- 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
- Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation of the Medicare Program (Executive Order 14192) - Request for Information
- Dr. Mehmet Oz Shares Vision for CMS
- CMS Refocuses on its Core Mission and Preserving the State-Federal Medicaid Partnership
- Social Factors Help Explain Worse Cardiovascular Health among Adults in Rural Vs. Urban Communities
- Reducing Barriers to Participation in Population-Based Total Cost of Care (PB-TCOC) Models and Supporting Primary and Specialty Care Transformation: Request for Input
- Secretary Kennedy Renews Public Health Emergency Declaration to Address National Opioid Crisis
- Secretary Kennedy Renews Public Health Emergency Declaration to Address National Opioid Crisis
- 2025 Marketplace Integrity and Affordability Proposed Rule
- Rural America Faces Growing Shortage of Eye Surgeons
- NRHA Continues Partnership to Advance Rural Oral Health
- Comments Requested on Mobile Crisis Team Services: An Implementation Toolkit Draft
- Q&A: What Are the Challenges and Opportunities of Small-Town Philanthropy?
More than 600 Pennsylvania Health Care Workers COVID-19 Positive
During the week of April 6, 2020, Pennsylvania Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine shared that, to date, 664 healthcare workers have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The commonwealth, as of Tuesday, had COVID-19 cases in all 67 counties, with more than 14,500 diagnosed cases, 1,665 of those in hospitals. To date, 240 people with the virus have died in Pennsylvania. According to Gov. Wolf, “We’re still growing at an alarming rate every single day.”
FCC Telehealth Funding – No, You Don’t Have to be Rural, Yes, You Need to be Prepared to Act Quickly
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) just approved an order to create a $200 million telehealth program to support healthcare providers responding to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic using funds appropriated as part of the CARES Act.
- The FCC published more information on how potential applicants can prepare to submit a grant application for up to $1 million to fund telehealth equipment and operations.
- The order addressed the requirements to obtain an eligibility determination from the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC); obtain an FCC Registration Number (FRN) and register with the System for Award Management.
- Please Note: While one of the required forms suggests that only rural providers are eligible for this funding opportunity, the FCC Order states in paragraph 16 that “the COVID-19 Telehealth Program will be open to eligible healthcare providers, whether located in rural or non-rural areas,” so non-rural providers should not be deterred from applying.
- Applications from healthcare providers will be accepted and processed on a rolling basis on a first come, first served basis as soon as application forms are published in the Federal Register.
FBI Background Checks in Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Department of Aging issued guidance on FBI background checks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Federal criminal background check sites have been identified as life-sustaining businesses and therefore may remain open to process FBI background checks, however, several of the fingerprint sites in Pennsylvania are closed. As provided in 35 P.S. § 10225.506, an applicant needing an FBI background check may be provisionally employed up to 90 days after applying for the criminal history report while waiting for the results of the FBI background check if specified conditions are met.
Pennsylvania Department of State Announces Additional Waived and Suspended Professional Licensing Regulations
Due to COVID-19, additional health care practitioners will be needed to treat ill Pennsylvanians. This need may extend beyond the capacity of the professionals currently licensed by Pennsylvania’s health-licensing boards. To increase the available number of practitioners, the PA Department of State requested a suspension from Gov. Wolf to several provisions that create barriers to temporary licensure. The Department announced the following suspensions and waivers this week:
- Additional Reactivation Requirements Suspension (applies to multiple Boards)
- Renewal Extension Speech-Language Pathologists & Audiologists
- Waiving Certain Requirements for Graduate Medical Trainees
Go to the Dept. of State website for a complete list of waived and suspended licensing regulations.
Pennsylvania Extending 2021 Open Enrollment Period
The Pennsylvania Health Insurance Exchange Authority Board voted to change the 2021 Marketplace Open Enrollment Period (OEP), moving away from the shortened 45-day OEP of previous years. The enrollment period will be Nov. 1, 2020 to Jan. 15, 2021, 30 days more than last year’s period. The Board was able to change the OEP due to Pennsylvania changing to a fully state-based marketplace for the 2021 enrollment period. This change allows the commonwealth to make changes to the enrollment period and other procedures like adding Special Enrollment Periods for the 2021 period. Board members agreed more time was needed for consumer enrollment as 2021 will be the first year since the beginning of the Affordable Care Act that Pennsylvania will be operating its own exchange.
