- CMS: Medicare Program; Implementation of Prior Authorization for Select Services for the Wasteful and Inappropriate Services Reduction (WISeR) Model
- Public Inspection: CMS: Medicare Program: Implementation of Prior Authorization for Select Services for the Wasteful and Inappropriate Services Reduction Model
- CMS: Secretarial Comments on the CBE's (Battelle Memorial Institute) 2024 Activities: Report to Congress and the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services
- HHS: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Marketplace Integrity and Affordability
- HRSA Announces Action to Lower Out-of-Pocket Costs for Life-Saving Medications at Health Centers Nationwide
- Public Inspection: HHS: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Marketplace Integrity and Affordability
- Increased Risk of Cyber Threats Against Healthcare and Public Health Sector
- Eight Hospitals Selected for First Cohort of Rural Hospital Stabilization Program
- Announcing the 2030 Census Disclosure Avoidance Research Program
- CMS: Medicare Program; Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems for Acute Care Hospitals and the Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System and Policy Changes and Fiscal Year 2026 Rates; Requirements for Quality Programs; and Other Policy Changes; Correction
- CMS: Medicare Program; Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems for Acute Care Hospitals and the Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System and Policy Changes and Fiscal Year 2026 Rates; Requirements for Quality Programs; and Other Policy Changes; Correction
- CMS: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Contract Year 2026 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage Program, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program, Medicare Cost Plan Program, and Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly; Correction
- CMS: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Contract Year 2026 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage Program, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program, Medicare Cost Plan Program, and Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly; Correction
- 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
Input Needed: Pennsylvania Master Plan for Older Adults
The Pennsylvania Department of Aging is gathering input on Pennsylvania’s Master Plan for Older Adults, a 10-year, state-led and stakeholder-driven strategic plan designed to help transform the infrastructure and coordination of services for older Pennsylvanians. Individuals can submit input on the plan via email to AgingPlan@pa.gov or via online form.
Click here for more information.
Click here to submit input online.
FORHP Invests $11 Million to Expand Medical Residencies in Rural Communities
The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) awarded nearly $11 million to 15 award recipients to strengthen the rural health workforce through the Rural Residency Planning and Development (RRPD) Program. The RRPD program supports the establishment of new rural residency programs or rural track programs in family medicine, internal medicine, preventive medicine, psychiatry, general surgery, and obstetrics-gynecology. Over a three-year grant period, the award recipients will spend up to $750,000 in start-up funding to build the program infrastructure (faculty, curriculum, etc.) needed to deliver rural residency training. Based in 13 states and one U.S. territory, the new awardees include three family medicine programs with enhanced obstetrical training, our first rural preventive medicine program, and two multi-specialty programs.
The programs supported by RRPD funds allow rural communities to build a strong and sustainable rural physician workforce through a “grow-your-own” approach, preparing the next generation of physicians to learn and eventually practice in rural settings. Research has shown that physicians from a rural background and those trained in rural settings are more likely to continue practicing in rural areas after completing their residencies. This newest RRPD cohort will continue to counter persistent workforce shortages by laying and maintaining the infrastructure needed to train physicians in rural communities.
Throughout the duration of their grant, award recipients will have access to one-on-one advisor support, tools, and resources provided by the HRSA-funded RRPD Technical Assistance Center to navigate the various stages of program development. The RRPD Technical Assistance Center also has free resources for other organizations interested in rural residency programs.
These 15 new awards join the 58 organizations across 32 states and five medicine disciplines that are developing new residency programs thanks to the $43.4 million FORHP awarded between 2019 and 2022. So far, these critical investments in the rural health workforce have created 38 new accredited rural residency programs or rural track programs with approximately 503 new residency positions. Other programs are making progress towards achieving accreditation by the end of their grant period. Accredited RRPD-funded programs are already training over 300 resident physicians in family medicine, internal medicine, psychiatry, and general surgery. To learn more about what rural residency programs are doing in your states, please read the latest RRPD program summaries.
In FY 2024, FORHP anticipates investing approximately $11.25 million in RRPD awards contingent on available funding. For more information, visit the forecast on grants.gov or email RuralResidency@hrsa.gov.