For more information on rural health activities at CMS, visit go.cms.gov/ruralhealth or contact RuralHealth@cms.hhs.gov.
CMS Announces Fourth COVID-19 Interim Final Rule with Comment Period
On October 28, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its fourth Interim Final Rule with Comment Period (IFC) in response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE). Highlights of interest to rural stakeholders in this rule include vaccine-related provisions; flexibilities for states maintaining Medicaid enrollment during the COVID‑19 PHE; enhanced Medicare payments for new COVID-19 treatments; and price transparency for COVID-19 tests. Comments will be due 60 days after the date of display in the Federal Register.
New Telehealth Platform to Mobilize Health Care Workforce During COVID-19
ProviderBridge.org was created by the Federation of State Medical Boards through the CARES Act and the FORHP-supported Licensure Portability Program. The site provides up-to-date information on emergency regulation and licensing by state as well as a provider portal to connect volunteer health care professionals to state agencies and health care entities.
Request for Information: Maternal and Child Health Bureau Strategic Plan – Respond by December 18.
The Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) at the Health Resources and Services Administration supports research and federal grant programs that ensure the health and well-being of mothers, children, and families. The bureau seeks feedback from the public about future plans for their work, including how MCHB can support efforts to eliminate disparities based on race, income, disability, and geography.
CRS: Medicaid Telehealth Policies in Response to COVID-19
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) provides objective policy and legal analysis to committees and members of the U.S. House and Senate. For this report, researchers examined how states have increased the number of services, provider types, and other telehealth options under Medicaid.
COVID-19 Hospital Data Coverage Report – Updated Weekly
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is providing weekly updates to the data set tracking whether hospitals, including rural and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), are completing their COVID-19 data reporting. As specified in recent guidance, hospitals and CAHs must report daily to the federal government, or to their state if they receive a written release from the state, a set of required data elements. Failure to do so will result in a series of enforcement actions over several weeks that could result in termination of the Medicare provider agreement.
Expanded Provider Relief Fund Eligibility and Updated Reporting Requirements
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) expanded the types of providers that are eligible for Phase 3 Provider Relief Funds (PRF) to include residential treatment facilities, physician assistants, and advanced practice nursing providers, among others. Providers may submit applications until November 6. HHS also updated the reporting requirements and auditing instructions in response to stakeholder feedback. This new guidance now allows providers to apply PRF payments against all lost revenues without limitation.
Open Enrollment for the Health Insurance Marketplace Begins November 1
The six-week period during which consumers may enroll in a health insurance plan using the Federal Health Insurance Marketplace begins on Sunday and ends on Tuesday, December 15. Those without an employer-based plan may visit HealthCare.gov and CuidadodeSalud.gov to shop for plans that will begin coverage on January 1, 2021. Fourteen states and the District of Columbia have their own state-based websites for enrollment in individual/family or small business health coverage, or both. Some consumers may qualify for Medicaid coverage or a lower cost Marketplace plan depending on their state of residence and household size.