- CMS: Medicare Program; Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems for Acute Care Hospitals and the Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System and Policy Changes and Fiscal Year 2026 Rates; Requirements for Quality Programs; and Other Policy Changes; Correction
- CMS: Medicare Program; Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems for Acute Care Hospitals and the Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System and Policy Changes and Fiscal Year 2026 Rates; Requirements for Quality Programs; and Other Policy Changes; Correction
- CMS: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Contract Year 2026 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage Program, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program, Medicare Cost Plan Program, and Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly; Correction
- CMS: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Contract Year 2026 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage Program, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program, Medicare Cost Plan Program, and Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly; Correction
- 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: Fiscal Year 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
- CMS: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; CY 2025 Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Changes to Part B Payment and Coverage Policies; Medicare Shared Savings Program Requirements; Medicare Prescription Drug Inflation Rebate Program; and Medicare Overpayments; and Appeal Rights for Certain Changes in Patient Status; Corrections and Correcting Amendment
- CMS: Request for Information; Health Technology Ecosystem
- CMS: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; CY 2025 Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Changes to Part B Payment and Coverage Policies; Medicare Shared Savings Program Requirements; Medicare Prescription Drug Inflation Rebate Program; and Medicare Overpayments; and Appeal Rights for Certain Changes in Patient Status; Corrections and Correcting Amendment
- VA: Staff Sergeant Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program Funding Opportunity
- State: 60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: J-1 Visa Waiver Recommendation Application
- HHS: Request for Information (RFI): Ensuring Lawful Regulation and Unleashing Innovation To Make American Healthy Again
- Public Inspection: CMS: Request for Information: Health Technology Ecosystem
Why Oral Health Needs a Home in Medical Education
The Academy at Harvard Medical School is hosting “Why Oral Health Needs a Home in Medical Education” this Thursday, January 30th at 5 pm ET as part of their Medical Education Grand Rounds series. They will cover the importance of oral health content in undergraduate and graduate medical education, review the history of medical-dental education, and preview future opportunities.
U.S. Celebrates 80 Years of Community Water Fluoridation
The United States celebrated 80 years since water fluoridation was initiated in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Join PCOH and the 100+ reputable international health and science organizations in recognizing and celebrating the amazing impact that water fluoridation continues to have. Please consider taking action to promote the benefits of fluoridation so that we can celebrate the next milestone.
Here’s three ways you can take action:
- Join the Statewide Water Action Team (SWAT) and notify PCOH when you hear rumblings about water fluoridation in your local community.
- Review the linked talking points so that you are prepared when talking with others about water fluoridation in the news.
Share printed and electronic resources with patients, colleagues, and community members so that they are aware of the benefits of and science behind fluoridation and fluoride treatments.
Fact Sheets Show Children Enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP by Legislative District
In every community across Pennsylvania, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) play a big role in keeping kids covered and healthy.
Through these public health insurance options, nearly half of all Pennsylvania children have access to check-ups, doctor recommended screenings, vaccinations and much more.
Our annual fact sheets provide a breakdown of the more than 1.3 million Pennsylvania children enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP within each legislative district.
PPC uses these fact sheets to educate members of Pennsylvania’s Congressional delegation, state House, and state Senate about the critical role of Medicaid and CHIP in providing families with high-quality, affordable health care for both physical and mental health.
Access the fact sheets here.
According to a new report from Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families, children in Pennsylvania’s small towns and rural communities depend on Medicaid just as much as children in Pennsylvania’s urban communities. And it shows that Pennsylvania adults and seniors in rural communities are insured through Medicaid at higher rates than their urban counterparts.
This is especially important given most of Pennsylvania’s counties are considered rural. In fact, Pennsylvania ranks 5th highest in the country for the number of people living in small towns and rural areas.
Any large cuts to Medicaid that are currently being considered would pose very serious threats to residents and their health care systems in rural communities that are already struggling.
Pennsylvania relies on federal Medicaid funding to thrive. Federal cuts to Medicaid would shift the burden onto Pennsylvania’s budget and lead to higher uninsured rates among our kids, seniors, pregnant women and people with disabilities.
