- 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
ACCESS: A New Resource to Support Medicare Beneficiaries with Chronic Conditions
On July 5, the CMS Innovation Center begins the ACCESS (Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions) Model, a 10-year pilot program designed to expand access to technology-supported care for Traditional Medicare beneficiaries with chronic conditions.
Visit ACCESS for Primary Care Providers and Referring Clinicians for more information on beneficiary eligibility, billing guidance, and tools to stay informed about patients’ progress. Contact ACCESSModelTeam@cms.hhs.gov with questions.
CMS Seeks Public Feedback on Essential Health Benefits
In this request for information (RFI), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) seeks public input to support their comprehensive review of the Essential Health Benefits (EHB) in Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace plans and the statutory requirement that the scope of EHB be equal to the scope of benefits provided under a typical employer plan.
CMS seeks comments on current interpretations of EHB, State approaches to selecting and updating EHB-benchmark plans, and methodologies used to determine the scope of benefits included as EHB. CMS also seeks comments on variation across States in the scope of benefits included as EHB, cost pressures affecting EHB, limitations in available data used to evaluate EHB, and potential impacts of possible future policy changes. The feedback will help CMS decide whether changes to current regulations should be considered through future rulemaking.
Comment by July 15, 2026.
CMS Issues Final Rule to Strengthen Oversight of Health Care Accrediting Organizations
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule with comment period to strengthen federal oversight of Accrediting Organizations (AOs), which are independent organizations approved by CMS to evaluate whether health care providers and suppliers meet Medicare health and safety requirements.
The rule addresses potential conflicts of interest, establishes more consistent accreditation standards and survey processes, and enhances CMS monitoring of AOs. It also finalizes policies restricting certain consulting services provided by AOs, requiring additional surveyor training, strengthening performance and validation requirements, and establishing new safeguards for providers that have been terminated from Medicare and seek to reenter the program.
The rule is effective June 16, 2027, and CMS will accept comments on the information collection and regulatory impact provisions through August 17, 2026.
Comment by August 17, 2026.
CMS Proposes to Codify Policies Under Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule that would codify policies for the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program beginning in 2029.
Established by the Inflation Reduction Act, the Drug Price Negotiation Program allows CMS to negotiate maximum fair prices for certain high-cost, single-source prescription drugs and biological products covered by Medicare. This proposed rule would formalize policies previously implemented through guidance, increase transparency in the negotiation process, establish requirements for manufacturers, and address potential loopholes related to certain drug formulations. CMS also proposes revisions and clarifications based on lessons learned from the program’s first years of implementation.
Comment by August 17, 2026.
CMS Releases Guidance on Medicaid Section 1115 Budget Neutrality Requirements
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released new guidance explaining how budget neutrality will be evaluated and certified for Medicaid Section 1115 demonstrations, which allow states to test innovative approaches to delivering and paying for Medicaid services.
Per statute, beginning January 1, 2027, new, renewed, and amended Section 1115 demonstrations must be certified by the CMS Chief Actuary as not increasing federal Medicaid spending compared with what would occur without the demonstration. To help states prepare, CMS is providing this early notice of the approach it plans to propose and, until a final rule is in place, will use this guidance when reviewing and approving new, amended, and renewed Section 1115 demonstrations on or after January 1, 2027.
MedPAC and MACPAC Release 2026 Annual Reports to Congress
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) and the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC), independent congressional advisory bodies on Medicare and Medicaid policy, respectively, have released their latest Reports to Congress.
The MedPAC report addresses potential improvements to Medicare payment systems and issues that affect the Medicare program, including changes to health care delivery and the market for health care services as well as a mandated assessment of the Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System.
The MACPAC report includes recommendations to Congress related to community engagement requirements in Medicaid, automation in prior authorization, Medicaid managed care accountability, appropriate access to residential treatment services for Medicaid-enrolled youth, and a chapter on provider enrollment in Medicaid.
CRS: Connecting Constituent Organizations to Behavioral Health Funding
This report gives an overview of federal funding opportunities across HHS agencies – including SAMHSA, HRSA, CDC, and ACF – and makes reference to FORHP’s Rural Communities Opioid Response Program.
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is part of the Library of Congress and provides nonpartisan research to assist Members of Congress throughout the legislative process.
HRSA Small Health Care Provider Quality Improvement Program Addresses Chronic Disease
This FORHP program has a focus on improving chronic disease outcomes in rural areas where, by comparison to urban and suburban areas, disparities continue to grow in conditions such as diabetes, cancer, obesity, and overweight. The program aims to strengthen a culture of quality improvement in rural facilities by building capacity to collect and use clinical data and implement evidence-based approaches to chronic disease prevention and treatment.
Applicants must be non-profit or public entities and located in a rural area. To get prepared ahead of the official posting on Grants.gov, click on the Package tab of the most recent grant opportunity for this program, then View, and Download Instructions to learn what FORHP is seeking from applications.
Grant opportunity coming soon.
HHS Releases Request for Comment on Chronic Disease of Addiction
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) invites public comment in response to this RFI on the research, development, programs, and policies that have been most successful in improving availability of and access to effective prevention, treatment, and recovery interventions for addiction, mental illness, and co-occurring substance use and mental disorders.
The purpose of this RFI is to identify research, programs, and policies that have been successful and recommend novel policy ideas and gaps in research that could be addressed and implemented to further the Great American Recovery using existing funding. FORHP’s Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) is cited as a current initiative helping HHS meet these goals.
Comment by July 5.
MBQIP Quality Measures National Annual Report Released
This FORHP-funded report uses MBQIP (Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project) quality data to provide an overview of reporting and performance in all MBQIP measures for all Critical Access Hospitals in the United States.