- Rural Children Struggle to Access Hospital Services, Say Researchers
- Outlining the Intersection between Health Care and Missing and Murdered Indigenous People
- Biden-Harris Administration Announces Critical More Than $1.5 Billion State and Tribal Opioid Response Funding Opportunities
- RPHARM Program Fulfills Need for Rural Pharmacists
- Farmers Don't Do Mental Health
- A Pilot Program in Rural Vermont Hopes to Build a Blueprint for Substance Abuse Recovery
- Rural Telehealth Extension Reintroduced in Congress
- Students From Across the State Emphasized the Need for Mental Health Resources in Rural Alaska During a Conference
- The South Was the Center of Rural Population Growth Last Year
- How HHS SUD Confidentiality Regulations Will Impact Rural Providers
- VA Announces Expansion of "Close to Me" Cancer Program as Part of the Cancer Moonshot, Bringing Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Closer to Thousands of Veterans
- Navajo Psychiatrist Bridges Gaps Between Native American Culture and Behavioral Health Care
- Biden-Harris Administration Releases National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and First-Ever Federal Action Plan
- Biden Administration Sets Higher Staffing Mandates. Most Nursing Homes Don't Meet Them.
- Rural Communities Face Primary Care Physician Shortage
Pennsylvania’s Health Department Offers Training with CE Credits to Tackle Overdose Epidemic
The Shapiro Administration recently added new tools to help health care providers and public safety professionals across the commonwealth battle the overdose and opioid crisis. The PA Department of Health launched new training opportunities to help prevent unintentional drug overdoses. These online courses are offered at no cost and include continuing education credits for healthcare providers that may also meet various licensing requirements. You can find these trainings, resources and more information on DOH’s website for healthcare providers and public safety professionals. Learn more.
Pennsylvania Among Nine States Chosen to Improve Health Equity in Medicaid
The PA Department of Human Services will join select fellow Medicaid agencies from across the country seeking to address member health-related social needs in a new initiative. The Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) announced selection of nine states to join the Medicaid Health-Related Social Needs Implementation Learning Series. This peer learning series will assist the selected states — California, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Wisconsin — in developing, implementing, or refining health-related social need (HRSN) initiatives for Medicaid populations. The focus of the 12-month learning series will be on practical, on-the-ground implementation efforts that promote health equity and are informed by community member perspectives. Lessons learned will be shared broadly with stakeholders across the country.
USDA Accepting Applications for ReConnect Program
Fifth Round Makes $700 Million Available to Bring Affordable High-Speed
Internet to Rural and Tribal Communities
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Under Secretary Dr. Basil Gooden announced USDA is accepting applications until May 21, 2024, for funding under the ReConnect Program.
This is the fifth round of funding under the program, which provides loans and grants to bring high-speed internet to the most remote and difficult-to-serve rural and Tribal communities in America.
A total of $700 million is available under four funding categories:
- Up to $200 million is available for loans.
- Up to $200 million is available for loan/grant combinations.
- Up to $150 million is available for grants.
- Up to $150 million is available for grants serving Alaska Native corporations, Tribal
governments, colonias, persistent poverty areas and socially vulnerable communities.
Read full announcement.
OB Services: A leading Money Loser for Hospitals
From Becker’s Hospital CFO Report
Obstetrics and delivery services are one of the leading money losers of all hospital services, and a growing number of rural hospitals are closing obstetric departments to protect the financial viability of the overall enterprise, according to a recent analysis by Kaufman Hall.
About 40% of rural hospitals are losing money on obstetrics programs, according to a recent study conducted by the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center. Many obstetrics programs hemorrhage money, and they are generally among the first services that financially struggling or low-volume rural hospitals cut.
Several hospitals scaled back or eliminated labor and delivery services last year, and Becker’s has reported on 15 hospitals that have cut these services so far in 2024.
Ultimately, it’s a money problem. Rising costs and staffing shortages have hit rural hospitals particularly hard, but low Medicaid reimbursement is the biggest challenge for obstetrics departments.
“This is especially detrimental in rural areas where a higher number of births are covered by Medicaid,” Eric Fish, MD, president and CEO of Schneck Medical Center, in Seymour, Ind., told Becker’s. “In Indiana, over half of babies born on an annual basis are covered by Medicaid, which pays 57 cents on the dollar of the cost of providing care. This means hospitals, specifically in rural areas, are experiencing significant financial losses. Increasing Medicaid reimbursement is imperative to keep these services open and to preserve access in the future.”
Medicaid reimbursement rates set by states do not cover the full cost of providing obstetric services. This translates to financial losses for hospitals providing these services in rural areas, where a higher proportion of births are covered by Medicaid.
Given that Medicaid funds 50% of deliveries in rural areas, hospitals would receive significant financial respite from improved Medicaid reimbursement for these services.
“To help cover the losses associated with obstetrics, perhaps rural hospitals offering obstetrics could qualify for a special exception through Medicaid with an add-on payment program or an annual lump-sum payment, similar to [prospective payment system] hospitals that have received disproportionate numbers of low-income patients, based on the hospital’s disproportionate OB patient percentage,” Brett Altman, DPT, CEO of Atlantic, Iowa-based Cass Health, told Becker’s.
The other challenge, particularly in rural America, is the lack of staff and expertise when it comes to obstetrics nurses and physicians.
