- Fact Sheet: The Biden-Harris Administration Highlights Investments in Rural America, Invites Public Nominations for Rural Innovators Initiative
- Rural Victims of Intimate-Partner Violence Need More Resources and Support, Study Finds
- A Tribe in Maine Is Using Opioid Settlement Funds on a Sweat Lodge to Treat Addiction
- Fact Sheet: USDA, HHS Announce New Actions to Reduce Impact and Spread of H5N1
- Call for Experts: Forum on Aging, Disability, and Independence
- Bill to Expand Definition of 'Village' Qualifying for Water Funds Passes Alaska House
- Child Care Workers Caught in Middle of Michigan's Broken Child Care System
- Few Options Available for Substance Abuse Treatment in the Big Bend
- In Rural Texas, ERs Are Facing a Growing Mental Health Crisis
- Ways and Means Members Put Forth Solutions to Strengthen Telehealth Access and Improve Health Care for Rural Communities
- Sage Memorial Hospital in Navajo Nation Constructs New Facility to Improve Health Care
- How the State, Tribes and Federal Government Are Working to Curb SD's Syphilis Epidemic
- Rural Children Struggle to Access Hospital Services, Say Researchers
- RPHARM Program Fulfills Need for Rural Pharmacists
- A Pilot Program in Rural Vermont Hopes to Build a Blueprint for Substance Abuse Recovery
Toolkit Created for Communicating About Medicaid and CHIP Renewal
Created for physicians, pediatricians, and other health professionals, the toolkit contains messaging for patients and families who have been disenrolled from Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), two forms of public health insurance coverage that play a critical role in rural areas. Among the ready-to-use materials are messages for on-hold phone recordings, e-newsletters and patient portals, and Frequently Asked Questions from patients. CMS estimates that more than 27 million people are due for renewal in Medicaid or CHIP. As of August 2023, more than 7 million people were unenrolled, while more than 13 million had their enrollment renewed.
Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule Summary Released: Calendar Year 2024
This newsletter from the Medicare Learning Network provides information for staff involved in billing for services covered by the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule under policies that will take effect on January 1, 2024.
HRSA Updates Data Tool for NHSC Students and Trainees
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.
HHS Releases Healthcare Cybersecurity Strategy
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.
Report Highlights Rural-Urban Disparities in Medicare
Research funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services evaluated the rural-urban comparisons in quality of health care in the Medicare program, and how quality and outcome varies by race and ethnicity. The analysis found that, overall, people with Medicare living in rural areas had results that were below the national average for the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Provider and Systems (CAHPS) survey scores for about 20 percent of all clinical care measures examined with rural residents. These scores were consistently below the national average on measures of behavioral health. The analysis also displayed noteworthy variation in racial and ethnic differences when looking separately within rural and urban areas. For example, CAHPS scores for Hispanic people with Medicare living in rural areas were generally below the national average for all people with Medicare living in rural areas, while scores for Hispanic people with Medicare living in urban areas were generally like the national average for all people with Medicare living in urban areas. These patterns applied to people with both Medicare Advantage and Medicare fee-for-service coverage.
CMS Announces New Residency Slots for Underserved Communities
This is the second round of new Medicare funding for residency positions to train physicians in highest need areas, prioritized by Health Professional Shortage Area scores. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) awarded the first round last winter, kicking off a five-year process legislated by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 to distribute 200 new residency slots each year. This week, researchers at the FORHP-supported program that helps hospitals plan and develop rural residencies released analysis of the 99 hospitals that were awarded in this round to determine rural location of physician placements – whether sites were rural as defined by CMS or by FORHP – and the time they are required to train in these locations. They found only three programs training their residents for 50 percent of the time or greater in a CMS or FORHP rurally located area. Next month, the FORHP-supported RuralGME.org will be joined by CMS representatives to co-host a webinar to help rural hospitals understand how to apply for round three, expected to open in January.
Telehealth Policy Resource Center Fact Sheet for 2024 Physician Fee Schedule Released
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.
Read the full article here.
New CMS Initiatives Added to Catalog for Rural Providers
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.
Read the full article here.
Medicare Finalizes Rule on Nursing Home Ownership Disclosure
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.
Read the full article here.
Proposed Updates: Health Insurance Marketplaces and Insurers for 2025
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.
Read the full article here.