Read the coverage: Proposed Medicaid Cuts Threaten Rural PA Residents, Hospitals
Frequently Asked Questions for Consumers Whom the Federally-facilitated Marketplace or State-based Marketplaces on the Federal Platform Refers to a State Medicaid/Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Agency (SMA) and Who are Awaiting a Final Medicaid or CHIP Eligibility Determination from their SMA
The FAQ applies to consumers who were referred by the Marketplace as potentially eligible for Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI)-based Medicaid/CHIP and were referred to their SMA, and who are waiting for their SMA to conduct a final MAGI-based Medicaid/CHIP eligibility determination. This can occur in households where all applicants are found by the Marketplace as potentially eligible for Medicaid/CHIP or in households where some applicants are found eligible for Marketplace coverage and others are potentially Medicaid/CHIP-eligible. Households in the latter scenario will have qualified health plan (QHP)-eligible applicants routed to enroll in coverage with the Marketplace, and applicants assessed as Medicaid/CHIP-eligible will have their application information securely electronically transferred to their SMA for final eligibility determinations and/or enrollment, if eligible. The FAQ can be used to assist consumers navigating these various scenarios.
See FAQs Consumers the FFM Refers to Medicaid and CHIP Agencies.pdf for frequently asked questions.
Latest Reports Released on Pennsylvania Hospital Utilization Rates!
The Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4) publicly released new County-Level Utilization and Condition-Specific Reports today, giving stakeholders in Pennsylvania valuable insight into ambulatory/outpatient usage and hospitalization rates of high interest conditions, using the most recent data available.
County-Level Utilization Reports are updated every quarter and show the overall total number of inpatient hospitalizations and ambulatory/outpatient cases for Pennsylvania residents. These results are displayed by patient age, sex, and payer. The newly released County-Level Utilization Reports reflect data from Q2 of 2024.
PHC4’s County-Level Condition-Specific Reports focus on several high interest conditions displaying county-specific rates of hospitalization for Pennsylvania residents. This information reflects data from the state fiscal year 2024, which is July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024. The analysis within the County-Level Condition-Specific Reports is limited to Pennsylvania general acute care hospitals.
“This succinct series of reports sheds light on critical health care components at a county-level. This type of reporting is one of many ways PHC4 proudly supports Pennsylvania communities.” said Barry D. Buckingham, PHC4’s Executive Director. Buckingham went on to say that PHC4’s goals include providing fact-based reporting in support of those charged with prioritizing health care resources effectively. The organization believes this is in direct support of the newly established mission of empowering Pennsylvanians through transparent reporting.
PHC4 is an independent council formed under Pennsylvania statute (Act 89 of 1986, as amended by Act 15 of 2020) in order to address rapidly growing health care costs. PHC4 continues to produce comparative information about the most efficient and effective health care to individual consumers and group purchasers of health services. In addition, PHC4 produces information used to identify opportunities to contain costs and improve the quality of care delivered.
For more information, visit phc4.org or review the full report here.
Media contact:
Barry D. Buckingham, Executive Director, PHC4, bbuckingham@phc4.org
Request Free Oral Health Materials from Pennsylvania Oral Health Coalition
Oral health materials are available on the Request Materials page at no cost. Physical and online materials include oral health flyers, posters, rack cards, postcards, and magnets. Topics include general oral health, kids’ health, tobacco/nicotine, workforce, and fluoride.
These resources are great for patient education in waiting rooms, distribution at health fairs and other
community events, and much more.
New RUPRI Report: Evaluating Medicare Advantage Benchmark Setting Methodology on Rural Counties
Dan Shane PhD; Edmer Lazaro, DPT, MSHC; Fred Ullrich, BA; and Keith Mueller, PhD
This brief explores how the process for setting benchmark payments for Medicare Advantage plans may create different incentives across rural and urban counties.
Key Findings:
- Rural counties are less likely to rank in the lower Medicare Fee for Service (FFS) spending quartiles that receive a higher percentage of the county benchmark: 41 percent of rural counties are categorized in combined quartiles 1 and 2 versus 59 percent for urban counties.
- Global caps (maximum benchmark payments based on pre-Affordable Care Act (ACA) county FFS spending) on benchmark payments are much more likely in rural counties, particularly those in the lower-spending quartiles, reducing incentives for supplemental benefits or reduced cost sharing.
Additional products:
- Medicare Advantage Plan Growth in Rural America: Opportunities for Beneficiaries https://www.ruralhealthresearch.org/projects/1004
- Medicare Advantage Plan Growth in Rural America: Availability of Supplemental Benefits https://rupri.public-health.uiowa.edu/publications/policybriefs/2024/MA_Plan_Growth.pdf
Contact Information:
Keith J. Mueller, PhD; keith-mueller@uiowa.edu
Director, RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
University of Iowa College of Public Health
Office: 1.319.384.3832
Call for Presentations: 2025 Pennsylvania State Data User Conference
The Pennsylvania State Data Center (PaSDC) invites presenters to participate in the 2025 Pennsylvania Data User Conference. This year’s event will be held on May 15, 2025, at Penn State Harrisburg in Middletown. The annual Data User Conference serves as Pennsylvania’s most comprehensive single-day forum for research and developments in demographic and socioeconomic data.
