- 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?
Pennsylvania EMS Conference Update
The annual Pennsylvania EMS Conference, now in its 42nd year, is widely known as a reliable source of high-quality EMS continuing education. The event is relied on by hundreds of EMS providers to satisfy certification requirements and to ensure that they remain on the cutting edge of prehospital emergency medicine.
The current COVID-19 pandemic has stressed the emergency services community in ways most never could have predicted, affecting nearly every facet of the industry. Not insignificant is the cancellation or rescheduling of numerous conferences and other educational opportunities. Current social distancing guidelines, travel restrictions, and uncertain timelines have made planning a large, in-person event challenging at best. As coordinators of the PA EMS Conference, the team at PEHSC has made the decision deviate from the traditional conference and transition the event to a virtual format. This change will guarantee that the event will be able to occur, proving an opportunity for the EMS community to receive the valuable education that is so desperately needed.
The conference is still expected to take place on September 2-4, 2020, now from the comfort of your own homes! Coordinators are working on an exciting lineup of speakers and other options that will offer attendees the ultimate convenience in choosing their sessions and viewing them either live, as they occur, or via a recording at a later date.
The coordinators are excited by the possibilities that this new format will provide and cannot wait to share more details as they are finalized!
Should you have any additional questions or comments, please email conference@pehsc.org or call PEHSC at 717-795-0740
Please remember to follow the PA EMS Conference on Facebook or Instagram for all of the latest updates and announcements!
Rural Health and Safety Education Competitive Grants Program (RHSE)
The Rural Health and Safety Education Competitive Grants Program (RHSE) program supports quality of life in rural communities across the United States by addressing the relationship between rural prosperity and rural health; and safety in the context of food, agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences. RHSE program proposals are expected to be community-based outreach education programs, such as those conducted through Human Science extension outreach that provide individuals and families with:
- Information as to the value of good health at any age
- Information to increase individual or family’s motivation to take more responsibility for their own health
- Information regarding rural environmental health issues that directly impact human health
- Information about and access to health promotion and educational activities
- Training for volunteers and health services providers concerning health promotion and health care services for individuals and families in cooperation with state, local, and community partners.
For more information, read the RHSE funding opportunity.
APHA and NAM: COVID-19 Conversations
The American Public Health Association (APHA) and the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) hosted a webinar series over the last seven weeks with experts from the fields of public health, infectious disease, risk communication, and crisis standards of care. The recordings of past sessions are available here.
Introduction to Grants.gov Video Series
Applicants for federal funding can learn about the portal website, how to use the site’s search function, the contents of a grant opportunity, and steps for applying. Find more information here.
CMS Issues Final Rule for the 2021 Annual Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters
On May 7, 2020, CMS released the final annual Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters and Letter to Issuers for the 2021 benefit year. This final rule and Letter set forth payment parameters and instructions to insurers participating in the Health Insurance Exchanges or “Marketplaces”. Among the changes for 2021 are counting drug manufactures coupon toward the annual limitation on cost sharing and promoting the adoption of Value-based Insurance Designs (VBID). CMS also announced a one-week extension of the Qualified Health Plan (QHP) certification and rate review timelines to help issuers and states to better collect and assess data around the effects of COVID-19 and thereby establish more accurate premium rates. Find more information on the notice here. Generally, more information on rural health insurance issues is available from the RHIhub.
Comments Requested: Proposed Updates for FY2021 Medicare Inpatient and Long-term Care Hospital Payments – July 10
On May 11, 2020, CMS released proposed policies and payment updates for acute care and long-term care hospitals for the 2021 Federal fiscal year. In recognition of the significant impact of the COVID-19 public health emergency, CMS has limited annual rulemaking required by statute to focus primarily on essential policies. Of note to rural hospitals, CMS has decided to delay a proposed update to the Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating methodology in recognition of the significant impact of the COVID-19 public health emergency. CMS noted its intention to return to this topic in future rulemaking. CMS is also proposing to expand the definition of displaced resident under the Graduate Medical Education policy to provide greater flexibility. Find more information here.
Considerations for Defining Rural Places in Health Policies and Programs
Rural definitions used to direct resources for federal and state policies mostly rely on a combination of population density and economic integration with urbanized areas. This paper from the Rural Policy Research Institute examines the methods that have been used for defining rural areas and presents a number of options for adjustment. Read more here.
Most Rural Hospitals Have Little Cash Going into COVID
Days cash on hand is an estimate of the number of days an organization could operate if no cash were collected or received. Many rural hospitals have a history of low cash levels and other short-term assets and are therefore ill-prepared for the loss of revenue during the pandemic. Read more here.
Rural Response to Coronavirus Disease 2019
The Rural Health Information Hub has created a guide to help you learn about activities underway to address COVID-19. Find more information here.
Confirmed COVID-19 Cases, Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Counties
The RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis provides up-to-date data and maps on rural and urban confirmed cases throughout the United States. An animated map shows the progression of cases beginning January 21. Find more reports here.