- 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: Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities; Updates to the Quality Reporting Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2026
- Public Inspection: CMS: Medicare Program: Fiscal Year 2026 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements
- CMS: Request for Information; Health Technology Ecosystem
- VA: Staff Sergeant Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program Funding Opportunity
- State: 60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: J-1 Visa Waiver Recommendation Application
- Public Inspection: CMS: Request for Information: Health Technology Ecosystem
- HHS: Request for Information (RFI): Ensuring Lawful Regulation and Unleashing Innovation To Make American Healthy Again
- VA: Solicitation of Nominations for the Appointment to the Advisory Committee on Tribal and Indian Affairs
- GAO Seeks New Members for Tribal and Indigenous Advisory Council
- VA: Staff Sergeant Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program Funding Opportunity
- 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
Medicaid and CHIP Transition Planning Tool
This tool from CMS is a resource to assist states and territories in their planning efforts to restore regular Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) operations after the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE).
Application for CMS Innovation Center Geographic Direct Contracting Model – April 2
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center released the Request for Applications (RFA) for the new Geographic Direct Contracting Model, which will test if using a geographic-based approach to care improves quality and reduces costs. The RFA specifies the regions targeted for the model and that Direct Contracting Entities may contract with Critical Access Hospitals, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and Rural Health Clinics as Preferred Providers.
RAND: Evidence-Based Recommendations for Transforming the U.S. Mental Health System
The RAND Corporation is a non-partisan, nonprofit organization that researches and analyzes public policy. In this report, RAND makes frequent reference to rural needs among 15 policy recommendations for reimbursement, workforce development, and telehealth services, among other topics.
HHS: Viral Hepatitis National Strategic Plan
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) reports that, despite effective vaccines and treatment, “the nation faces unprecedented hepatitis A outbreaks, progress on preventing hepatitis B has stalled, and hepatitis C rates nearly tripled from 2011 to 2018.” The report identifies higher rates of substance use disorder, injection drug use, and homelessness as factors in the increase.
CDC Toolkit for Communicating About COVID-19 Vaccines
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) present this toolkit and include key messages, answers to frequently asked questions, and posters and fliers to encourage community members to get vaccinated.
Barriers to Health Care Access for Rural Medicare Beneficiaries
This policy brief from the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center presents findings from an online survey of rural health clinics describing barriers for Medicare patients in accessing healthcare services, and recommendations for how to improve access to care.
ACF Report on Child Maltreatment
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) reports on rates of children who are victims of neglect or abuse using data collected from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System. In 2018, the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services recommended that federal policy include a strategy for awareness, research, and programs to address the health consequences of Adverse Childhood Experiences for rural, tribal, and other at-risk populations.
NIH Assessment of COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) published results of a study to determine what Americans think about getting immunized with the COVID-19 vaccine. Of a group of 1,878 participants, the greatest reluctance to get a vaccine was found among African-Americans (34%), Hispanics (29%), rural dwellers (29%), and those who had children at home (25%).
GAO Report on Rural Hospital Closures
The latest report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) addresses the effects of hospital closures on residents in rural areas. Among other objectives, the report examines how closures affected the number of health care providers, and the distance residents traveled for health care services.
New National Strategy for COVID-19 Response
The White House released a plan for the pandemic that includes a campaign for vaccination, setting standards for controlling the spread of the virus, and enacting the Defense Production Act to extend emergency relief.