- CMS: Medicare Program; Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities; Updates to the Quality Reporting Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2026
- CMS: Medicare Program; FY 2026 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements
- Public Inspection: CMS: Medicare Program: Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities; Updates to the Quality Reporting Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2026
- Public Inspection: CMS: Medicare Program: Fiscal Year 2026 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements
- CMS: Request for Information; Health Technology Ecosystem
- VA: Staff Sergeant Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program Funding Opportunity
- State: 60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: J-1 Visa Waiver Recommendation Application
- Public Inspection: CMS: Request for Information: Health Technology Ecosystem
- HHS: Request for Information (RFI): Ensuring Lawful Regulation and Unleashing Innovation To Make American Healthy Again
- VA: Solicitation of Nominations for the Appointment to the Advisory Committee on Tribal and Indian Affairs
- GAO Seeks New Members for Tribal and Indigenous Advisory Council
- VA: Staff Sergeant Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program Funding Opportunity
- 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
Characteristics and Challenges of Rural Ambulance Agencies
This paper from the Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) examines the characteristics and challenges of current agencies and identifies public policy considerations to stabilize them.
Challenges for Critical Access Hospitals and Alternatives to Hospital Closure
The North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center released two policy briefs based on a national survey of Critical Access Hospital (CAH) executives. One looks at health system challenges CAHs face while the other examines the executives’ thoughts on the viability of various alternatives to hospital closures. Read more here.
CRS Backgrounder on Federal Broadband Programs
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) provides objective policy and legal analysis to committees and members of the U.S. House and Senate. This report provides an overview of federal programs designed to accelerate broadband deployment and adoption in minority communities, rural and tribal areas, and among other eligible households.
Research: Minority Race/Ethnicity and Cancer Disparities in Rural Areas of the United States
The Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI) is an international organization providing open access to more than 300 academic journals. In an article published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, researchers examine how racism and related social determinants of health expose rural Black and American Indian/Alaska Native populations to greater risk of developing cancer.
Research: Impact of COVID-19 Shutdown on Mental Health in Appalachia
A study published in the Journal of Appalachian Health examines whether there were higher levels of anxiety, fear, and depression among those who continued working outside the home compared with those who began working remotely during the shutdown. A separate article in the same issue, A Description of COVID-19 Lifestyle Restrictions Among a Sample of Rural Appalachian Women gives findings of a survey that asked about social interactions, doctor visits, child care, and substance use recovery.
ERS: Rural Residents More Vulnerable to COVID-19
The Economic Research Service (ERS) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture examines trends in COVID-19 case rates and death rates for urban and rural areas. Find more information here.
Annual Update of the HHS Poverty Guidelines
On February 1, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services released new guidelines used to determine financial eligibility for certain federal programs. Programs using the guidelines include Head Start, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the National School Lunch Program, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
HHS Adds Categories of Those Allowed to Administer COVID-19 Vaccine
On February 2, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) issued an amendment to the Emergency Declaration made last March in response to COVID-19. The amendment allows additional categories of health care professionals – including physicians, registered nurses, and practical nurses with recently expired licenses – to administer COVID-19 vaccinations.
Living With Natural Gas Pipelines: Appalachian Landowners Describe Fear, Anxiety, and Loss
By Erin Brock Carlson and Martina Angela Caretta, The Conversation
The natural gas boom in Appalachia came with a host of environmental and safety issues, hurting people who were in the communities it promised to lift economically the most.
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Commentary: Five Signs Rural Elders May Need A Helping Hand
By Donna Kallner
Families who have followed recommended guidelines on social distancing for nearly a year are looking forward to the time when pandemic precautions lift and they can hug their elders again. But there may be some surprises in store once you get past the front door.
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