- 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
National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program Application Process Opens
The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) has opened applications for three of its loan repayment programs: the NHSC Loan Repayment Program, the NHSC Substance Use Disorder Workforce Loan Repayment Program and the NHSC Rural Community Loan Repayment Program. NHSC encourages all eligible clinicians passionate about helping patients in underserved communities to apply. All programs use one application, but applicants can only apply to one program. The applications will remain open until April 23. NHSC will host several Q & A sessions to review program requirements and answer application questions.
Legislation Introduced to Extend Frontier Community Health Integration Program (FCHIP)
Senators Jon Tester (D-MT) and John Hoeven (R-ND) recently introduced legislation to extend the Frontier Community Health Integration Program (FCHIP), which expired last summer. Under this program, ten Critical Access Hospitals across Montana, Nevada, and North Dakota would test new health care delivery and reimbursement models. Specifically, FCHIP allows additional Skilled Nursing Facility or Nursing Facility beds, supports telehealth expansion, and reimburses ambulance service expenses. The announcement comes amid an accelerating hospital closure crisis where 47% of rural hospitals are vulnerable. You can follow this bill via the National Rural Health Association Legislative Tracker.
CMS Issues COVID-19 FAQs
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has issued Frequently Asked Questions to Ensure Individuals, Issuers and States have Clear Information on Coverage Benefits for COVID-19. This action is part of the broader, ongoing effort by the White House Coronavirus Task Force to ensure that all Americans – particularly those at high-risk of complications from the COVID-19 virus – have access to the health benefits that can help keep them healthy while helping to contain the spread of this disease.
The COVID-19 FAQs for EHB can be found here: https://www.cms.gov/CCIIO/Resources/Fact-Sheets-and-FAQs/Downloads/EHB-Benchmark-Coverage-of-COVID-19.pdf
These FAQs, and earlier CMS actions in response to the COVID-19 virus, are part of the ongoing White House Task Force efforts. To keep up with the important work the Task Force is doing in response to COVID-19 click here www.coronavirus.gov. For information specific to CMS, please visit the Current Emergencies Website.
National Guidelines for Mental Health Crisis Care: A Best Practices Toolkit
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) created this online toolkit for implementing behavioral health crisis care. The guidelines are intended to help states and communities develop a no-wrong-door integrated crisis system with a regional crisis call center, crisis mobile response teams, and receiving and stabilization facilities.
Healthy People 2020 Progress for Leading Causes of Death in Rural and Urban America: A Chartbook
This study from the Southwest Rural Health Research Center examines rural versus urban differences in how the U.S. is meeting the Healthy People 2020 mortality objectives for many of the leading causes of death. Overall, the findings indicate rural America is lagging behind urban America in achieving these objectives. Furthermore, key findings indicate men have been less likely than women to achieve these objectives, the rural South has seen less progress than other regions, and suicide mortality has increased across all levels of rurality.
Congressional Research Service on HRSA Maternal Health Programs
The Congressional Research Service provides objective policy and legal analysis to committees and members of the U.S. House and Senate. For this report, researchers provide an overview of five maternal health programs administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), including the Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies (RMOMS) Program, a pilot program that aims to improve access to services in rural areas.
Hidden Pain: America’s Oral Health Crisis
The production Hidden Pain: America’s Oral Health Crisis, is a short film by The Jon C Burr Foundation that addresses the pain, suffering and enormous cost to the American people of not providing access to Oral Healthcare. Dr. Mike Monopoli, Executive Director of Grant Strategy for the DentaQuest Partnership offered his subject matter expertise, and several Partnership grantees are featured sharing their perspectives about how to change the system and improve health outcomes. Watch this important documentary here.
Hospital Utilization for Non-Traumatic Dental Conditions in Oregon from 2013 to 2015
Access to oral health benefits is a state by state issue – either the coverage is uneven or totally lacking – and can result in costly trips to the hospital for non-traumatic dental conditions. The DentaQuest Partnership took an in-depth look into Emergency Department (ED) visits specifically in Oregon for non-traumatic dental conditions, and found a need for multi-level solutions, such as teledentistry, to decrease ED utilization across the state. Read the study here.
The Burden of Out-of-Pocket Expenditures for Dental Care on Medicare-Enrolled Elderly and Disabled
The DentaQuest Partnership’s latest report is a continuation of compelling research about how out-of-pocket spending on health care presents challenges for patients on fixed incomes. The report findings show that Medicare recipients pay for at least 75% of dental costs out-of-pocket, contributing to financial strain and poor oral health. Read the report.
Census Bureau: Request for Nominations of Members To Serve on the National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic, and Other Populations
The Census Bureau is accepting nominations to fill eight vacancies on the National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic and Other Populations (NAC). The NAC provides advice to the Director of the Census Bureau on the economic, housing, demographic, socioeconomic, linguistic, technological, methodological, geographic, behavioral, and operational variables affecting the cost, accuracy, and implementation of Census Bureau programs and surveys, including the decennial census. The committee should have representatives with a variety of experience and from varied backgrounds in order to have balanced representation in terms of geography, age, sex, race, ethnicity, technical expertise, community involvement, and knowledge of census programs. Some members may serve as representatives for broad populations groups, including hard-to-count populations and racial and ethnic populations, among others. Nominations are due by August 1, 2020.