Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) Secretary Dr. Latika Davis-Jones met with recipients of DDAP’s substance use disorder (SUD) student loan repayment program during a roundtable discussion at Dauphin County Drug & Alcohol Services. Through the program, DDAP provides student loan repayment as an incentive to retain SUD practitioners, administrators, and supervisors who commit to continuing to provide services within Pennsylvania. In this latest round of funding, DDAP is awarding $22 million to assist approximately 400 practitioners within the SUD treatment, prevention, case management and recovery support services workforce. The program prioritizes SUD professionals who work in rural areas of the commonwealth that are experiencing SUD workforce shortages as well as those who provide SUD services in counties with underserved minority populations. Click here to learn more.

Pennsylvania’s multibillion-dollar surplus will soon be halved according to a projection by a state budget watchdog, the result of a long-running structural deficit combined with a growing list of obligations competing for public dollars. The commonwealth’s recent $47.6 billion budget increased spending by 6%, with more than $1 billion in new money going to public schools in response to a court ruling that found Pennsylvania underfunds poor districts. However, the state brought in just $44 billion in net revenue last fiscal year. So, to afford the spending plan, lawmakers are reaching into the state’s sizable cash reserves, which sat at roughly $13.6 billion as of June 30, according to the Independent Fiscal Office. Click here to learn more.

The latest feature from The Rural Monitor is about a community-wide task force in Kingsville, Texas that is raising awareness about the issue and expanding local services.

– Thursday, August 29 at 2:00 pm Eastern. The National Association of Rural Health Clinics (NARHC), in partnership with the Collaborative for Rural Graduate Medical Education Technical Assistance Centers, will host the free, FORHP-supported webinar. Rural Training Track medical students completing rural rotations were more than twice as likely to practice in rural areas than general family medicine graduates. RHCs can play a critical role in that training through their ability to serve as rotational sites for many different providers. This webinar will feature Pennsylvania Rural Health Clinic and Rural Residency Planning and Development grantee, St. Luke’s Miners who will discuss their experience with GME and RHC site rotations. Additional time for Q&A will be provided. Advanced registration is required.

– Thursday, August 15 at 2 pm Eastern. The National Association of Rural Health Clinics (NARHC) will host the free webinar with details on the recently released Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Calendar Year 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) proposed rule. This annual regulatory update contains Rural Health Clinic (RHC) specific proposals to eliminate productivity standards, remove hemoglobin/hematocrit from the six required lab services, reform care management billing, and allow RHCs to bill for administration of part B preventive vaccines at time of service, among other proposals. Additional time for Q&A will be provided. Advanced registration is required.

– Comment by October 8. This proposed rule aims to implement updates to the Health and Human Services Acquisition Regulation (HHSAR), to align with requirements established by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). Now the HHSAR and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act) applies to all solicitations and contracts, issued by Health and Human Services (HHS) entities. This involves implementing, acquiring, or upgrading health information technology (IT) used for the direct exchange of individually identifiable health information between agencies and non-Federal entities, or by health care providers, health plans, or health insurance issuers under HHS contracts. HHS has determined that the proposed requirements are inherent to successful performance on any relevant Federal contract.

– Comment by October 7.  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requests public input on the annual hourly burden for Critical Access Hospitals to collect and report data on obstetrical services, as proposed in the Outpatient Prospective Payment System Rule, and on acute respiratory illnesses, as finalized in the Inpatient Prospective Payment System Rule.  The new Conditions of Participation (CoPs) in these rules include multiple information collection requirements that are one-time burdens for developing new policies, protocols and ongoing reporting requirements, such as daily or biweekly reporting of respiratory illnesses as well as maternal deaths.  More information can be found in the rules and in the information collection supporting documentation.