The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) continue to host a series of listening sessions to obtain feedback on CMS’ efforts to help ensure robust awareness, outreach, and education for consumers and consumer stakeholders of important new No Surprises Act (NSA) protections. We are pleased to announce that we have added an additional session for June 2, 2022 at 3:00 PM ET.

In this series of listening sessions, we wish to first understand from consumer advocates the role they can play to help educate consumers about the protections in the NSA as well as to receive input from the field about the consumer experience so far. We also want feedback from consumer advocates on the tools, consumer website, guidance, social media, paid media, marketing, word of mouth awareness, and other resources necessary to help educate consumers on their rights and protections under NSA.  

The sessions will have a question and answer chat and we will address as many on-topic comments, ideas, and questions as time permits. We will likely not be able to respond to all comments individually, but all those we receive will be used to improve our efforts and help plan future sessions.

During the sessions we will be focusing on consumer outreach, education, and implementation and will not be addressing technical questions specific to NSA provisions or policy, or from a provider’s perspective.  We really want your feedback and innovative ideas to help educate consumers and we encourage you to participate. 

To learn more about the No Surprises Act, visit: https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises. 

When: 3:00 PM ET on April 7, May 5, and June 2.  

If you have already registered for this series, you must re-register to sign up for the June 2nd session.

Who should attend: This series is designed for organizations who advocate for and/or assist healthcare consumers.

RSVP: click here

Registering for the listening sessions will register you for all sessions. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

This meeting is closed to press. 

Pennsylvania Governor Wolf’s Administration and the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) are committed to improving the extent and quality of care for Pennsylvania women and families, especially our most vulnerable through a delicate and crucial period of their lives. Through Medicaid expansion, 3.3 million Pennsylvanians currently receive crucial services.

Expanding Perinatal Services 

DHS is working to improve the health and wellness of Pennsylvania mothers — especially those who historically and disproportionately experience health inequity, such as Black Pennsylvanians:

Pregnancy-Related Deaths

• In Pennsylvania, pregnancy-related deaths grew by more than 21 percent between 2013 and 2018.
• About 12 percent of pregnancy-related deaths occur between six weeks and one year postpartum, but almost 60 percent of those are preventable.
• Black women are almost two times more likely than white women to die after giving birth.

Perinatal Mental Health

• Perinatal depression is the most common complication during pregnancy and the postpartum period.
• 1 in 7 women experience depression during or following a pregnancy, but too often it can go undiagnosed.
• A 2018 study published by the National Institute of Health (NIH) reported that just 1 in 5 women report symptoms of depression or anxiety during or after a pregnancy to a health care provider, but follow through for treatment may be even lower, especially for women of color.

The American Rescue Plan Act allows states to implement a new Medicaid state plan option beginning in April 2022 that will expand the Medicaid coverage period for new moms from 60 days to one year after giving birth. This extension will help mothers continue to access physical and behavioral health care necessary to keep themselves healthy and their families on a path to good health and well-being.

Doula Pilot Program for Incarcerated Pregnant Women

DHS — in a partnership with the PA Department of Corrections, Tuttleman Foundation and Genesis Birth Services — established a pilot program at SCI Muncy offering doula services to women who are pregnant while incarcerated. The goal of the program is to support mothers through a difficult and vulnerable period and empower them as they prepare to reenter their communities.

Doulas are trained birthing and postpartum support professionals who work with expecting and new mothers to provide the following services, including:

• Non-clinical physical and emotional support through pregnancy, labor and delivery, and the postpartum period.
• Work with mothers to help them prepare for childbirth.
• Create a birthing plan and plans for the postpartum recovery and care.
• Support the mother and infant as they navigate nursing and feeding.
• Support the mother through perinatal depression and anxiety.
• Other milestones through pregnancy and postpartum.

The seven women participating in the pilot will receive doula services during their pregnancy, at the birth of their child, and through 365-days post-partum. If a pilot participant reenters her community prior to the end of the post-partum period, the doula service will continue.

The doula providing services at SCI Muncy is also helping to facilitate parenting classes and discussion groups in conjunction with the facility’s on-staff counselors.

Apply for Medical Assistance

Medical Assistance coverage for pregnant women can begin as soon as your doctor or nurse informs you that you are pregnant. You can apply for benefits in any of the following ways:

• You may apply online using COMPASS. You can also use COMPASS to apply for other benefits such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Cash Assistance.
• You can also contact your local county assistance office for an application or you may download an application form (below) to send to your county assistance office. If you need help completing the application form and a friend or relative is unable to help you, trained county assistance office staff members can help you.
  • Application for Health Care Coverage
  • Solicitud de la cobertura medica

Additional Women’s Resources in Pennsylvania

• Governor’s Commission for Women
• Women’s Health Caucus — PA House Representatives
• Women’s Health and Advocacy Committee — PA Senate Democrats
• Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program
• Women On the Bench in Pennsylvania — The Unified Judicial System of PA
• Child Care Works Program — DHS

The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) announced the 20 highest-ranked prospective payment system (PPS) hospitals in the country based on an evaluation by the Chartis Center for Rural Health. The hospitals are identified using the Chartis Rural Hospital Performance INDEX, the most comprehensive and objective assessment of rural PPS hospital performance. These hospitals will be recognized May 12 during NRHA’s Rural Hospital Innovation Summit in Albuquerque, NM.