“We have spent upwards of $3 million annually for traveling obstetric nurses to keep our unit staffed 24/7/365, but it is the right thing to do for southwest Iowans in order to decrease the excessive mileage required to reach the nearest obstetrics unit,” Dr. Altman said. “Low volume obstetrics is not profitable and is one of the key drivers for why so many obstetric units have closed in rural areas as these hospitals hit financial headwinds in addition to concerns of competency.”
Disability Advocacy Network Releases Local Master Plan for Aging
A report from the nonprofit Diversability Advocacy Network summarizes findings from a needs assessment for older adults and people with disabilities. Each of these counties, located in central California, has a significant portion that is rural, a poverty rate above 17 percent, and a demographic mix that includes Tribal, Asian, Hispanic, and Black communities.
American Farm Bureau Presents Farm State of Mind Campaign
The American Farm Bureau created a national resource directory with on-demand training, research, helpful tips, and opioid-related information for farm and ranch families. According to the National Rural Health Association, farmers are 3.5 times more likely to die by suicide than the general population.
Telehealth in Action: Digital Navigators Connect Patients to Care
Digital navigators teach people how to use telehealth and technology. Learn about how one of the HRSA-funded Telehealth Resource Centers created a class for digital navigators to help connect patients to care.
Information Session Offered on CMS Interoperability and Prior Authorization Final Rule
Tuesday, March 26 at 1:00 pm Eastern
In January, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a final rule to enhance access to health information and streamline prior authorization processes for medical items and services. CMS’s Office of Burden Reduction & Health Informatics is hosting an online session to educate patients, providers, and administrative, health IT, and government affairs professionals about the provisions in final rule and how it builds on current CMS interoperability policies. Questions can be submitted beforehand via the registration form. If you register and receive a message that the event is full, you will receive an email after the event with a link to both a recording and transcript of the presentation. The use of various electronic exchange methods among hospitals and physicians has increased in recent years, but use among small and rural hospitals is lower than that of other hospitals. Please reach out to CMSInteroperability@cms.hhs.gov with questions.
36 Rural Hospitals Have Closed Since 2020
From Becker’s Hospital CFO Report
Jellico (Tenn.) Regional Hospital, a 25-bed critical access facility, closed March 9, making it the 36th rural hospital to shutter or no longer provide inpatient services since 2020, according to data compiled by the University of North Carolina’s Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research.
The closures highlight the heightened financial challenges that rural hospitals face amid persisting workforce shortages, rising costs and leveling reimbursement. In addition, only 45% of rural hospitals now offer labor and delivery services, and in 10 states, less than 33% do, according to the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform.
Below are the 36 rural hospitals that closed since 2020, beginning with the most recent.
Editor’s note: Facilities with an asterisk (*) signify converted closures (facilities that no longer provide inpatient services, but continue to provide some services, such as primary care, skilled nursing care or long-term care).
- Jellico (Tenn.) Regional Hospital
- St. Mark’s Medical Center (La Grange, Texas)
- Herington (Kan.) Hospital
- Spectrum Health Kelsey Hospital (Lakeview, Mich.)
- Indiana University Health Blackford Hospital (Hartford City, Ind.)*
- Martin General Hospital (Williamston, N.C.)
- Patients Choice Medical Center of Smith County (Raleigh, Miss.)
- St. Margaret’s Health-Spring Valley (Ill.)
- UPMC Lock Haven (Pa.)*
- St. Margaret’s Health-Peru (Ill.) (OSF Healthcare expected to reopen the hospital this spring)
- Ascension St. Vincent Dunn (Bedford, Ind.)
- Blessing Health Keokuk (Iowa)
- Audrain Community Hospital (Mexico, Mo.)
- Callaway Community Hospital (Fulton, Mo.)
- Acoma-Canoncito-Laguna Service Unit (Acoma, N.M.)*
- Galesburg (Ill.) Cottage Hospital*
- MercyOne Oakland Medical Center (Oakland, Neb.)*
- Community HealthCare System-St. Marys (Kan.)*
- Perry Community Hospital (Linden, Tenn.)
- Northridge Medical Center (Commerce, Ga.)*
- Southwest Georgia Regional Medical Center (Cuthbert, Ga.)
- Shands Lake Shore Regional Medical Center (Lake City, Fla.)
- Cumberland River Hospital (Celina, Tenn.)
- Bluefield (W.Va.) Regional Medical Center*
- Saint Luke’s Cushing Hospital (Leavenworth, Kan.)*
- Shands Live Oak (Fla.) Regional Medical Center*
- Shands Starke (Fla.) Regional Medical Center*
- Williamson (W.V.a) Memorial Hospital*
- Decatur County General Hospital (Parsons, Tenn.)
- Sumner Community Hospital (Wellington, Kan.)
- Edward W. McCready Memorial Hospital (Crisfield, Md.)*
- Mayo Clinic Health System-Springfield (Minn.)*
- Central Hospital of Bowie (Texas)*
- UPMC Susquehanna Sunbury (Pa.)*
- Mountain View Regional Hospital (Norton, Va.)*
- Pinnacle Regional Hospital (Boonville, Mo.)
Report to Congress from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission Evaluating FFS Payments
A report to Congress from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) evaluates Medicare’s fee-for-service payments to providers, the Medicare Advantage and the Part D Prescription Drug Program, special needs plans for beneficiaries who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, and the new Rural Emergency Hospital provider designation.