- 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
- 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
- CMS: Request for Information; Health Technology Ecosystem
- CMS: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; CY 2025 Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Changes to Part B Payment and Coverage Policies; Medicare Shared Savings Program Requirements; Medicare Prescription Drug Inflation Rebate Program; and Medicare Overpayments; and Appeal Rights for Certain Changes in Patient Status; Corrections and Correcting Amendment
- CMS: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; CY 2025 Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Changes to Part B Payment and Coverage Policies; Medicare Shared Savings Program Requirements; Medicare Prescription Drug Inflation Rebate Program; and Medicare Overpayments; and Appeal Rights for Certain Changes in Patient Status; Corrections and Correcting Amendment
- VA: Staff Sergeant Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program Funding Opportunity
- State: 60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: J-1 Visa Waiver Recommendation Application
- HHS: Request for Information (RFI): Ensuring Lawful Regulation and Unleashing Innovation To Make American Healthy Again
Fentanyl Education Resources Available in 12 Languages
The nonprofit Addiction Policy Forum explains the risks of fentanyl exposure and steps communities and families can take to prevent overdose. The evidence-based resources are available in 12 languages to ensure all communities have access to the information.
Best Practice Guide: Telehealth Accreditation
This guide from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services covers the advantages of telehealth accreditation, clinical and technical standards, and educational and training standards.
Workforce Toolkit to Support Critical Access Hospitals and Rural Providers
The toolkit is intended to help Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and other rural providers improve workforce recruitment and retention efforts with resources that address four topics: organizational culture and leadership, leveraging partnerships, emergency medical services workforce, and administrative and support staff workforce. The Flex Monitoring Team is a FORHP-supported consortium of researchers who evaluate the impact of HRSA’s Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program.
GAO: Actions Needed to Improve Assistance to Southwest Border Communities
The Government Accountability Office (GAO), a federal agency that examines how taxpayer dollars are spent, issued a new report with recommendations on rural communities known as Colonias. These are predominantly rural, Hispanic communities near the U.S.-Mexico border. Many have poor access to drinking water, inadequate sewage systems, and substandard housing.
HRSA Seeks Nominations for NHSC Advisory Board
– Submit by December 6. If you are a clinician or health official with a background in primary care, oral health, or mental/behavioral health, we invite you to apply for the National Advisory Council on the National Health Service Corps (NHSC). Rural communities are often the least represented on the board, and the NHSC wants your input! Self-nominations are accepted.
Early Outcomes of Rural Residency Planning and Development (RRPD) Grant Program
A study published in the Journal of Graduate Medical Education evaluates the outcomes of 25 grantees in cohort 1 of HRSA’s program to create new residency training programs in rural areas. Results indicate sufficient success to support program continuation; about a third of placed residents were from the states where the residency programs are located, and these residency programs filled at similar rates as more established residency programs. View a list of RRPD grantees from 2019 to 2024.
New $75 Million Investment in Rural Health Care
On Tuesday of this week, HRSA and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services announced new funding administered by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy that will:
- Expand rural access to services for pregnant women and new mothers. Cooperative agreements between HRSA and rural organizations within the federal Delta Regional Authority will help build community-level networks that support care coordination for perinatal health.
- Help rural hospitals stay open. Over the next three years, the Rural Hospital Stabilization Pilot Program will provide in-depth technical assistance to rural hospitals to enhance or expand service lines to meet local needs.
- Launch and expand services for SUD. New awards extend the federal effort to improve access to treatment and recovery for substance use disorder (SUD) in rural communities in 13 states.
New Brief: The Role of Child Care in Family-centered Approaches to Treatment for Substance Use Disorder
Amid a persistent maternal mortality crisis in the United States, substance use is one of the most pronounced issues facing those who have recently given birth and other caregivers in Pennsylvania.
Interviews PolicyLab conducted with key stakeholders and caregivers in recovery across the Commonwealth, along with data and research by state and national entities, highlight the ways absence of quality child care prevents parents from accessing substance use treatment.
A new PolicyLab issue brief looks at how improving outcomes for pregnant and parenting individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) requires serving the whole family unit, explores the impact access to quality child care can have on a parent’s ability to access and sustain SUD treatment, and outlines potential ways to improve policy and practice.
While this resource presents a case study of this issue in Pennsylvania, the takeaways may be broadly applicable to other states seeking to build systems connections and support for caregivers in recovery.
New from ARC: New $9M Initiative to Grow Community Capacity
How will building community capacity help us strengthen Appalachia? 🌱
Many organizations serving the region do not have enough resources, or “capacity,” to plan, strategize or steer complex projects. Organizations often need training and funding to hire more staff, build organizational skills and expand services to create the greatest positive impact in their communities. 💚
That’s why we’re excited to announce the launch of READY Grants to Grow. This new $9M funding opportunity will award grants of up to $500K to organizations seeking to build individual, organizational or community capacity in Appalachia.
Any organization that is eligible to apply for an ARC grant is eligible to apply for READY Grants to Grow. Join us at a pre-application webinar on October 10 to learn more!
Public Comment Period Open for Pennsylvania Fair Contracting for Health Care Practitioners Act
As directed by the Fair Contracting for Health Care Practitioners Act (act), Act 74 of 2024, the Health Care Cost Containment Council (Council) has begun studying the prevalence and impact of non-compete agreements in the Commonwealth. The Council will be collecting public comments for analysis and inclusion within the final report. Comments received between September 21, 2024, and October 21, 2024, will be included for analysis.
Persons who wish to comment on the act may do so by contacting the Health Care Cost Containment Council
- Email: publiccomment@phc4.org
- Letter by Mail:
PA Health Care Cost Containment Council
225 Market St, Suite 400, Harrisburg, PA 17101
Thank you in advance for your consideration. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Jake Muskovitz, PHC4’s project manager for the study: jmuskovitz@phc4.org.