The determining factors for the top 20 rural and community hospitals are based on eight indices: inpatient market share, outpatient market share, quality, outcomes, patient perspective, cost, charge, and financial efficiency. “NRHA is committed to ensuring our members have the best information to manage their hospitals,” says Brock Slabach, NRHA membership services senior vice president. “We’re pleased to recognize the accomplishments of these rural and community hospitals.”

The top 20 rural and community hospitals are:

• Aurora Medical Center Manitowoc County,  Two Rivers, WI
• Avera Sacred Heart Hospital, Yankton, SD
• Brookings Health System, Brookings, SD
• Castleview Hospital, Price, UT
• Cedar City Hospital, Cedar City, UT
• Garrett Regional Medical Center, Oakland, MD
• Hays Medical Center, Hays, KS
• Jefferson Hospital, Louisville, GA
• Lakes Regional Healthcare, Spirit Lake, IA
• Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center, Jasper, IN
• Mercy Health–Tiffin Hospital, Tiffin, OH
• Munson Healthcare Cadillac Hospital, Cadillac, MI
• MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena, Alpena, MI
• Prairie Lakes Healthcare System, Watertown, SD
• Punxsutawney Area Hospital, Punxsutawney, PA
• Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital, Onancock, VA
• Schneck Medical Center, Seymour, IN
• Seymour Hospital, Seymour, TX
• Spencer Hospital, Spencer, IA
• UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center, Steamboat Springs, CO

About NRHA

NRHA is a nonprofit organization working to improve the health and well-being of rural Americans and provide leadership on rural health issues through advocacy, communications, education, and research. NRHA’s membership is made up of diverse individuals and organizations from across the country, all of whom share the common bond of an interest in rural health.

About the Chartis Group

The Chartis Group® (Chartis) provides comprehensive advisory services and analytics to the health care industry. It brings critical thinking and deep industry experience paired with cutting-edge data, analytics, and technology to deliver #NextIntelligence. With an unparalleled depth of expertise in strategic planning, performance excellence, health analytics, informatics and technology, digital and emerging technologies, clinical quality and operations, and strategic communications, Chartis helps leading academic medical centers, integrated delivery networks, children’s hospitals, and health care service organizations achieve transformative results and build a healthier world. Chartis has offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, New York, Minneapolis, and San Francisco. For more information, visit www.chartis.com.

Rural LISC has launched a new tool, developed in collaboration with Heartland Forward, that maps 2021 enrollment in the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) Program. The map presents a nationwide view of household EBB enrollment based on eligibility by ZIP Code. On average across the country, an estimated 17% of households that were eligible for the benefit enrolled.

The tool is designed to aid Digital Navigators and other partner organizations in identifying the communities that can benefit most from outreach and awareness efforts on broadband access. A new, long-term federal discount on internet service for low-income households, the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), replaced EBB on January 1, 2022.

Users are invited to engage with the map by entering the ZIP Code, city name, county name, or an address of their choice. Users can also toggle on a terrestrial broadband layer, depicting if wired or fixed wireless broadband internet is available in an area.

Click here to access the map.

The Pennsylvnia Department of Human Services (DHS) leadership announced in mid-January that they intend to implement changes to the managed care plans operating the physical health (PH) HealthChoices program effective July 1, 2022. Approximately 460,000 Medicaid consumers will be required to choose a new managed care plan or be auto-assigned into one. The remaining 2.3 million consumers in the HealthChoices program will have the option to choose a new managed care plan and will have new plan options available. This will affect dental coverage and dental providers as well.

Click here to read more on this from the PA Health Law Project.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health has published the State Health Improvement Plan Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Report.

The Healthy Pennsylvania Partnership (HPP) is a multi-sector collaboration that identifies key health challenges in Pennsylvania and works to solve them. Within the HPP, there are two major and interrelated initiatives: the State Health Assessment (SHA) and the State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP). The SHA identifies population health priorities and the populations most impacted by major health issues.
The State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP), based on the SHA, is a five-year strategic

The State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP), based on the SHA, is a five-year strategic plan developed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) in collaboration with the HPP. The purpose of the SHIP is to describe how the health department and the community it serves will work together to improve the health of the Pennsylvania population.The community, stakeholders, and partners can use this health improvement plan to set priorities, direct the use of resources, and develop and implement projects, programs, and policies. Implementation of the plan began with its release in May 2016.

The three health priorities addressed by the SHIP are obesity, physical inactivity, and nutrition; primary care and preventive services; and mental health and substance use. For each SHIP priority, strategies, the target populations, collaborators, targets, and data sources are identified. Across these priority areas are cross-cutting themes that are key to implementing the strategies: health literacy, the public health system, health equity, social determinants of health, and integration of primary care and mental health.

During the past year, three task forces have implemented and promoted the strategic initiatives. This annual report documents progress toward the goals and the implementation of strategies. As the public health environment changes, new opportunities that may impact goals are considered by the task forces. Adjustments to the SHIP strategies are implemented by the task forces. Task forces meet quarterly throughout the year to report on progress in implementing the identified strategies, assess progress, and make recommendations for adjustments.

This report provides the health outcome measures identified in the SHIP, and implementation and progress made on strategic initiatives. It is presented to stakeholders and the public, so they may know how the commonwealth is performing on the priority issues and can prioritize based on performance results. Organizations and individuals are invited to participate. For information, email RA-ship@pa.gov.