Congress Begins Discussions on 4th Stimulus Plan, Additional Funding for Paycheck Protection Program
As Members of Congress continue to work through negotiations on the next phase of their COVID-19 response, Congressional leadership is identifying priorities for future packages. Senate Majority Leader McConnell announced on Tuesday that the Senate plans to consider additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program later this week. The Senate reconvened on Thursday, April 9, to discuss additional assistance for small businesses but further action stalled. On a recent press call, Speaker Pelosi mentioned plans to set aside $10 billion for Community Health Center funding in the fourth major COVID-19 package, expected to be passed when Congress returns from recess later this month. Click here to see an outline of the proposed “Phase 4” response.
Pennsylvania’s FY2019-20 General Fund Revenue Excess Is Gone
The near shutdown of the state’s economy has negatively impacted General Fund revenue collections to the tune of nearly $300 million. For March, the Revenue Department reported revenue collections were $294.6 million, or 6.2 percent below estimate, wiping out the little excess revenue the state’s General Fund had built up during the first eight months of the current fiscal year. A substantial part of what will likely be a multi-billion-dollar revenue shortfall before the fiscal year concludes. Initial reports indicate that the state legislature is considering passing a 6-month budget through Dec. 31, 2020. This would allow the legislature to return in the Fall to pass another budget for the remaining six months with a better understanding of the state’s financial status.
Pennsylvania Releases Teledentistry Guidelines Related to COVID19 for Dentists, FQHCs and RHCs
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) released teledentistry guidelines for dentists, FQHCs and RHCs. The guidance encourages the use of teledentistry when available. On March 26, 2020, the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) issued revised Guidance on COVID-19 for Dental Health Care Personnel in Pennsylvania, which directs facilities to cease all dental treatment except urgent and emergency procedures.
States Hit Hardest by COVID-19’s Impact on Tourism – WalletHub Study
With declining travel threatening to wipe out 5.9 million jobs by the end of April and the tourism industry greatly impacted by social distancing, WalletHub today released its report on the States Hit Hardest by COVID-19’s Impact on Tourism, along with accompanying videos.
To identify the states where tourism is most affected by COVID-19, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 10 key metrics. Our data set ranges from share of businesses in travel and tourism-related industries to travel spending per travel employee and presence of stay-at-home orders. Below, you can see highlights from WalletHub’s report and a Q&A with WalletHub analysts.
States with Most Impacted Tourism Industry |
States with Least Impacted Tourism Industry |
1. Hawaii | 42. North Dakota |
2. Montana | 43. South Dakota |
3. Nevada | 44. Mississippi |
4. Vermont | 45. Indiana |
5. Massachusetts | 46. Wisconsin |
6. Florida | 47. Alabama |
7. New Hampshire | 48. Nebraska |
8. District of Columbia | 49. Oklahoma |
9. New York | 50. Iowa |
10. California | 51. Arkansas |
Key Stats
- New York has the highest share of businesses in travel and tourism-related food industries, 12.19 percent, which is 1.8 times higher than in Utah, the lowest at 6.89 percent.
- Nevada has the highest share of employment in travel and tourism-related accommodations industries, 16.09 percent, which is 23 times higher than in Ohio, the lowest at 0.70 percent.
- The District of Columbia has the highest share of travel and tourism consumer spending, $19,869, which is 10.8 times higher than in Ohio, the state with the lowest at $1,847.
- Connecticut has the highest travel spending per travel employee, $168,811, which is 2.2 times higher than in Mississippi, the state with the lowest at $76,458.
- The District of Columbia has the highest default probability on loans of businesses in the travel and tourism-related accommodations industry, 3.85 percent, which is 1.8 times higher than in Alaska, the state with the lowest at 2.17 percent.
To view the full report and your state’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/states-hit-hardest-by-covid-impact-on-tourism/72974/
Federal Reserve Survey on Impact of COVID-19 on Communities
The Federal Reserve System is conducting a survey to understand and help inform how the COVID-19 crisis is affecting organizations that support community needs. Please take a moment to complete the survey today!