- CMS: Medicare and Medicaid Programs: CY 2026 Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Changes to Part B Payment and Coverage Policies; Medicare Shared Savings Program Requirements; and Medicare Prescription Drug Inflation Rebate Program
- Public Inspection: CMS: Medicare and Medicaid Programs: CY 2026 Payment Policies under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Changes to Part B Payment and Coverage Policies; Medicare Shared Savings Program Requirements; and Medicare Prescription Drug Inflation Rebate Program
- CMS: Medicare Program; Implementation of Prior Authorization for Select Services for the Wasteful and Inappropriate Services Reduction (WISeR) Model
- Public Inspection: CMS: Medicare Program: Implementation of Prior Authorization for Select Services for the Wasteful and Inappropriate Services Reduction Model
- CMS: Secretarial Comments on the CBE's (Battelle Memorial Institute) 2024 Activities: Report to Congress and the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services
- HHS: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Marketplace Integrity and Affordability
- Public Inspection: HHS: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Marketplace Integrity and Affordability
- Increased Risk of Cyber Threats Against Healthcare and Public Health Sector
- HRSA Announces Action to Lower Out-of-Pocket Costs for Life-Saving Medications at Health Centers Nationwide
- Announcing the 2030 Census Disclosure Avoidance Research Program
- Eight Hospitals Selected for First Cohort of Rural Hospital Stabilization Program
- 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
NHSC Starts News Rural Loan Repayment Program
The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Rural Community Loan Repayment Program (LRP) is a new program for providers working to combat the opioid epidemic in the nation’s rural communities. The application cycle will open soon and you can sign up for email notices. The NHSC LRP will make FY 2019 loan repayment awards in coordination with the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) initiative within the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) to provide evidence-based substance use treatment, assist in recovery, and to prevent overdose deaths across the nation. Check out information on the NHSC Rural Community Loan Repayment Program website.
Cost Inhibits Access to Care
More than 25% of rural U.S. residents had trouble accessing health care in the last few years, and almost half of them reported it was because they could not afford the care, according to a survey by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health released this week. The survey found that 49% of respondents said they would not be able to afford an unexpected expense, such as a medical bill totaling $1,000. (Source: NPR’s “Shots,” 5/21)
ARC’s Chartbook a Data Destination for Appalachia
What percentage of homes in West Virginia are owner-occupied? What percent of households in Appalachian Pennsylvania have access to a vehicle? How many households in Appalachian Tennessee have a computer or laptop? What is the labor participation rate in Appalachian South Carolina?
These are only a few of the more than 300,000 data points offered in the The Appalachian Region: A Data Overview from the 2013–2017 American Community Survey, also known as The Chartbook, which was released this week. Drawing from the American Community Survey and comparable Census Population Estimates, The Chartbook offers statistics on demographics, income, employment, as well as education, computer access, housing, and transportation and other indicators—all presented at the regional, subregional, state, and county level with comparisons to the rest of the nation. The Chartbook also examines data change over recent years to show trends. For instance, Appalachia’s median household income is now 83% of the U.S. rate, up from 80% between 2012-2016, and all diploma and degree rates – including high school, associate’s degree, and bachelor’s degrees – are rising across the Region.
“These patterns suggest that the pace of economic recovery since the Great Recession has varied across the Region, but the counties that saw increases in median household income are also those with higher levels of education and labor force participation, and lower levels of unemployment,” said report coauthor Linda A. Jacobsen, Population Reference Bureau’s vice president for U.S. Programs who helped spearhead the project on behalf of ARC.
Virtual Training for Trauma-Informed Care
Virtual Training for Trauma-Informed Care. The Office on Women’s Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services offers free online courses with continuing education credits to help providers integrate the principles of trauma-informed care into clinical practice. The course work is informed by research findings demonstrating that exposure to traumatic events, particularly in childhood, is highly prevalent in our society. A recent report from the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services examined the long-term health effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences for rural, tribal and other at-risk populations.
CMS Finalizes Medicare Prescription Drug Pricing Rule
CMS Finalizes Medicare Prescription Drug Pricing Rule. Last week, CMS finalized a rule that will improve the transparency of prescription drug costs in Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage health plans and lower beneficiary out-of-pocket costs. For example, beginning in 2021, the Explanation of Benefits that Part D plans send members must display drug price increases as well as lower cost therapeutic alternatives. In addition, beginning in 2020, Part D sponsors cannot prohibit or penalize a pharmacy from disclosing a lower cash price to an enrollee. About 70 percent of rural Medicare beneficiaries had prescription drug coverage in 2017, mostly through stand-alone Part D plans as opposed to Medicare Advantage plans.
Hardship Exclusion for Medicare Interoperability Announced
Hardship Exclusion for Medicare Interoperability – July 1. Beginning in 2019, all eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals, dual-eligible hospitals, and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) are required to use 2015 edition certified electronic health record technology (CEHRT) to meet the requirements of the Promoting Interoperability (PI) Programs. Eligible hospitals and CAHs may be exempted from the Medicare downward payment adjustment if they can show that compliance with the requirements would result in a significant hardship. Hardship exceptions are valid for only one payment adjustment year, so hospitals must submit an exclusion application each year. The deadline to submit an application is July 1, 2019 for eligible hospitals and November 30, 2019 for CAHs.
CDC Announces Opioid Rapid Response Teams
CDC Opioid Rapid Response Teams. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working with the U.S. Public Health Service Commission Corps to support state and local agencies when there is a spike in opioid-related overdoses or closure of a clinic where patients are prescribed opioid therapy. The Opioid Rapid Response Teams (ORRTs) include technical expertise in epidemiology, clinical provider outreach, and community outreach, providing short term (28 days) support to public health partners, while also working to build a jurisdiction’s long-term response capacity.
2018 Sub-County Population Estimates
Estimates of the population for sub-county geographies (municipalities) as of July 1, 2018 have been today by the U.S. Census Bureau. A look at Pennsylvania’s cities shows that Philadelphia had the highest numeric increase since 2010, adding over 58,000 persons. Erie had the highest numeric decrease, losing over 5,000 persons during the same time.
How did other cities fare? And how did Pennsylvania’s boroughs and townships hold up? Click here to read the full brief.
The Best, and Worst, States for Health Care
U.S. News & World Report last week released its state health care rankings, which are based on measures of states’ access to care, health care quality, and public health. Hawaii topped the list as the best state for health care, while Mississippi ranked last. (Source: Becker’s Hospital Review.
The Struggle To Hire And Keep Doctors In Rural Areas Means Patients Go Without Care
Heard on NPR All Things Considered
Taylor Walker is wiping down tables after the lunch rush at the Bunkhouse Bar and Grill in remote Arthur, Nebraska, a tiny dot of a town ringed by cattle ranches.
The 25-year-old has her young son in tow, and she is expecting another baby in August.
“I was just having some terrible pain with this pregnancy and I couldn’t get in with my doctor,” she says.
Visiting her obstetrician in North Platte is a four-hour, round-trip endeavor that usually means missing a day of work. She arrived to a recent visit only to learn that another doctor was on call and hers wasn’t available.
“So then we had to make three trips down there just to get into my regular doctor,” Walker says.
This inconvenience is part of life in Arthur County, a 700-square-mile slice of western Nebraska prairie that’s home to only 465 people. According to census figures, it’s the fifth least-populated county in the nation.