- 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
New Information Has Been Released on COVID-19 Waivers and Flexibilities
Earlier this week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released a fact sheet with updates to policy on vaccines, testing, and treatments; telehealth services; continuing flexibilities for healthcare professionals; and expanded hospital capacity through care in a patient’s home. Last week, the agency provided updates specific to Rural Health Clinics and Critical Access Hospitals, describing the Medicare and Medicaid waivers and flexibilities that have been terminated, made permanent, or that will end with the public health emergency (PHE) on May 11, 2023.
HRSA Needs Rural Reviewers for Grant Applications
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) relies on grant reviewers to select the best programs from a competitive group of applicants. Over the coming months, the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy will be competing a number of programs, including among other things: substance use disorders and opioid use disorder, rural workforce, and rural hospitals. Having reviewers with expertise in rural health greatly benefits the review process and is also an opportunity to learn about the review process itself. Reviews are typically held remotely over a period of a few days and reviewers who participate and complete their assigned duties receive an honorarium. Registration is easy and does not commit you to serving as a reviewer. Please consider lending your expertise to these important initiatives.
The Economic Research Services Released County-Level Data Sets
The Economic Research Service (ERS) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture released updates to its data on socioeconomic indicators such as poverty rates, population change, unemployment rates, and education levels. ERS State Fact Sheets, which show numbers comparing rural and urban, were also updated to add estimates on educational attainment.
Greater Hardship for Rural Hospitals in States that Haven’t Expanded Medicaid
A new analysis from the national nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation reports slimmer operating margins for rural hospitals (2.2 percent versus 3.9 percent in states with Medicaid expansion) for the period from July 2021 through June 2022. Moreover, the report says these margins would have dropped to 1.2 percent in expansion states and -0.7 percent in non-expansion states if not for federal COVID-19 relief funds.
Understand Firearm Deaths by State Here
RAND Corporation, an independent research organization, examined state-level mortality data to compare state-by-state and national-level rates of death. An interactive map that sorts by gender, race (Black, White, and Hispanic), urban/non-urban, and age shows that 29 of 50 states have an annual rate of death higher than the national average. The data originated with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which last year announced historically high rates of firearm homicide nationwide and the highest rates of firearm suicide in rural areas. RAND reports that suicide deaths drive the overall death rate higher in nonurban areas. A second interactive map shows how adding or removing firearm laws could affect death rates in each state.
You Can Apply for NHSC Loan Repayment Here!
HRSA’s Bureau of Health Workforce announced the next opportunity for three loan repayment programs from the National Health Service Corps (NHSC). Of more than 20,000 NHSC members serving across the country, about one in three works in a rural area. In exchange for a commitment to serve at an NHSC-approved facility, practicing clinicians providing primary medical, dental, or behavioral health care services may qualify for loan repayment up to $50,000 with an NHSC Loan Repayment Program award, up to $75,000 for the NHSC Substance Use Disorder Workforce Loan Repayment Program, and up to $100,000 for the NHSC Rural Community Loan Repayment Program. The rural NHSC program is in coordination with FORHP’s rural opioid programming providing evidence-based substance use disorder treatment. The Deadline is April 25, 2023.
The Health Resource & Service Administration Releases New Recommendations on Rural Child Care
The National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services has a new policy brief examining the challenges in rural areas. The brief focuses on the long-standing difficulties and its importance for the well-being and economic stability of rural families. The pandemic brought greater attention to these challenges, along with historic levels of funding to childcare providers through COVID-19 supplemental appropriations to ensure the continued availability of care.
2024 Advance Notice for Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Programs Has Been Released
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the calendar year (CY) 2024 Advance Notice for Medicare Advantage (also known as Medicare Part C) and Medicare Prescription Drug Programs (also known as Medicare Part D). The notice includes payment updates and star rating updates for both parts of Medicare, a one-time growth rate adjustment for Medicare Advantage, and technical updates to the Medicare Advantage risk adjustment model. Also included are significant Medicare Part D changes required by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and which will go into effect next January including reduced cost-sharing for insulin, eliminated cost-sharing for preventive vaccines, eliminated cost-sharing for Part D prescription drugs in the catastrophic phase, and expanded eligibility for full cost-sharing and premium subsidies under the Low-Income Subsidy program. The comments are due by March 3, 2023.
New Articles Have Been Published on Hospitals, Elective Surgery, Electronic Health Records, Immunization, and Community Health Workers
The latest alert holds five journal articles written by the FORHP-supported Rural Health Research Centers.
Read About New Research Regarding Telehealth Recovery Coaching for Post-Discharge Engagement
Researchers looked at records for 917 patients who engaged with a peer recovery coach via telehealth after discharge from emergency departments for opioid use. The investigation focused on one Indiana-based hospital system that included six hospitals located in cities and seven that had rural Critical Access Hospital designations. Of the findings showing value to rural patients, living in a strictly rural area was associated with an 80 percent greater rate of successful follow-up.