New from the Rural Health Information Hub, this resource developed in collaboration with the NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis with funding from the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy contains information and resources that emphasize developing, implementing, evaluating, and sustaining successful rural health equity programs.

  In final changes to its payment program for acute care and critical access hospitals in 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) included policies to advance nationwide health information exchange, also known as interoperability of electronic health records.  Reporting measures included in the 2023 Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program require hospitals to use certified health IT to capture and share public data – e.g., immunization reporting, syndromic surveillance, reportable lab tests and results, case reporting – that support nationwide early warning of emerging outbreaks and threats, faster public health response, and greater visibility into immunization uptake which, in turn, can inform tailored vaccine distribution strategies.

The Rural and Minority Health Research Center surveyed Rural Health Clinics (RHC) to examine how practitioners are involved in their patient’s cancer treatment and survivorship decisions. Among the findings: more than a third of RHC practitioners were involved in primary decision-making about treatment; and more than 90 percent were involved in ongoing care for survivors, such as smoking cessation and treatment for depression/anxiety.

Last year, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) launched a resource meant to help local health departments (LHD) prevent or mitigate potentially traumatic events, known as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).  The Suicide, Overdose, and Adverse Childhood Experiences Prevention Capacity Assessment Tool (SPACECAT) allows LHDs to make an internal assessment of their capacity to address and prevent a still-growing public health issue.  After the assessment, the SPACECAT Toolkit provides online information and guidance for strengthening local efforts.  Since its launch in October 2021, NACCHO has collected data from more than 100 LHDs who completed the assessment tool.  This week, the organization released a report on what they learned from small (serving 50,000 people or less), medium (serving 50,000-499,999 people), and large (serving 500,000 or more people) local health departments.

  Researchers used data reported by 138,073 patients to learn more about factors that may contribute to differences in the care they received two to six months after childbirth.  Specifically, they looked at two standard components recommended by national quality standards – depression screening and contraceptive counseling.  The highest receipt of these two components was among privately insured White urban individuals; they were both significantly lower for Medicaid-insured patients, rural residents, and people of racially minoritized groups.  But for individuals in these last three groups, receipt of other postpartum components – e.g., screening for smoking or abuse, birth space counseling, and discussions about eating and exercise – was significantly higher.  Published in the JAMA Health Forum, the study is the work of the HRSA/FORHP-supported University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center.

A new guidebook from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration describes various methods of adapting evidence-based practices for substance use disorder (SUD) to meet the needs of populations who experience barriers in receiving behavioral health services due to a variety of factors including race, ethnicity, geography, income, sexual orientation, and disability.

 The recording for the October 12 webinar explains the REH provider type and other FORHP-funded activities to support hospitals exploring the REH option.

 The Rural Health Value team recently released two new rural innovation profiles. The first covers a critical access hospital in Susquehanna, PA’s Experience in the Pennsylvania Rural Health Model: Barnes-Kasson County Hospital. This profile provides insight into the hospital’s experience participating in the Pennsylvania Rural Health Model, which includes a global budget and transforming care to address community health needs. The other profile on MaineHealth ACO – Integrating and Using Data to Support Care Delivery highlights a predominantly rural network of hospitals and clinics in Maine and how they have integrated clinical and claims data to support improvements in care delivery and target patient needs as part of their Accountable Care Organization. The Rural Health Value team is funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy.

  The North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center provides a basic financial framework for considering the incremental revenues, costs, and avoided costs that may be expected if a hospital eliminates inpatient care to convert to an REH.  Another paper from the same research center examines hospitals with low emergency department volumes that are eligible to convert to an REH and found common characteristics.  See FORHP-funded technical assistance to support hospitals exploring the REH option under Resources of the Week below.

 On October 13, HHS extended the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency declaration for another 90 days. The extension means the continued surveillance of the outbreak, access to emergency funding, modified telemedicine practice, and flexibilities for healthcare providers, such as the Coronavirus waivers issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.