– Apply by March 1.  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is conducting a new solicitation to select 10 hospitals to participate in the Rural Community Hospital Demonstration. This demonstration tests the feasibility and advisability of paying rural hospitals with fewer than 51 beds and that are not eligible to be Critical Access Hospitals cost-based reimbursement for Medicare inpatient services. Per statute, CMS can only accept applications from hospitals in the 20 least densely populated States, according to data for 2020 from the U.S. Census Bureau: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, and Wyoming. The demonstration began in 2004 and has been extended three times. The current 5-year period of participation ends June 30, 2028. Hospitals currently participating in the demonstration do not need to complete a new application.  If you have questions about the demonstration, please email RCHDemo@cms.hhs.gov.

While H5N1 bird flu is caused by viruses that most commonly affect birds and poultry, they can also affect cows and other animals.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) keeps most recent information at cdc.gov/bird-flu, including a series of brief videos – each 30-45 seconds – with answers to frequently asked questions.  See Resources of the Week below for related information.

In this brief, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) examines trends in Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) telehealth utilization before and during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE). Specifically, it describes patterns of telehealth service utilization based on where enrollees and providers live and work, highlighting trends for rural and urban enrollees, and telehealth utilization in geographic health professional shortage areas (HPSAs). It concludes that the use of telehealth in the Medicaid and CHIP programs warrants continued examination in both urban and rural areas. Medicaid and CHIP are important sources of insurance coverage in rural areas covering 47 percent of children and 18 percent of adults in rural counties.

The SCAN Foundation offers 10 steps for developing a master plan for aging with rural focus, covering leadership development, community engagement, implementation planning, evaluation, and sustainability. Highlights rural-specific challenges for aging in rural communities.

– Thursday, January 30 at 2:00 pm Eastern. Subject matter experts from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will present highlights of policy updates from the Calendar Year 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule final rule in a webinar produced by the Rural Health Information Hub.  Covered topics will include: general care management, Advanced Primary Care Management, telehealth, policy updates for Rural Health Clinics and Federally Qualified Health Centers, behavioral health, dental services, and more. The webinar is free, and you must register to attend.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a Medicare Learning Network (MLN) summary for Calendar Year 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule final rule. Specifically, this MLN provides updates on changes that apply to services provided in 2025 including, telehealth, caregiver training, therapy, cardiovascular risk assessment and management, evaluation and management, behavioral health, Advanced Primary Care Management, global surgery payment, and dental and oral health.

Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released information on billing Medicare for Advanced Primary Care Management (APCM). ACPM services combine elements of several existing care management and communication technology-based services you may have already been billing for patients. Starting January 1, 2025, providers may use a new payment bundle that reflects the essential elements of advanced primary care.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updated their Fact Sheet on Rural Emergency Hospitals (REHs) to include new information on Indian Health Service REHs and 2025 payment information.  Congress created REHs to preserve access to emergency and outpatient services in rural areas.  FORHP funds the Rural Health Redesign Center to provide 1:1 technical assistance to help hospitals and communities make informed decisions about converting to this model of care.

– Researchers from the HRSA-funded Rural Residency Planning and Development Technical Assistance Center studied the effects of specific hospital classifications on Medicare GME payments. In this simulation study, the authors found that that median opportunity cost per resident was around $70,000 and $65,000 for SCHs and MDHs, respectively. This study demonstrates the significant financial barriers that SCHs and MDHs face in participating in GME program, under the current reimbursement method. The paper concludes that policy adjustments addressing the barrier may incentivize rural facilities to launch or participate in GME, which may help lessen the geographic maldistribution of physicians.

The HRSA-supported National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers provides an overview of artificial intelligence (AI), applications of AI, and how AI can be used in health care.