Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule to promote consistent use of nationally standardized quality measures in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and to help identify gaps and health disparities among the millions of people enrolled in these programs. This rule proposes requirements for mandatory annual state reporting of three different quality measure sets: the Core Set of Children’s Health Care Quality Measures for Medicaid and CHIP; the behavioral health measures on the Core Set of Adult Health Care Quality Measures for Medicaid; and the Core Sets of Health Home Quality Measures for Medicaid. CMS is proposing that annual reporting guidance will include identification of the populations for which States must report the measures identified by the Secretary of HHS, including, but not limited to beneficiaries receiving services through Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics. CMS is also proposing that measures must be stratified by various elements including rural/urban status.

Comments are due by October 21.

Among key findings from the Rural and Minority Health Research Center: In rural ZIP code tabulation areas (ZCTA) with high proportions of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) residents, 80% had no hospital-based obstetric unit within 15 miles, and approximately one-third of rural ZCTAs with highly represented Hispanic/Latino populations have no obstetric care within 30 miles.  Results suggest that Black-White maternal health disparities might be independent of distances to a hospital obstetric unit at the community level and instead associated with the social determinants of health.

Researchers at the RUPRI Center for Rural Analysis examine the availability of community pharmacies and also provide a deeper analysis of counties with no retail pharmacies (i.e., pharmacy deserts) based on metropolitan/nonmetropolitan locations.

The study explored opportunities for enhanced screening using telehealth and electronic patient-reported outcomes at five HRSA-funded Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program clinics in Alabama – one of seven mostly rural states prioritized for the federal Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative. While there were concerns among survey respondents about the lack of in-person interaction, the study revealed opportunities to expand technology use in rural areas.

Researchers interviewed community partners, health care providers, and people who inject drugs in Maine to see how the pandemic affected programs, including syringe services, safe drug supply, low barrier treatment, and peer support.  Some barriers to access were unavoidable, but they found specific policy decisions that mitigated barriers, while other policies exacerbated them.

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services commissioned a report by the RAND Corporation to keep track of changes to health care delivery brought by the federal No Surprises Act passed last year.  This first analysis measures the effects of hospital consolidations across the country and is meant to set a baseline for future reports to Congress.  Among the key findings is strong evidence that hospital mergers and acquisitions increase healthcare services and spending prices; there is less conclusive evidence on how consolidation affects quality and patient access.  Studies on the impact on rural hospitals were inconsistent, raising concern and a call for more careful examination.

The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy is funding a new resource to assist states in conjunction with the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) as they establish new licensure standards for Rural Emergency Hospitals (REH).  This new NCSL website includes information on the requirements for the REH designation and relevant state actions. State policymakers have an important role to play in establishing and regulating this new provider type, as REHs are required to meet applicable state licensing, staffing, educational training, and scope of practice requirements. State-level officials and other stakeholders may visit this webpage to find examples of specific actions state legislatures have either proposed or established related to REH licensure. At the Federal level, CMS intends to finalize policies on the REH Conditions of Participation (COPs), payment policies, and provider enrollment procedures this fall before the new REH provider type becomes effective January 1, 2023.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued updated guidance on the use of JYNNEOS and ACAM2000 vaccines in the context of a public health emergency (PHE). These considerations include using an alternate regimen including intradermal administration and a smaller injection volume of the JYNNEOS vaccine under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). Read the full Interim Clinical Considerations.

The Association of Clinicians for the Underserved (ACU) STAR² Center invites the health center workforce, human resources, clinical, and C-suite staff to apply by Thursday, August 25 to be part of ACU’s upcoming Recruitment Boot Camp: Mental Health Staff Edition. This learning collaborative will take place over four sessions in September and October and will explore the special considerations necessary to recruit a diverse, mission-driven, and patient-centered mental health workforce. Learn from STAR² Center staff experts and Dr. Adijat Ogunyemi, a practicing clinical social worker and professor with extensive experience in the health center context. To apply for the boot camp, click here.

The virus may be rebounding worldwide. The Jerusalem area this year suffered an outbreak, and the virus showed up in London wastewater in June. On August 12, PBS Newshour reported that the Polio virus was found in New York City wastewater.