- 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?
2020 National Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Assessment
The report from the National Association of State EMS Officials describes emergency medical services at the state and national levels and includes sources and amounts of federal funding, including the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy. Read the report here.
Housing Assistance Council: Half of Rural Households Have Responded to Census
The national non-profit reports on the way long-established challenges and the pandemic have slowed the response from rural households. Read more here.
RWJF: Health Equity Principles for Re-opening and Recovering from COVID-19
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) released a brief for state and local leaders with considerations for health equity in the public health response to the pandemic. Read more here.
SAMHSA Reports on COVID-19 and Behavioral Health Disparities in Black and Latino Communities
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provides data on social and economic factors that contribute to poor health outcomes in communities of color. Read their report here. A separate issue brief from SAMHSA presents recent data on the prevalence of opioid misuse and death in the Black/African American population.
New Black Lung Clinics Grants Awarded
The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy announced $11.2 million awarded to 15 recipients for the new competitive cycle of the Black Lung Clinics Program (BLCP). The purpose of this program is to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with occupationally-related coal mine dust lung disease through the provision of quality medical, outreach, educational, and benefits counseling services for active, inactive, retired, and disabled US coal miners. In an effort to address current disease trends, the program includes an emphasis on Coal Workers’ Pneumoconiosis & Progressive Massive Fibrosis. Additionally, the University of Illinois at Chicago received funding for the Black Lung Data and Resource Center. The program aims to strengthen the operations of BLCP recipients through programmatic assistance and improved data collection and analysis related to the health status and needs of U.S. coal miners. Find more information here.
Bipartisan Policy Center: Rural Health Report Update
The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) held a two-hour webcast on April 21, 20202, to mark the release of a new rural health policy report. This latest report is an update of its previous report. It has some new perspectives reflecting experiences of rural communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The new report can be read here: BPC_Rural-Health-Care-Report – 2020.
There are multiple payment-related recommendations in the new report which would affect CAHs, RHCs and FQHCs. Many of these recommendations could become the basis of future COVID-19 relief legislation.
During the webcast Rural Health Task Force members provided their individual perspectives on the challenges facing rural health care. Many of the policy positions were shared by Task Force members:
- The need for payment reforms is emphasized by the BPC Task Force. Many of these are incremental changes, though there is great interest in the global payment approach being explored in PA.
- There is a strong shared sentiment that many hospitals need to transition to a smaller, reduced service operation. This sentiment is embodied in the Task Force recommendation for the establishment of a new CMS hospital designation – the Rural Emergency and Outpatient Hospital (REO). Transition of hospitals to the new model would be accomplished through a community-wide transformation planning process to be supported with Federal funds.
- The Task Force also sees a potential role for FQHCs and RHCs that might wish to expand services into the inpatient arena. This would be permitted under a new Extended Rural Services (ERS) Program.
- The Task Force looks for payment reforms and expanded workforce training programs to address the need to improve access to maternal care in rural areas.
- Multiple rural health workforce program expansions are recommended. These include expansions of the J-1 Visa Waiver program and rural training track program, New support programs – including rural provider tax credit programs modeled after successful OR and NM programs – are also recommended.
- A variety of recommendations related to rural broadband and telehealth expansions are presented.
- The need for rural relevant quality measurement and performance monitoring is recognized in the report.
BPC recommendations, if implemented, may lead to an expansion of SORH activities. The REO and ERS programs would require planning efforts which could easily be coordinated with SORH participation.
For those interested in hearing the full webcast, check the following link:
Report: Rural Co-ops Can Close the Digital Divide
By Jan Pytalski
Locally owned utility cooperatives have the skills and motivation to provide better internet service for rural America. The Institute for Local Self Reliance recommends policies that could help get the job done. Read the article here.
Native American Tribes’ Pandemic Response Is Hamstrung by Many Inequities
By Lindsey Schneider
History of systemic inequities from disrupted food systems to extractive industries exploiting native lands hamper tribal response to the coronavirus outbreak, resulting in more deaths among Native Americans. Read the article here.
Grain Bin Accidents and Deaths Rising Due to Poor Crop Conditions
By Bart Pfankuch
Bad weather resulting in poor crop quality put farmers at a much higher risk of deadly accidents inside of grain bins. Read the article here.
Rural People Are Just as Worried about Covid-19 as Nation, Online Poll Says
By Tim Marema
There’s a perception out there that rural residents are less concerned about the pandemic. A national poll says otherwise. Read the article here.