- 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
- HRSA Announces Action to Lower Out-of-Pocket Costs for Life-Saving Medications at Health Centers Nationwide
- Public Inspection: HHS: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Marketplace Integrity and Affordability
- Increased Risk of Cyber Threats Against Healthcare and Public Health Sector
- Eight Hospitals Selected for First Cohort of Rural Hospital Stabilization Program
- Announcing the 2030 Census Disclosure Avoidance Research 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
- CMS: Medicare Program; Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities; Updates to the Quality Reporting Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2026
- CMS: Medicare Program; FY 2026 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements
- Public Inspection: CMS: Medicare Program: Fiscal Year 2026 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements
Reducing Sugar-Sweetened and Acidic Beverage Consumption: Pilot Project
The PA Coalition for Oral Health and the Pennsylvania Department of Health Oral Health Program are working together on a multimedia communications campaign for 11–17-year-olds on reducing sugar-sweetened and acidic beverage consumption in certain PA counties.
The project is multifaceted, consisting of a social media campaign, as well as print materials to be displayed in-office/in the waiting room, and an interactive demonstration. They are looking for clinics in Allegheny, Berks, Centre, Clarion, Crawford, Jefferson, Lancaster, or Lehigh counties that would be able to display the print materials and conduct the interactive demonstration at one community event this spring. If spacing is an issue, the sugar-sweetened beverage materials and acid materials can be displayed separately.
The PA Coalition for Oral Health are asking that materials be displayed from March 3, 2025- May 30, 2025, and that during at least one community event during that time, you complete the acid interactive demonstration. All materials will be mailed to you free of charge and are yours to keep at the end of the campaign. The materials that would be displayed in your office/waiting room are:
- One 40×29 tri-fold display board on sugar-sweetened beverages
- One 8.5×11 poster (with built-in easel) on acidity in drinks
- A stack of rack-card sized flyers on acidity in drinks
- A stack of 8.5×11 flyers: Tips for Healthy Sips
- A stack of 8.5×11 flyers: What Should Kids Drink
- A stack of 8.5×11 flyers: A Student Guide to Sugary Drinks
Please email Lia BenYishay by Wednesday, Feb.26, 2025 if you’re interested or if you have any follow-up questions.
100 Top Critical Access Hospitals Listed, By State
The Chartis Center for Rural Health released its annual list of the top 100 critical access hospitals in the U.S. on February 12.
To determine the 2025 list, the firm used the Chartis Rural Hospital Performance INDEX, which assesses performance in inpatient market share, outpatient market share, quality, outcomes, patient perspective, cost, charge and finance.
Here are the top 100 critical access hospitals in the U.S., listed by state:
Arkansas
- Mercy Hospital Paris
Colorado
- East Morgan County Hospital (Brush)
- Kit Carson County Memorial Hospital (Burlington)
- Mt. San Rafael Hospital (Trinidad)
- Rio Grande Hospital (Del Norte)
- Wray Community District Hospital
Florida
- Calhoun Liberty Hospital (Blountstown)
Iowa
- Cass Health (Atlantic)
- CHI Health Missouri Valley
- Clarke County Hospital (Osceola)
- Floyd Valley Healthcare (Le Mars)
- Greater Regional Medical Center (Creston)
- Grundy County Memorial Hospital (Grundy Center)
- Hancock County Memorial Hospital (Britt)
- Loring Hospital (Sac City)
- UnityPoint Health Jones Regional Medical Center (Anamosa)
- Van Diest Medical Center (Webster City)
- Washington County Hospital (Washington)
Idaho
- Shoshone Medical Center (Kellogg)
- St. Luke’s Wood River Medical Center (Ketchum)
Kansas
- Artesian Valley Health System (Meade)
- Clay County Medical Center (Clay Center)
- Community Memorial Healthcare (Marysville)
- Fredonia Regional Hospital
- Hodgeman County Health Center (Jetmore)
- Morris County Hospital (Council Grove)
- Nemaha Valley Community Hospital (Seneca)
- Patterson Health Center (Anthony)
- Rooks County Health Center (Plainville)
- Sabetha Community Hospital
Louisiana
- Ochsner St. Anne Hospital (Raceland)
Massachusetts
- Fairview Hospital (Great Barrington)
Maine
- Stephens Memorial Hospital (Norway)
Minnesota
- Avera Granite Falls Health Center
- CentraCare – Redwood Hospital (Redwood Falls)
- Kittson Healthcare (Hallock)
- Lake View Hospital (Two Harbors)
- Mayo Clinic Health System – St. James
- Mayo Clinic Health System – Waseca
- Meeker County Memorial Hospital (Litchfield)
- New Ulm Medical Center (New Ulm)
- Olivia Hospital & Clinic
- Pipestone County Medical Center & Family Clinic Avera (Pipestone)
- Riverwood Healthcare Center (Aitkin)
Missouri
- Carroll County Memorial Hospital (Carrollton)
- Community Hospital Fairfax
- Cox Barton County Hospital (Lamar)
- Pike County Memorial Hospital (Louisiana)
Montana
- Barrett Hospital & HealthCare (Dillon)
- Bitterroot Health – Daly Hospital (Hamilton)
- Central Montana Medical Center (Lewistown)
- Community Hospital of Anaconda
North Dakota
- CHI Mercy Health of Valley City
- CHI St. Alexius Health Carrington Medical Center
- Jamestown Regional Medical Center
- Langdon Prairie Health
- Sanford Mayville Medical Center
- South Central Health (Wishek)
- Towner County Medical Center (Cando)
Nebraska
- Antelope Memorial Hospital (Neligh)
- Avera St. Anthony’s Hospital (O’Neill)
- Beatrice Community Hospital & Health Center
- Boone County Health Center (Albion)
- Brodstone Healthcare (Superior)
- CHI Health St. Mary’s (Nebraska City)
- Community Medical Center (Falls City)
