- 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?
Tax Filers in Pennsylvania Offered Opportunity to Get Health Insurance Coverage
Pennie and the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue collaborated to connect uninsured tax filers to coverage through the Path to Pennie program. When uninsured tax filers complete their Pennsylvania state income tax return, they can fill out Tax Form REV-1882 – Health Insurance Coverage Information Request. The PA Department of Revenue will send the information provided on the form to Pennie to create an account. Pennie will then send a notice with three important pieces of information: an access code to open the newly created Pennie account; an estimate of financial assistance the consumer is likely to receive; and a 60-day Special Enrollment Period to apply, shop, and enroll in coverage.
Significant 340B Development on Capitol Hill Released
Last summer, a group of six bipartisan Senators (called “the G6” for short) released a Request for Information (RFI) around several aspects of the 340B program. Last week, the G6 released a 50-page discussion draft of a bill for comprehensive 340B reform, entitled the SUSTAIN Act.
- Here is a link to a two-page overview of the 340B reform bill by the bipartisan group of six Senators, with a focus on issues of interest to FQHCs and Primary Care Associations (PCAs).
- A nine-page summary and explanation of the draft bill.
- A supplemental Request for Information by April 1 (incorporated into the summary document) around three of the most significant 340B issues: Contract Pharmacies; Patient Definition; and Hospital child sites.
- A letter to stakeholders that includes the following statement “We believe it is necessary to pass legislation in the 118th Congress that provides clarity, transparency, and accountability in the 340B program in order to ensure the program remains strong, long into the future.”
Special Election Will Determine Balance of Power in the Pennsylvania House
The balance of the Pennsylvania House is on the line for a fourth time in less than a year, with a special election next week in Lower Bucks County. Two candidates are running to replace longtime Democratic Rep. John Galloway, who resigned to become a magisterial district judge. The outcome of the Feb. 13 election will determine which party controls the House, currently tied at 101-101.
State Budget Process Begins with Release of Governor’s Proposal
On Tuesday, Governor Shapiro delivered his much-anticipated budget proposal for the Commonwealth, setting forth his policy and spending priorities for the Commonwealth’s 2024-25 fiscal year. The combined operating budget – inclusive of state, federal and special funds – totals $125.3 billion, an increase of 6.1%. Central components from Gov. Shapiro’s speech and budget proposal include:
- Increasing the state minimum wage from $7.25/hour to $15/hour. Also, increasing minimum wage for tipped workers to $9.00/hour.
- Funding reduction to the Primary Health Care Practitioner program by $2.8 million (34%).
- Significant increases in funding and program changes for K-12 education.
- Broad shift in the distribution model and allocation of higher education funds, including: Using a single funding model for state-related universities (Penn State, Pitt, Lincoln, and Temple), and those receiving state support, and implementing a 5% funding increase for all state-related universities; Merging PA State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) schools with community colleges, with a combined increase in funding of 15% alongside a new formula for distribution of funding moving forward; Capping in-state tuition at these institutions at $1,000 a semester for students whose families make less than the state’s median income.
- Initiatives that build on the governor’s recently announced statewide economic development plan, with new and increased funding for various programs and initiatives.
- Legalization and regulation of Adult Use Cannabis, with imposition of a 20% tax on the wholesale price.
- $4 million to erase medical debt for thousands of Pennsylvanians.
- Implementation of a skills games tax on gross gaming revenue from electronic skill games machines of 42%.
More information on the Department of Human Services budget proposal will be provided in a DHS briefing Friday morning that PACHC will participate in. Shapiro administration leaders will next meet with legislators to respond to questions and make their case on the governor’s budget proposal as the process continues to negotiate a final state budget and associated code bills by the deadline of June 30, 2024.
American Cancer Society Launches Leadership in Oncology Navigation (ACS LION) Patient Navigation Credentialing
Professional, non-clinical patient navigation is an evidence-based intervention that improves cancer outcomes from screening through survivorship. The American Cancer Society Leadership in Oncology Navigation (ACS LION) is a standardized training and credentialing program that helps navigators deliver this essential support to individuals, caregivers, and families experiencing cancer. The program meets the training requirements of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for “Principal Illness Navigation” reimbursement and is aligned to professional oncology navigation (PONT) standards.
HHS Makes Move to Increase Healthcare Cybersecurity
Last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), released voluntary health care specific cybersecurity performance goals (CPGs) and a new gateway website to help Health Care and Public Health (HPH) sector organizations implement these high-impact cybersecurity practices and ease access to the plethora of cybersecurity resources HHS and other federal partners offer. As outlined in the recent HHS Health Care Sector Cybersecurity concept paper, HHS is publishing the CPGs to help healthcare organizations, and healthcare delivery organizations in particular, prioritize implementation of high-impact cybersecurity practices. The HPH CPGs are designed to better protect the healthcare sector from cyberattacks, improve response when events occur, and minimize residual risk.
Where Are the Nation’s Primary Care Providers?
A new KFF publication discusses Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designations for primary care providers, particularly the challenges with collecting data on policy measures intended to reduce shortages. Where Are the Nation’s Primary Care Providers? It’s Not an Easy Answer also discusses recruitment and retention incentive programs, who qualifies as a primary care provider, and rural-specific concerns.
Consider Extending Your NHSC Service
Clinicians currently serving in the National Health Service Corps can receive additional funds to repay their health professions training loans in exchange for extending their service by one year. HRSA’s Bureau of Health Workforce has announced FY24 continuation award amounts of $20,000 per year for full-time clinicians, and $10,000 per year for those working half-time. If your contract ends between April1 and July 31, 2024, you have until Feb. 27 to apply. If your contract ends between Aug. 1 and Sept. 29, 2024, you have until May 24. Find out more at HRSA Continuation Contracts for National Health Service Corps Loans.
Nurse Corp Loan Repayment Program is Now Open for Applications
Registered nurses, advanced practice nurses, and nursing faculty are encouraged to apply for the Nurse Corp Loan Repayment Program, which is open for applications through March 7. All Federally Qualified Health Centers are eligible places of employment for nurses applying for Nurse Corps. A “New Application Technical Assistance” webinar will be held Feb. 13, 2024, from 2:30 to 4:30 pm. Funding preference is given to applicants with the greatest financial need defined as those qualified applicants with the highest debt-to-salary ratio. Debt-to-salary ratio is determined by the total qualifying education loan balance divided by the base annual salary. You are eligible to apply if:
- You are a licensed registered nurse; advanced practice registered nurse, such as a nurse practitioner; or a nurse faculty member with qualifying nursing debt.
- You received your nursing education from an accredited school of nursing located in a U.S. state or territory.
- You work full-time in an eligible Critical Shortage Facility or an accredited school of nursing
One Third of Americans Expected to Contract COVID-19 in Latest Wave
Although it’s spotty and inconsistent in many places, wastewater testing is pointing to a new wave of COVID-19 infections, with as many as one-third of Americans expected to contract the disease by late February, Pennsylvania Capital-Star reports.