- CMS: Medicare Program; Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities; Updates to the Quality Reporting Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2026
- CMS: Medicare Program; FY 2026 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements
- 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
NASHP Proposes State Strategies for Rural Behavioral Health
This brief from the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) considers strategies drawn from states that participated in NASHP’s Policy Academy on Rural Mental Health Crisis Services.
Read About States’ Best Practices for Rural Economies and Health Care
Commentary from the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices summarizes themes and key takeaways from two virtual roundtables focused on equitable economic development and equitable healthcare for rural communities.
Read the Guide to Capital Resources for Rural Communities Here!
The National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health will continue to update this list of community development resources from national, federal, regional, and philanthropic organizations.
New Report on Use of Electronic Health Information Exchange Has Been Released
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) interviewed federal and state officials and reviewed survey data from providers to learn how the use of electronic health information exchange changed since the enactment of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act in 2009. GAO found that the use of electronic exchange among hospitals and physicians increased in recent years but use among small and rural hospitals was lower than that of other hospitals. This finding may be because small and rural providers are less likely to have the financial and technical resources to participate in electronic exchange—such as adequate IT staff and sufficient access to broadband internet.
Read About The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program in a Rural Context
In a project supported by the federal Administration for Children and Families, researchers gathered administrative data and conducted interviews with human services providers at 11 rural sites in Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina. The resulting brief provides a series of lessons learned and practitioners’ recommendations for the use of federal funding through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program, also known as TANF. For almost 30 years, TANF has provided an annual block grant to states that gives them flexibility to design state-based programs for low-income families with children. In interviews, TANF program staff and members of community partner organizations described various caseload management approaches, service delivery models, and adaptations for their rural contexts.
Recent Study Released Regarding Care Coordination Between Rural Primary Care and Telemedicine for OUD
The study tested a care coordination model in six rural primary care sites during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, from July 2020 to January 2021. Each clinic tracked patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) as they received medication treatment from an external telemedicine provider.
A Recent Study Finds Black Women Experience Poorer Maternal Outcomes Even in Least Vulnerable Counties
Black women living in the least vulnerable areas of the U.S. are more likely to die or have worse birth outcomes compared to white women living in the most vulnerable areas, according to a recent study published in The Lancet. Federal data also showed that maternal mortality rates in the U.S. rose 40% in 2021, which is the highest rate in nearly 60 years. The study recommends locally informed health interventions and additional research into racism to achieve maternal health equity. Read More.
Pennsylvania Launches Abortion Access Website After Texas Ruling
Pennsylvania launched a website for reproductive health care resources after a Texas judge’s unprecedented ruling halting approval of the nation’s most common method of abortion. The new website, unveiled on Monday, helps users find a provider near them, make a plan, and get financial support. Read more. The Biden Administration has appealed the ruling and 240 members of Congress, including nearly every Democrat in the Senate, filed an amicus brief Tuesday urging the Fifth Circuit to stay last week’s district court order blocking the FDA’s decades-old approval of the abortion drug mifepristone. On Wednesday, a federal appeals court narrowed the decision by the Texas judge, preserving access to the abortion pill mifepristone for now but reducing the period of pregnancy when the drug can be used and said it could not be dispensed by mail. Democratic governors across the U.S. announced plans to stockpile mifepristone following the Texas judge’s ruling to suspend approval of the drug, but Gov. Josh Shapiro said state law prevents him from doing so in Pennsylvania.
Watch the Telehealth Technology Showcase Here!
The series of videos from the National Telehealth Technology Assessment Resource Center covers questions related to: Remote Patient Monitoring, Direct Consumer, Emergency Medical Services, and School-Based telehealth.
Read About How Community Health Workers Are Impacting Rural Communities
The report from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials describes ways in which communities can use the funding to build community health worker programs.