Rural Health Information Hub Latest News

Comments Requested: CMS Proposed Rule for Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities

Posted on by lad3

On April 21, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a proposed rule for the FY 2021 Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System (IRF PPS). The proposed rule includes a 2.9 percent payment increase ($270 million total) which rural areas will experience as an average increase of 3.2 percent. CMS is also proposing to amend the regulations to remove the post-admission physician evaluation requirement and to allow non-physician practitioners to perform certain requirements that currently a rehabilitation physician must perform. The rule also includes a five percent cap on wage index decreases and adopts the most recent Office of Management and Budget statistical area delineations with 34 urban counties becoming rural and 47 rural counties becoming urban.  Comments are due on Juen 15, 2020.

 

Comments Requested: Medicare Revisions in Response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency

Posted on by lad3

On March 30, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued an array of temporary regulatory waivers and new rules in response to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. CMS’s actions are designed to increase hospital capacity, rapidly expand the health care workforce, and further promote telehealth in Medicare. This interim final rule with comment period includes updates specific to rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers. A full list of CMS waivers and flexibilities for COVID-19 response is available online.  Comments are due on June 1, 2020.

New Brief: Best Practices from 14 CAH Executives Operating in Challenging Environments

Posted on by lad3

Rural hospital executives are tasked with broader and more general functions than urban hospital executives who have greater resources to employ area-specific specialists. As such, rural hospital executives have developed and fine-tuned a different skill set than urban hospital executives. This study found four major themes from the many identified skill sets of the Critical Access Hospital (CAH) CEOs interviewed. These “best practices” likely helped contribute to the positive status of the CAHs interviewed and could also be a resource from which other CAHs could find utility.

For this study, the Flex Monitoring Team interviewed 14 CAH CEOs about their perspectives and experiences leading CAHs with a low risk of financial distress despite their operating environment. CEOs described their experiences with financial and quality issues, leadership roles, performance measurement, policy challenges, and community health.

This brief summarizes best practices related to tasks of daily operation, forecasting, and community health outcomes and to craft advice for other CAH CEOs.

This paper may be accessed here or on the Flex Monitoring Team website.

NIOSH Publishes New Respirator Information & Guidance

Posted on by lad3

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has published new respirator information and guidance:

  • Understanding the Use of Imported Non-NIOSH-Approved Respirators
    The CDC and FDA have determined additional respirator options to protect healthcare workers during the pandemic when respirator shortages are reported across the nation. If a healthcare facility needs more filtering facepiece respirators, employers should understand these options. One to consider in a time of shortage is non-NIOSH approved respirators manufactured internationally. This NIOSH Science Blog provides information on how to determine the reliability of imported respirators, NIOSH’s efforts to assess imported respirators, and how to tell if a respirator is NIOSH-approved.
  • NIOSH Respirator Assessments to Support the COVID-19 Response: Assessment Results
    NIOSH has begun sampling respirators received from other countries and from stockpiles, along with respirators that have gone through decontamination cycles (without the respirator being contaminated). These preliminary assessments will inform respirator users whether the products meet similar filtration performance requirements as those for NIOSH-approved N95 respirators. Results of this testing are now being posted to the NIOSH website and include a summary and report for each model tested.
  • Powered Air-Purifying Respirators and Elastomeric Respirators Guidance
    CDC has released guidance for optimizing the supply of powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs) and for using reusable elastomeric particulate respirators. The guidance aims to provide respiratory protection options to healthcare practitioners as a component of a formally developed and implemented written respiratory protection program. These guidance materials address conventional, contingency, and crisis surge use and maintenance practices. They will assist respiratory protection program managers, health officials, and other program leaders responsible for developing and implementing policies and procedures to prevent pathogen transmission, including those developed to prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.

For more information, please visit the COVID-19 webpage. To stay up to date on new developments, sign up for the COVID-19 newsletter.

NIOSH Provides Resources for Businesses

Posted on by lad3

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has published resources for businesses and specific industries.

General Business Frequently Asked Questions
CDC has provided answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) that build on the Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers and Guidance for Critical Infrastructure Workers. Answers address suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19, reducing the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace, healthy business operations, cleaning and disinfection, and critical infrastructure. These FAQs are not intended for healthcare facilities; CDC has provided separate Guidance for Healthcare Settings.

Industry Specific Resources
CDC has published several fact sheets for workers who may be at risk for exposure to COVID-19. New fact sheets are now available for these specific groups:

For more information, please visit the COVID-19 webpage. To stay up to date on new developments, sign up for the COVID-19 newsletter.

USDA Farmers to Families Food Box

Posted on by lad3

On April 17, USDA Secretary Perdue announced the purchase of up to $3 billion in agricultural commodities for interested farmers, food processors, food banks, and other interested partners.

The Agricultural Marketing Service’s Commodity Procurement Program will procure an estimated $100 million per month in fresh fruits and vegetables, $100 million per month in a variety of dairy products, and $100 million per month in meat products. The distributors and wholesalers will then provide a pre-approved box of fresh produce, dairy, and meat products to food banks, community and faith-based organizations, and other non-profits serving Americans in need.

Pennsylvania and its residents need you to participate now, more than ever. By participating in this program, you will get your products to market, help those in needs, and protect Pennsylvania’s agricultural economy. It is vital that you partner with organizations near you that can be found in the State Food Purchase County Lead Agency Directory or The Emergency Food Assistance Program County Lead Agency Directory.

Penn State Extension is also giving information on how to apply.

USDA is moving quickly on this program, applications are due by May 1st, 2020.

Below are the links to the RFP application and other important documents: