- 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
- Rural Communities Face Primary Care Physician Shortage
- Rural Jails Turn to Community Health Workers To Help the Newly Released Succeed
- Biden-Harris Administration Takes Historic Action to Increase Access to Quality Care, and Support to Families and Care Workers
- Biden Administration Sets Higher Staffing Mandates. Most Nursing Homes Don't Meet Them.
- Miles for Milk: How Student-Run Grocery Store Reshaped Rural Community's Food Access
- Native Americans Have Shorter Life Spans, and It's Not Just Due to Lack of Health Care
- Using Medicaid to Address Young People's Mental Health Needs in School Settings
- Across the Country, Amish Populations Are on the Rise
- Promotoras Play Essential Role in Connecting Farmworkers with Health Care in Rural NorCal
- Sunsets, Wildlife and Limited Care: Challenges of Aging in Place in Rural America
GAO Report on Federal Response to the Pandemic
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) researches Federal government operations and reports fact-based, non-partisan information. Over the last year, the GAO made 44 specific recommendations for an effective federal response to COVID-19 and provides and update on progress in this report. Information specific to rural areas, such as distributions from the Provider Relief Fund and special funding for telehealth, is detailed throughout.
We Can Do This: COVID-19 Public Education Campaign
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services announced a national effort to help community partners promote COVID-19 vaccine confidence. The campaign includes educational materials targeted to specific audiences and seeks volunteers for the COVID-19 Community Corps.
Straight Talk About Rural Septic Systems
By Donna Kallner
Instagram has a “#septicsystem” hashtag with 15.4K posts. Okay, they’re not as glamorous as pictures of heritage breed chickens. But they remind us of a rural reality: We have to manage our own waste.
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New Infections Climb by 9% in Rural Counties While Number of Deaths Declines
By Tim Murphy and Tim Marema
Kentucky added 33 rural counties to the red-zone list last week. Michigan remains a trouble-spot in both rural and urban areas.
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What the American Rescue Plan Means for Child Poverty in Rural America
By Olivia Weeks
President Biden’s Covid-19 relief package is poised to bring a historic reduction in poverty rates, with nonmetro counties among the biggest beneficiaries.
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FCC Announces COVID-19 Telehealth Program Second Round of Funding
The FCC has announced a second round of funding under the COVID-19 Telehealth Program. An additional $250 million was made available under the recently enacted Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. This amount is larger than the original appropriation amount associated with the authorization of the Program in the 2019 CARES Act.
See a discussion of the new funding round here.
Note that in the Appropriations Act Congress required the FCC to target COVID-19 impact areas in a more systematic manner. The FCC has responded in two ways. It has established a set of funding priorities. See Pages 18 et seq of this document and see this document: FCC Telehealth Evaluation Metrics
Note the emphasis on health safety net facilities including CAHs. Additional emphasis on COVID-19 Hotspots and Sustained Hotspots. These are defined on this slide: CDC Hotspot Definition
The FCC will also be holding all applications for a single review rather than assessing applications as they are received. This should provide an equitable review for applicants with fewer resources unable to rapidly prepare a submission. The application window will be announced by the end of April 2021 with a likely deadline date in June 2021.
Children Need to Catch Up on Recommended Vaccines for School
The Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases recently issued a letter, Help Kids’ Safe Return to School – Get Caught Up on Recommended Vaccines. It asks for help getting children caught up on routine vaccines missed over the last year due to COVID-19. It categorizes specific catch-up efforts that can be undertaken by healthcare systems and healthcare providers, healthcare provider organizations, schools, and state and local government agencies. Other resources of interest on the topic include:
- CDC’s Catch-up Immunization Schedule for Persons Aged 4 Months–18 Years Who Start Late or Who Are More than 1 Month Behind, United States, 2021 gateway page
- IAC’s Repository of Resources for Maintaining Immunization During the COVID-19 Pandemic gateway page
The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) has also revised its one-page reference table Administering Vaccines: Dose, Route, Site, and Needle Size by adding the COVID-19 vaccines by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson).
Pennsylvania Extends License Renewal Deadline for State Board of Medicine
Due to licensees having difficulty meeting the March 31 deadline, Gov. Tom Wolf has granted the Department of State’s request for an additional 30 days to renew for all licensees under the Board of Medicine. This applies to a license that was set to expire on Dec. 31, 2020, that has not yet been renewed. The deadline is now April 30, 2021. Renewal fees were waived by the Board of Medicine due to a funding surplus, but all licensees are required to complete their renewal to retain their license. This will be the final extension for these licensees under the State Board of Medicine. Read more about the license renewal deadline extension.
New Report on FQHCs and Vaccine Equity
A new report by Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) responds to the question of whether health centers are facilitating equitable access to COVID-19 vaccinations based on data from the HRSA Weekly Health Center COVID-19 Survey. The report finds that:
- Just over half (54%) of people who received their first dose of the vaccine from FQHCs were people of color, including 26% who were Hispanic and 12% who were Black.
- Health centers appear to be vaccinating people of color at similar or higher rates than their shares of the total population, but data suggest there remain opportunities for health centers to reach more of their patients of color.
It’s important to note that the report analyzes data from Jan. 8 through Feb. 6, largely before the start of the HRSA FQHC Vaccine Program that has made vaccine supply more available and predictable for participating health centers. The program has opened opportunities for better planning, outreach and partnership to better reach underserved populations. Read more.
How Does Reimbursement for the COVID-19 Vaccine Work?
COVID-19 vaccine is provided at 100% no cost to the vaccine recipient. COVID-19 vaccination providers cannot charge vaccine recipients for the vaccine (which is provided free by the U.S. government to enrolled providers) or charge recipients any administration fees, copays, or co-insurance. COVID-19 vaccination providers cannot deny vaccination to anyone who does not have health coverage, is underinsured, or is out of network. If a vaccine recipient has health coverage, providers may seek appropriate reimbursement from the recipient’s plan or program (e.g., private health insurance, Medicare, Medicaid) for a vaccine administration fee. However, providers cannot balance bill the recipient. Providers may also seek reimbursement for uninsured vaccine recipients from the Health Resources and Services Administration’s COVID-19 Uninsured Program. COVID-19 vaccination providers cannot charge an office visit or other fee to the recipient if the only service provided is a COVID-19 vaccination. Additional healthcare services can be provided at the same time and billed as appropriate. However, providers cannot require additional services in order for a person to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.