- 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
- Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation of the Medicare Program (Executive Order 14192) - Request for Information
- Dr. Mehmet Oz Shares Vision for CMS
- CMS Refocuses on its Core Mission and Preserving the State-Federal Medicaid Partnership
- Social Factors Help Explain Worse Cardiovascular Health among Adults in Rural Vs. Urban Communities
Preliminary Findings on the CMS Accountable Health Communities Model
CMS announced that, through the Accountable Health Communities (AHC) model, 750,000 screenings have been completed to identify and address health-related social needs (HRSN) for eligible Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. The AHC model operates in 21 states and tests the impact of screenings for HRSN and referrals to community resources on health care costs and health care utilization in rural and urban communities. Of the screenings completed, one-third reported at least one HRSN with food being the most prominent need.
New Website on Hospital Price Transparency
CMS announced a website to assist hospitals with meeting the requirements of the FY2020 Price Transparency Rule. By January 1, 2021, all hospitals, including rural and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), must provide clear, accessible pricing information online about the items and services they provide. This information must include a machine-readable file with all items and services as well as a display of shoppable services in a consumer-friendly format.
New CMS Guidance on Repayment Terms for Medicare Accelerated and Advance Payments
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updated the repayment terms for providers and suppliers who received accelerated and advance Medicare payment(s) during the COVID-19 emergency to reflect that repayment does not begin for one year after payment was issued. Providers experiencing financial hardship should contact their Medicare Administrative Contractor to request an Extended Repayment Schedule.
Updated Medicare COVID-19 Data Snapshot
This factsheet reports COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and services used by Medicare beneficiaries between January 1 and August 15. In rural areas, there were 959 cases per 100,000 Medicare beneficiaries during this time and 252 hospitalizations per 100,000 beneficiaries.
CDC: Increase in Drug Overdose Deaths Involving Cocaine
In a brief, the CDC reports that, between 2009 and 2018, the rate of overdose deaths involving cocaine rose significantly across all age groups, gender identities, and racial/ethnic categories. The overdose death rate in 2018 involving cocaine with concurrent use of opioids was triple the rate of those without any concurrent opioid use. Among all regions of the country—Northeast, Midwest, South, and West—rates were significantly lower in rural counties than in urban counties; however, the rate in Northeastern rural counties was about triple the rates of Midwestern, Southern, and Western rural counties.
CDC: Motor Vehicle Traffic Death Rates Among Adolescents and Young Adults Aged 15–24
A new data brief from the CDC reports that motor vehicle traffic (MVT) deaths generally declined between 2000 and 2018, but rates were about twice as high in rural than urban areas for both males and females.
HRSA Releases 2019-2020 Report on Health Equity
Yesterday, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) released a report on health equity across the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, health equity is achieved when no one is disadvantaged from achieving their full health potential because of social position or other socially determined circumstances.
Tech for Telehealth Is Only Part of the Equation, Broadband Access Is the Other
By Liz Carey
Broadband access in rural America remains insufficient for telehealth to become the solution for rural areas healthcare problems.
Read more
New Covid Cases Jump 16% in Rural Counties, Setting New Record
By Tim Murphy and Tim Marema
Six out of every 10 rural counties are on the red-zone list. In the Upper Midwest, all but a handful of rural counties are seeing rapid spread of the virus.
Read more
CMS: This Year, It’s More Important than Ever to Get the Flu Shot
Now more than ever, everyone needs to do their part to prevent the spread of illnesses like the flu. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, fewer people are getting vaccines which puts their communities at greater risk for other preventable diseases. When people get the flu shot, it helps protect them and keep them from spreading the flu to others.
Medicare and most health plans cover the cost of the flu shot, which is available at most health care provider offices, local pharmacies, senior centers, health centers, and other places in the community.
This year, we’re developing many new flu vaccination resources for people with Medicare, partners, providers, and others who can share our message. Please use our resources to encourage your patients and partners to get their flu shot so they and their communities can stay healthy.
Racial and ethnic minority groups are disproportionately affected when it comes to receiving recommended vaccines. Many factors can contribute to lower vaccination rates, including concerns about vaccine safety and limited access to care and health coverage. The CMS Office of Minority Health created a website of Federal resources to help our partners find resources for minority populations and in additional languages.
Visit go.cms.gov/omhflu.
CMS.gov Partner and Provider Resources
- Visit cms.gov/flu for a one-stop shop to help you find CMS’s flu vaccination information and resources.
- Find vaccination resources for racial and ethnic minority patients, as well as resources for providers and partners that serve these populations at cms.gov/omhflu.
- Looking for additional languages? Find Medicare postcards in 18 languages.
- Visit our Outreach & Media Materials page for flu vaccination materials you can share within your partner networks and use to reach people with Medicare, plus other audiences across our health care programs. We will continue to update this page with additional resources.
- Use this social media toolkit with posts and graphics to spread the word about the importance of getting a flu shot this year (in English & Spanish).
- For partners, we launched a Flu Vaccine Partner Toolkit with flu and other immunization resources.
- For health care providers, we launched a new website, cms.gov/flu-provider, with flu coverage and billing information.
Medicare.gov Consumer Resources