Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released information on billing Medicare for Advanced Primary Care Management (APCM). ACPM services combine elements of several existing care management and communication technology-based services you may have already been billing for patients. Starting January 1, 2025, providers may use a new payment bundle that reflects the essential elements of advanced primary care.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updated their Fact Sheet on Rural Emergency Hospitals (REHs) to include new information on Indian Health Service REHs and 2025 payment information.  Congress created REHs to preserve access to emergency and outpatient services in rural areas.  FORHP funds the Rural Health Redesign Center to provide 1:1 technical assistance to help hospitals and communities make informed decisions about converting to this model of care.

– Researchers from the HRSA-funded Rural Residency Planning and Development Technical Assistance Center studied the effects of specific hospital classifications on Medicare GME payments. In this simulation study, the authors found that that median opportunity cost per resident was around $70,000 and $65,000 for SCHs and MDHs, respectively. This study demonstrates the significant financial barriers that SCHs and MDHs face in participating in GME program, under the current reimbursement method. The paper concludes that policy adjustments addressing the barrier may incentivize rural facilities to launch or participate in GME, which may help lessen the geographic maldistribution of physicians.

The HRSA-supported National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers provides an overview of artificial intelligence (AI), applications of AI, and how AI can be used in health care.

Using online survey data from 1,146 pharmacists, researchers examine their perceptions about drug use, drug screening, interventions, and the commitment and readiness to address opioid use disorder and drug use disorder in their patients.  The research includes breakdowns of pharmacist demographics as well as rurality of pharmacy locations.  Pharmacists who were White, practiced at a rural location, worked at a chain pharmacy, had not received opioid-related training in the past year, or practiced screening patients for opioid use had elevated odds of perceiving concerns about opioid use problems in their practice settings.  Having practiced pharmacy services for less time, and having received training for OUD-related preventive services within the last year, were associated with increased levels of commitment/readiness for providing care to patients with drug use problems.

– Respond by January 10. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is seeking people with lived or living experience (PWLLE) with drug use to participate in a working group to the National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse. The working group will advise on how to better engage PWLLE with drug use in NIDA-funded research. The working group will also help create standards to guide researchers in engaging this population. This is an opportunity to ensure that the rural voice of PWLLE is represented in substance use disorder research.

– Comment by January 13.  The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced its intention to eliminate copayments for all VA telehealth services and establish a telehealth grant program to fund designated VA telehealth access points in non-VA facilities, with a focus on rural and medically underserved communities, where approximately 4.4 million veterans reside. VA officially published the proposed Telehealth Grant Program rulemaking in the VA Federal Register on November 13. The Federal Register 60-day public comment period will remain open through January 13.

– The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) is pleased to support the Rural Hospital Stabilization Program (RHSP), a new initiative designed to assist rural hospitals in improving their financial stability and meeting community health care needs. Administered by FORHP through a grant to the National Rural Health Resource Center, this program offers no-cost assistance to rural hospitals to enhance or expand health care services such as pulmonary rehabilitation, outpatient behavioral health services, and primary care, ensuring care remains accessible close to home. To learn more about RHSP, join the introductory webinar next week.

In the United States, access to maternity care in rural counties continues to decline. Last week, JAMA Network published a research article from the FORHP-funded University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center showing that rural counties with no hospital-based obstetric services increased from 54 percent of rural counties in 2014 to almost 59 percent in 2022. The study authors discussed their findings in a recent Gateway webinar – Access to Maternity Care in Rural U.S. Communities. The presentation described disparities in maternal health outcomes for rural populations, the growing scarcity of obstetric care, and the far-reaching consequences of obstetric unit closures.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides a recording of their webinar highlighting tools and resources related to rural health, accomplishments, and future plans. Discusses the USDA Rural Health Program Index Tool, the Rural Development Innovation Center, the USDA Rural Health website, and the Rural Data Gateway.