The PaSDC Data User Conference aims to educate its audience on demographic and socioeconomic research and policies affecting Pennsylvania. Past presentations have focused on research themes (e.g., aging, prison populations, labor force, and rural Pennsylvania), community development (e.g., case studies and community planning), innovations in technology (e.g., database and data visualization software), and other data-related topics.
Sessions at the conference are non-commercial and vendor neutral. Under no circumstance should a session be a direct promotion of an organization’s product, service, or monetary self-interest. The emphasis should be on the application of demographic and socioeconomic data, technology, and other timely topics.
Submission Details
Proposals will be accepted for team, individual, or panel presentations. To propose a session, please email the topic and a brief description or outline (maximum 250 words) to Jennifer Shultz (jjb131@psu.edu) by Wednesday, February 26, 2025. The PaSDC will notify all selected speakers by March 7, 2025.
Presentation Rules
Presentation proposals will be reviewed by the conference planning committee and selections will be made based upon desired topics, flow, educational value, and understanding of the content. All selected presentations will be published in conference material and online.
Agenda Schedule
All presentations will be on May 15, 2025. Conference organizers will set the time for each presentation to optimize the sequencing and flow of content and tracks. Sessions will end by 5:00 PM.
Speaker Benefits
The PaSDC does not pay fees or travel expenses for speakers. All speakers receive complimentary conference registration, including meals, and are featured in the conference publication and on the conference website. These benefits apply only to speaker(s) and do not extend to support staff or colleagues who may accompany them.
Funding Announced! HRSA Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies Program (Rural MOMS)
The Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies (Rural MOMS) Program from HRSA’s Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP), is open and accepting applications for the program’s 4-year period of performance (September 30, 2025 – September 29, 2029). HRSA award up to 3 cooperative agreements for up to $1,000,000 per year, to provide support to establish innovative, collaborative rural obstetric networks to improve maternity care and access to care in rural communities. Applications are due on April 22, 2025.
Rural MOMS funds networks that establish or continue collaborative improvement and innovative models that can provide long-term sustainable and financially viable service delivery to improve maternal and infant health outcomes. The work of these networks supports the goal of the program to improve maternal and infant health outcomes and access to and delivery of maternity and obstetrics care in rural areas and reduce preventable maternal mortality risks and decrease severe maternal morbidity in rural areas.
Eligible applicants include all domestic public or private, non-profit, or for-profit entity providing prenatal care, labor care, birthing, and postpartum care services in rural areas, frontier areas, or medically underserved areas, or to medically underserved populations or Indian Tribes or Tribal organizations.
A technical assistance webinar via Zoom is scheduled for applicants on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, at 2:00 pm Eastern. If you are unable able to join the webinar, a recording will be made available later.
Examples of previously funded projects under this program are available at this link. Applicants may also benefit from the availability of Evidence-Based Toolkits for Rural Community Health which are informed by previous program investments by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy and the Rural Health Information Hub.
For more information about this funding opportunity, contact RMOMS@hrsa.gov
Helpful links:
- Notice of Funding Opportunity on Grants.gov
- Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies (RMOMS) Program | HRSA
- Profiles of current and past Rural MOMS awardees:
- RMOMS Awardee Directory – FY 2021 Cohort (PDF – 1 MB)
- RMOMS Awardee Directory – FY 2022 Cohort (PDF – 1 MB)
USDA Rural Development Names Acting State Director in Pennsylvania
With the changing of Presidential Administrations on Jan. 20, 2025, USDA Rural Development (RD) announced that our very own Jeremy Wilson will serve as the Acting State Director for the organization.
Wilson, 48, is a native of Tunkhannock, Pa., where he graduated high school in the Class of 1994.
“I am honored to serve as Pennsylvania’s Acting State Director again,” Wilson said. “I am thrilled to support our dedicated employees to fulfill our agency mission.”
Wilson was serving as the Deputy State Director for the department prior to the appointment.
Wilson has 27 years of experience with USDA Rural Development, including over 15 years in originating and servicing rural loan and grant programs, and the last 12 years in administration. Jeremy has worked in multiple field offices, administered multiple rural development programs, and has experience at the national level from agency details, task forces, and special projects.
Wilson earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Lebanon Valley College in 1998 and his Masters Degree in Public Administration from Shippensburg University in 2003. In addition, he is also a graduate, and current advisory board member, of the Pennsylvania Rural/Urban Leadership Program (RULE), which is a two-year intensive leadership course administered through the Pennsylvania State University.