- Eight Hospitals Selected for First Cohort of Rural Hospital Stabilization Program
- 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: 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
- 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
National Pediatric Academy Releases Oral Health Report on Identifying Abuse and Neglect
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published a new clinical report, “Oral and Dental Aspects of Child Abuse and Neglect.” The report contains updated recommendations for physicians on how to identify problems involving a child’s teeth, gums, and mouth that may be signs of physical or sexual abuse or neglect.
57% of Rural Hospitals Lack Maternity Care: 19 States with the Biggest Gaps
From Becker’s Hospital Review
In the past five years, over 100 rural hospitals have stopped delivering babies, contributing to the 57% of rural U.S. hospitals that lack labor and delivery services.
This finding comes from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform. Its July report details the number of rural hospitals by state that lack maternity care services, those that do offer such services, the financial losses incurred from maternity care and the travel time to the nearest hospital providing OB services.
“Over 80% of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable with appropriate prenatal, labor & delivery, and post-partum care,” the CHQPR report notes. “Although improvements in maternity care are needed in all parts of the country to reduce mortality rates, one of the greatest challenges is in rural areas, because most rural hospitals are no longer providing maternity care at all.”
Of the 978 rural hospitals that offer labor & delivery services, almost 40% lost money on patient services overall in 2022 through 2023, meaning their ability to continue delivering maternity care is at risk.
Below are the 19 states with the highest percentage of rural hospitals lacking OB or maternity care. In each of these states, the percentage of rural hospitals without OB care exceeds the U.S. average of 57%. There are ties below, resulting in 19 states with 12 rankings for the greatest proportion of hospitals without OB care.
Readers can find CHQPR’s report on maternity care deserts among rural hospitals in full here.
1. Florida
Total rural hospitals: 22
Number without OB services: 20
Percentage without OB services: 91%
2. North Dakota
Total rural hospitals: 39
Number without OB services: 31
Percentage without OB services: 79%
3. Louisiana
Total rural hospitals: 56
Number without OB services: 42
Percentage without OB services: 75%
4. Illinois
Total rural hospitals: 74
Number without OB services: 55
Percentage without OB services: 74%
West Virginia
Total rural hospitals: 31
Number without OB services: 23
Percentage without OB services: 74%
5. Nevada
Total rural hospitals: 14
Number without OB services: 10
Percentage without OB services: 71%
6. Virginia
Total rural hospitals: 30
Number without OB services: 21
Percentage without OB services: 70%
7. Alabama
Total rural hospitals: 52
Number without OB services: 36
Percentage without OB services: 69%
Oklahoma
Total rural hospitals: 81
Number without OB services: 56
Percentage without OB services: 69%
8. Mississippi
Total rural hospitals: 72
Number without OB services: 49
Percentage without OB services: 68%
9. Arkansas
Total rural hospitals: 50
Number without OB services: 32
Percentage without OB services: 64%
Georgia
Total rural hospitals: 72
Number without OB services: 46
Percentage without OB services: 64%
Montana
Total rural hospitals: 55
Number without OB services: 35
Percentage without OB services: 64%
10. South Dakota
Total rural hospitals: 49
Number without OB services: 31
Percentage without OB services: 63%
Pennsylvania
Total rural hospitals: 43
Number without OB services: 27
Percentage without OB services: 63%
11. Iowa
Total rural hospitals: 94
Number without OB services: 58
Percentage without OB services: 62%
12. Texas
Total rural hospitals: 164
Number without OB services: 97
Percentage without OB services: 59%
Kansas
Total rural hospitals: 100
Number without OB services: 59
Percentage without OB services: 59%
California
Total rural hospitals: 58
Number without OB services: 34
Percentage without OB services: 59%
Rural Graduate Medical Education (GME) Opportunities – How can your RHC get involved?