- Crete Area Medical Center
- Howard County Medical Center (Saint Paul)
- Jefferson Community Health & Life (Fairbury)
- Johnson County Hospital (Tecumseh)
- Melham Medical Center (Broken Bow)
- Memorial Health Care Systems (Seward)
- Phelps Memorial Health Center (Holdrege)
- Thayer County Health Services (Hebron)
Oklahoma
- Mercy Hospital Watonga
Oregon
- Grande Ronde Hospital
- St. Charles Prineville
South Dakota
- Avera Hand County Memorial Hospital (Miller)
- Hans P. Peterson Memorial Hospital (Philip)
- Madison Regional Health
Texas
- Lavaca Medical Center (Hallettsville)
- Moore County Hospital District (Dumas)
- Olney Hamilton Hospital
- Reeves Regional Health (Pecos)
Utah
- Central Valley Medical Center (Nephi)
- Garfield Memorial Hospital (Panguitch)
Virginia
- Page Memorial Hospital (Luray)
Wisconsin
- Black River Memorial Hospital (Black River Falls)
- Mayo Clinic Health System – Red Cedar (Menomonie)
- Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County (Darlington)
- River Falls Area Hospital
- ThedaCare Medical Center – Shawano
- Upland Hills Health (Dodgeville)
- Western Wisconsin Health (Baldwin)
- Westfields Hospital & Clinic (New Richmond)
West Virginia
- Grant Memorial Hospital (Petersburg)
- Hampshire Memorial Hospital (Romney)
Wyoming
- North Big Horn Hospital (Lovell)
- Star Valley Health (Afton)
- Washakie Medical Center (Worland)
Updated CMS Payment for Medicare Part B Preventive Vaccines & Their Administration for Rural Health Clinics & Federally Qualified Health Centers
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released updated information on vaccine payment policies for Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). Effective January 1, 2025, CMS Hepatitis B vaccines are paid like other Part B preventive vaccines. New claim-based payments for Part B preventive vaccines and their administration are effective July 1, 2025. RHCs and FQHCs will need to annually reconcile payments with the facilities’ actual vaccine and vaccine administration costs on their cost reports. Get more information from CMS.gov.
HHS Poverty Guidelines for 2025
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services published the guidelines on household income that determine eligibility for Medicaid and a number of other Federal programs.
Health Clinics Grapple with US Funding Squeeze
President Donald Trump’s executive orders have begun to disrupt patient care in the United States, as some providers cannot access essential federal funding, according to interviews with a dozen healthcare providers and policy advocates. Facilities in Virginia and West Virginia told Reuters they were forced to shutter primary care clinics or lay off staff. Other community health clinics in California and Virginia said they received notices of termination for federal grants that support HIV prevention care. Source-Reuters
Medicaid Data Dashboard and Reports Released
With Medicaid and CHIP Enrollment at more than 79 million people nationally, data shows the wide range of services accessed by consumers ranging from preventative care to hospital stays and prescription drugs. Medicaid pays for half of all U.S. births and is the largest payer of long-term care and behavioral health services. Pennsylvania has over three million enrollees with more than 750,000 due to Medicaid expansion. Access the Department of Human Services Data Dashboard and Reports for more information.
Maternal Mortality Rates Fall, Except for Black Mothers
The CDC issued a report last week showing that the maternal mortality rates decreased between 2022 -2023 for White, Hispanic, and Asian women. However, the rates increased for Black mothers – a group whose pregnancy-related death rate was already more than three times the rate for mothers of other racial and ethnic groups.
Rural Provider Participation in Medicare ACOs Grows
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Shared Savings Program Fast Facts updates data on provider and beneficiary participation in an accountable care organization (ACO). An ACO is a group of healthcare providers that work together to coordinate care for Medicare patients. As of January 2025, 53.4% of beneficiaries in Traditional Medicare are enrolled in an accountable care relationship with a provider participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (Innovation Center) accountable care models. In MSSP, the number of rural and safety net providers has grown since last year. There are now 2,872 Rural Health Clinics, 547 Critical Access Hospitals, and 7,036 Federally Qualified Health Centers participating.
Tom Engels Sworn in as the (Returning) HRSA Administrator
This week, Tom Engels was sworn in as the HRSA Administrator, returning to a role he held from April 2019 to January 2021. Mr. Engels is originally from Wisconsin, where he began his political career as Governor Tommy Thompson’s Deputy Press Secretary and eventually served as the Deputy Secretary for the Department of Health Services. During his first term at HRSA, his tasks included overseeing the roll-out of the Provider Relief Fund created in response to the COVID pandemic, and he demonstrated an understanding of and appreciation for HRSA programs and staff, including support of Community Health Centers.
Workforce Innovation Act Re-Introduced in Pennsylvania
On Feb.5, Representatives Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) and Angie Craig (D- MN) introduced the Health Care Workforce Innovation Act of 2025 (H.R. 935). Similar to the legislation Representative Craig authored last year, the bill aims to expand the workforce pipeline for local health care providers particularly CHCs. It creates a new HRSA grant program for this purpose but provides no funding for grants. Here are press releases from Representatives Garbarino and Craig.