- Public Inspection: CMS: Medicare Program: Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities; Updates to the Quality Reporting Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2026
- Public Inspection: CMS: Medicare Program: Fiscal Year 2026 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements
- CMS: Request for Information; Health Technology Ecosystem
- VA: Staff Sergeant Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program Funding Opportunity
- State: 60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: J-1 Visa Waiver Recommendation Application
- Public Inspection: CMS: Request for Information: Health Technology Ecosystem
- HHS: Request for Information (RFI): Ensuring Lawful Regulation and Unleashing Innovation To Make American Healthy Again
- VA: Solicitation of Nominations for the Appointment to the Advisory Committee on Tribal and Indian Affairs
- GAO Seeks New Members for Tribal and Indigenous Advisory Council
- VA: Staff Sergeant Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program Funding Opportunity
- 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
National Rural Health Day Events Archive
Where available, webinar recordings, PowerPoint slides, and transcripts for 2020 National Rural Health Day programming can now be accessed on the National Rural Health Day website. All links are free and accessible to the public. Event topics range from telehealth and COVID-19 testing to social determinants of health and substance use disorder. Participating organizations included HHS entities CDC, CMS, HRSA, NIH, the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services, the National Association of Rural Health Clinics, and the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health. Find more information here.
AHRQ Hospital Utilization Trends
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) provides a series of data files on monthly hospital utilization. The tables include state-by-state data on hospitalizations due to COVID-19, influenza, and other respiratory conditions; normal newborns and deliveries; non-elective stays admitted through emergency departments; and elective inpatient stays. Read more here.
CDC Recommended Strategies for Initial COVID-19 Vaccination
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) produced a guide intended to assist state, tribal, local, or territorial immunization programs with planning for the first three phases of vaccination: Phase 1a, which includes healthcare personnel and residents of long-term care facilities; Phase 1b, frontline essential workers and individuals aged 75 years and older; and Phase 1c, other essential workers, persons 65-74 years of age, and individuals 16-64 years of age with underlying medical conditions. Read more here.
COVID-19 Taking Heavy Toll on Farmers’ Mental Health
The American Farm Bureau released a report showing that two in three farmers surveyed say that the pandemic has impacted their mental health. Farmers and farmworkers were 10 percent more likely than rural adults as a whole to have experienced feeling nervous, anxious, or on edge during the pandemic (65% vs. 55%). Two-thirds of rural adults ages 18-44 say they are personally experiencing more mental health challenges than they were a year ago. Read more here.
Why Getting Covid-19 Vaccines to Rural Americans Is Harder Than It Looks, and How to Lift the Barriers
By Bennett Doughty and Pamela Stewart Fahs, The Conversation
Storage, distribution, and misinformation are among the key obstacles in vaccinating rural Americans. But new vaccines and expanding distribution networks offer some solutions. Read more here.
One Third of Rural Counties Lack Pharmacy Listed in Initial Vaccination Plan
By Tim Marema
The federal government will rely on pharmacies to help distribute Covid-19 vaccines when they become available to the public. Scores of rural counties don’t have a pharmacy that provides immunization services, a new study says. Read more here.
Deadly December Caps off 2020 in Rural Counties
By Tim Murphy and Tim Marema
As 2020 ends, Covid-related deaths in rural counties are occurring at twice the rate of major metropolitan areas. Read more here.
Rural Hospitals Have a Greater Percentage of Patients with Covid-19
By Tim Marema
But bed availability is tighter in urban areas, raising concerns that rural patients who need transfers to more specialized care may face access difficulties, a new analysis says. Read more here.
Final Recommendation Statement: Screening for Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Adolescents and Adults
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released a final recommendation statement on screening for hepatitis B virus infection in adolescents and adults. The Task Force recommends screening people at increased risk for hepatitis B infection. To view the recommendation, the evidence on which it is based, and a summary for clinicians, please go here. The final recommendation statement can also be found in the Dec. 15, 2020 online issue of JAMA.
Dental Handbook on Nutritional Counseling for Obesity Prevention
Temple University Maurice H. Kornberg School of Dentistry in Philadelphia has developed Nutritional Counseling for Obesity Prevention (NCOP) in Children: A Handbook for the Dental Community. This handbook is an evidence-based resource that will increase the knowledge and skills of healthcare professionals in childhood obesity prevention, healthy nutrition, and dietary counseling. The handbook also has a NCOP screener that can be integrated into electronic health record systems to help identify children who are at high risk for both dental caries and obesity. This useful resource for community health centers is available at no cost.