- Weathering the Storm Together: Community Resiliency Hubs Hold the Promise of Local Self-Sufficiency and Supportive Mutual Aid
- Virginia Tech Researchers Bring Rural Families into the Nation's Largest Study of Early Brain and Child Development
- Expanding Access to Cancer Care for Rural Veterans
- VA: Veterans Rural Health Advisory Committee, Notice of Meeting
- Scaling Rural Wellness with Clever Collaboration
- Stroudwater Associates Enhances Rural Healthcare Dashboard with New Data to Support State Rural Transformation Grant Applications
- Harvest Season Is Here: Busy Times Call for Increased Focus on Safety and Health
- HHS Dispatches More Than 70 Public Health Service Officers to Strengthen Care in Tribal Communities
- Wisconsin Rural Hospitals Team up to Form Network
- CMS Launches Landmark $50 Billion Rural Health Transformation Program
- American Heart Association Provides Blood Pressure Kits at Southeast Arkansas Regional Libraries to Support Rural Health
- Broadening Access to Minimally Invasive Surgery Could Narrow Rural-Urban Health Gaps
- Instead of Selling, Some Rural Hospitals Band Together To Survive
- Help Line Gives Pediatricians Crucial Mental Health Information to Help Kids, Families
- Rural Health: A Strategic Opportunity for Governors
Bulletin Released on CHW Enrollment in the Pennsylvania Medical Assistance Program
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) released MA Bulletin 08-26-50 on March 19, 2026. This bulletin is to advise providers that community health workers (CHWs) may enroll in the Medical Assistance (MA) Program to render services to beneficiaries in the MA managed care delivery system, effective April 18, 2026.
MCO Engagement and Billing Training Available for Pennsylvania Certified CHW Providers
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) is offering MCO Enrollment & Billing Training. This session will focus on best practices in billing and engagement with the Managed Care Organization (MCOs) for Pennsylvania Certified Community Health Workers (CHW) who wish to enroll as providers in Pennsylvania’s Medical Assistance (MA) Program
The training will be offered on March 31, 2026, 10:00 – 11:30 and will be recorded. Participants will be able to ask questions using the chat feature which will be monitored by DHS staff. A link to the recording will be available on the DHS website under OMAP Provider Training.
American Cancer Society Launches Cancer Risk 360 Tool
ACS CancerRisk360 is a web-based tool that assesses comprehensive cancer risk and offers personalized recommendations to empower individuals to reduce their cancer risk and improve overall health. This tool now has a new section with “Questions to Ask your Provider.”
Information Available on Pennsylvania Tax Credits and Rebate Programs
Pennsylvanians who receive benefits like Medicaid and SNAP may be eligible for the following tax credits/rebates and may have already received information about these programs from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.
Before they file their taxes, Pennsylvanians should check if they are eligible for:
- Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit: Working Pennsylvanians may be eligible for up to $805 through this new state tax credit.
- Child and Dependent Care Enhancement Tax Credit: This tax credit can help ease the cost of childcare for working families. This credit for eligible Pennsylvanians can range from $600 and $2,100, depending on income level and number of dependents.
- Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program: Eligible Pennsylvanians may receive up to $1,000 in rebates.
Sign Up to Receive Updates and Information on Pennsylvania’s RHTP
Join the Pennsylvania Department of Health Service (DHS) Rural Health Transformation Plan (RHTP) Listserv to get periodic updates on Pennsylvania’s planning, progress, and opportunities. The RHTP will be a coordinated regional approach with longstanding regional economic development organizations that will serve as cross-sector conveners to drive economic strategies and carry out the implementation.
Subscribe here. For additional questions, utilize the RHTP Inquiry Form.
HUD Presents Research on Rural Housing
The Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) is a division within the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that conducts research, data analysis, and program evaluations to inform housing policy.
This report examines housing challenges that are unique to rural communities, such as affordability, the physical inadequacy of homes, homelessness, difficulty in aging in place, and disaster response and recovery. The report also describes federal, state, local, and private policy efforts to address these challenges, with details on three rural housing initiatives states have implemented to spur development and boost home ownership.
ERS Publishes Updated Frontier and Remote Area Codes
The Economic Research Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture updated Frontier and Remote (FAR) areas using information from the 2020 Census.
This geographic classification, which was created as a collaboration between USDA’s Economic Research Service and the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, are based on a combination of population size and travel time. There are four FAR levels, with Level 4 being the most remote.
Hospital Price Transparency: Enforcement of 2026 Requirements Starts April 1
In the Calendar Year 2026 Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) Final Rule, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) added new Hospital Price Transparency requirements and will begin enforcement on April 1.
Hospitals must update the machine-readable file posted on their website to include new allowed amount data elements (median, 10th percentile, 90th percentile, and count), their organizational National Provider Identifier (NPI), and an attestation from a senior official confirming the information is accurate and complete. Hospitals that do not comply may receive warning notices, be required to submit corrective action plans, or face civil monetary penalties that may be publicly reported.
CMS maintains tools and resources to help hospitals in meet machine-readable file requirements.
MACPAC Releases March 2026 Report on Medicaid and CHIP
The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC), a nonpartisan legislative branch agency that provides policy analysis and recommendations on Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), released its March 2026 Report to Congress.
The report examines key Medicaid policy areas and presents findings and recommendations for Congress on program access, payment, and oversight. It includes a chapter on Medicaid payment policies to support home- and community-based services (HCBS) workforce, including in rural areas, as well as chapters on behavioral health, justice involved youth transitions to the community, and access to care for Medicaid-enrolled youth in foster care.
List of Clinicians Required to Participate in the Ambulatory Specialty Model Released
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the list of clinicians that are required to participate in the mandatory Ambulatory Specialty Model (ASM) during the 2027 performance year.
The ASM Model is for specialists who commonly treat people for heart failure and low back pain in an outpatient setting across selected regions. The Ambulatory Specialty Model (ASM) Participants dataset contains information on clinicians that are required to participate in the ASM, including their names, National Provider Identifiers (NPI), their cohort, and the performance years for which they must meet ASM’s requirements.
Participants for the 2027 performance year must update their contact information using the ASM Participant Contact Information Form.