The dashboard created and managed by the Bureau of Health Workforce at HRSA shows the pipeline of clinicians in training through its Nurse Corps Scholarship and National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Scholarship and Student to Service Programs.  Users can download data and/or view state-by-state information on an interactive map showing clinicians and trainees by NHSC program, discipline, and more.

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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a concept paper outlining the Department’s cybersecurity strategy for the health care sector.  Cyber incidents in health care are on the rise and have led to extended care disruptions, patient diversions to other facilities, and delayed medical procedures, all putting patient safety at risk.  Although FORHP-funded research from the University of Minnesota identified lower rates of ransomware attacks in rural areas, many rural hospitals are less equipped to handle these attacks due to a shortage of IT personnel in rural areas and smaller budgets for cybersecurity infrastructure.  The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response’s website offers tools and resources for healthcare facilities, including small facilities and low-resource hospitals, to protect themselves from cyber attacks.

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The fact sheet covers telehealth services made eligible by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in the 2024 Physician Fee Schedule.  These are services that can be delivered by telehealth, remote monitoring services, physician supervision, diabetes self-management training, and more.  The Center for Connected Health Policy is supported by HRSA’s Office for the Advancement of Telehealth.

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Updates from the Rural Health Value team includes summaries for the States Advancing All-Payer Health Equity Approaches and Development (AHEAD) Model and the Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model, announced last week with applications due on January 30.  The Rural Health Value team is funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy.

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Published on November 15, the final rule for Nursing Home Ownership Disclosure requires nursing homes enrolled in Medicare or Medicaid – upon initial enrollment or when revalidating – to disclose additional information regarding their owners, operator, management, and entities that lease or sub-lease property to nursing homes.  The rule also finalizes definitions of private equity company and real estate investment trust for Medicare provider enrollment purposes and makes these disclosures public.

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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services propose new standards for health insurance plans on State and Federal Marketplaces, as well as new requirements for agents, brokers, web-brokers, direct enrollment entities, and other assisters that help Marketplace consumers. Proposals include requiring state Marketplaces to develop standards for time and distance to receive care that are at least as stringent as those under the Federally facilitated Marketplace plans; allowing states to add routine dental services as an essential health benefit; easing consumers’ transition to new coverage under special enrollment periods; and establishing standards for Marketplace call centers to have live representatives available during hours of operation.  The number of issuers offering plans in rural areas has increased in recent years making Marketplace plans an important source of health insurance coverage for those living in rural areas.

Comment by January 8.

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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) made the announcement last week and invites nominations to bring perspectives from outside the government to help inform federal action.  Committee activities will focus on health equity, needing a diverse membership of persons with multidisciplinary expertise – clinical, medical, public health, behavioral health, human services, employment, data science, and research – as well as those with Long COVID experience.  Researchers and even insurers have already considered that long COVID could be “a mass disabling event” affecting economic productivity. A more recent study suggests a higher prevalence among nonmetropolitan adults. As of December 2022, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that the top five states for self-reported symptoms are mostly rural: Montana, Wyoming, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Alaska.

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