- 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?
New Infections Ease in Rural Counties, but the Number of Deaths Climbs Slightly
By Tim Murphy and Tim Marema
New cases dropped by 8% last week in rural counties, but the number of new Covid-related deaths climbed by about 1%.
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Without a Ride, Many in Need Have No Shot at Covid-19 Vaccine
By Jenni Bergal, Stateline
Experts identified cold storage capacity, facilities and personnel, and – above all – transportation as the main roadblocks to vaccinating parts of rural populations.
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Changes in CDC Gonorrhea Treatment Recommendations
The Pennsylvania Department of Health released a PA Health Alert Network (PAHAN-549-01-29-ADV) on Changes in the CDC Gonorrhea Treatment Recommendations. With the ongoing threat of antibiotic resistance in gonorrhea, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a change to the recommended treatment for gonorrhea. It is suggested that providers adopt these new CDC recommendations as cases are at and a historic high. Young adults age 15-30 represent a significant disproportionate number of cases, representing 63% of all reported cases in 2020. Providers are encouraged to maintain a high index of suspicion for the emergence of resistant gonorrhea by immediately reporting any suspected treatment failures to 1-877-PA-HEALTH. Click here to read the PAHAN.
Routine Dental Care May Reduce Stroke Risk
The importance of good oral health and its relationship to physical health has again been validated. According to a new study published in the American Heart Journal, periodontal disease appears to be associated with atrial fibrillation, and an irregular heart rate may be the mediator between the serious gum infection and stroke.
Cybersecurity A Rising Concern
As a result of increased technology use and data sharing, along with the vaccine rollout effort and continuation of remote work, cybersecurity will become more of a focal point for healthcare companies in 2021, experts predict. The rise of telehealth has also led to more cyberattacks. Telehealth providers reported a huge increase in targeted attacks last year as adoption skyrocketed. Investment in cybersecurity also makes sense as two new Department of Health and Human Services regulations meant to nudge the industry toward interoperability are taking effect in April. They will result in health data being shared more broadly, raising significant privacy and security concerns. Additionally, Trump administration regulatory rollbacks finalized in late 2020 include provisions allowing providers, including hospitals, to share cybersecurity software with one another.
Employers Respond to Changing Needs of Workforce in Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has made for a continually changing workforce environment. Companies are adapting their practices and policies to support their staff by offering flexible paid and unpaid leave policies, reimbursing remote-work expenses and giving access to tools for managing stress and improving mental health. Employers are also providing on-going support for employees to help them understand and maximize their benefit package. Click here for more information and recent survey results from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP).
Study Finds Young Adults Are Major Coronavirus Spreaders
A new study finds that adults aged 20-49 were responsible for most virus transmission last year, even after schools reopened in the fall. The study, published in Science, challenges the notion that non-vulnerable people can go about their normal lives, while vulnerable people self-isolate. Three-quarters of new infections originated from adults 20–49 until mid-August of last year, with adults 35–49 contributing the most to spread. In October, after a large portion of U.S. students returned to school, this age group was still responsible for about 72 percent of new infections. The study estimates that school reopening’s increased total infections by about 26 percent as of October, and deaths by about six percent–because children and teenagers spread the virus to adults, who are “more transmission efficient.”
Long-Term Impacts of COVID-19 Leaves Questions
Millions of COVID-19 survivors worldwide–even those who had mild illness–are reporting long-term symptoms months later, including brain fog, persistent exhaustion and lung, heart or kidney damage. For too long, these long haulers, as they call themselves, have not been taken seriously enough by providers and researchers according to some doctors, adding that there’s an urgent need for dedicated research in order to treat patients with lingering symptoms. Many providers and healthcare systems initially dismissed the symptoms as related to something else, but growing evidence points to SARS-CoV-2 as the culprit in many cases. More research is needed to determine the full long-term effects.
Another Lawsuit Filed to Strike Down 340B Dispute Resolution Rule
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) sued in federal district court in Maryland to strike down the federal final rule that established the new 340B program administrative dispute resolution (ADR) process. It also wants the court to declare federal 340B program guidelines governing drug manufacturer audits of 340B covered entities illegal.
Biden Task Force Promises Aid to Hardest-Hit
Marcella Nunez-Smith, chair of President Biden’s COVID-19 Equity Task Force, told press and advocates during a January 28 White House health briefing that outreach to communities of color, people with disabilities and other marginalized groups will be a priority for the administration’s COVID-19 response. Black, Latino and Native Americans have disproportionately suffered higher rates of infection, hospitalization and death since the beginning of the pandemic, with the national death rate of Black patients reaching twice that of White patients last summer. Some distribution data suggest vaccine uptake is currently almost twice as high among White people on average than Black and Latino people despite the disproportionate morbidity and mortality rates.