– Thursday, August 29 at 2:00 pm Eastern. The National Association of Rural Health Clinics (NARHC), in partnership with the Collaborative for Rural Graduate Medical Education Technical Assistance Centers, will host the free, FORHP-supported webinar. Rural Training Track medical students completing rural rotations were more than twice as likely to practice in rural areas than general family medicine graduates. RHCs can play a critical role in that training through their ability to serve as rotational sites for many different providers. This webinar will feature Pennsylvania Rural Health Clinic and Rural Residency Planning and Development grantee, St. Luke’s Miners who will discuss their experience with GME and RHC site
Exploring Housing Challenges and Opportunities for Rural Residency Development
Researchers from the Rural Residency Planning and Development Technical Assistance Center (RuralGME.org), explore challenges, strategic approaches, potential opportunities, and capital funding for rural residency programs to ensure access to safe, secure, affordable, and good-quality housing that is convenient to the workplace. As the number and size rural residency programs continue to grow across the country, housing has not kept pace.
Recruitment of Residents to Rural Programs: Early Outcomes from Cohort 1 of the Rural Residency Planning and Development Grants Program
In this study, published in the Journal of Graduate Medical Education, authors from the Rural Residency Planning and Development Technical Assistance Center (RuralGME.org) explore early resident recruitment outcomes of HRSA’s Rural Residency Planning and Development (RRPD) grants program. The study concluded that the early resident recruitment outcomes represented sufficient success to support the program’s continuation.
Infant Mortality Increases
Infant mortality rose for the second consecutive year in 2022, with a 3% increase. The five leading causes of infant mortality remained the same as in 2021, including infant deaths due to maternal complications, which increased by 9%. This rise is linked to insufficient care in many states. Infant and maternal mortality rates in the US far exceed those of other high-income countries.
MedPac Report on Telehealth Services: Insights and Implications
Recently, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) released a report developed by the American Institutes for Research (AIR), which provides an update to a previous 2023 report examining telehealth’s association with healthcare quality, access and cost in Medicare. Key metrics were developed to measure quality, access, and cost in a setting where both telehealth and in-person visits are available for fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare beneficiaries. The health quality outcomes that were examined focused on ambulatory care-sensitive hospitalizations and emergency department visits, while access outcomes focus on clinician encounters. Key findings include the following:
1. Telehealth and Quality: No significant association was found between telehealth intensity and quality outcomes.
2. Telehealth and Access: Higher telehealth intensity was associated with fewer clinician encounters for both behavioral and non-behavioral health.
3. Telehealth and Costs: There was evidence suggesting that higher telehealth intensity is associated with a decrease in the total cost of care, although the results were not conclusively definitive.
Drexel University Kicks Off Inaugural Medical Assistant Apprenticeship Cohort
Sixteen medical assistant apprentices were recently hired by Esperanza Health Center, Jefferson Hospital, and Nemours Children’s Hospital for on-the-job training while taking classes at Drexel University as part of their inaugural Certified Clinical Medical Assistant Apprenticeship Program. This program creates a pathway for those who are underrepresented from the local community to obtain quality careers in health care. Drexel will be recruiting for the next cohort in Spring 2025 and hopes to add additional health care industry partners across the state. If you are interested in connecting with Drexel to explore becoming a clinical site, reach out to Caitlin Wilkinson, Co-Director of the Pennsylvania Primary Care Career Center.
FDA Approves First Nasal Spray for Treatment of Anaphylaxis
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved neffy (epinephrine nasal spray) for the emergency treatment of allergic reactions (Type I), including those that are life-threatening (anaphylaxis), in adult and pediatric patients who weigh at least 30 kilograms (about 66 pounds). Neffy is a single dose nasal spray administered into one nostril. As with epinephrine injection products, a second dose (using a new nasal spray to administer neffy in the same nostril) may be given if there is no improvement in symptoms or symptoms worsen. Patients may need to seek emergency medical assistance for close monitoring of the anaphylactic episode and in the event further treatment is required.
Workforce Innovation Act Introduced
Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) recently introduced S.4957, the Health Workforce Innovation Act, which would provide federal funding for health center-led workforce development partnerships with high schools and community colleges. A similar bipartisan bill, H.R.7307, was introduced in the House of Representatives earlier this year. We encourage health center advocates, particularly those in Republican districts, to reach out to their senators and representatives to co-sponsor these bills to ensure Congressional support for this legislation remains strongly bipartisan.