The CareQuest Institute for Oral Health published “Addressing Oral Health of Low-Income Populations: A Call to Action” in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network Open. The article underscores the importance of strengthening Medicaid benefits to include dental coverage. The commentary was in response to the article and study that suggested that the combination of Medicaid expansion and addition of Medicaid dental benefits not only improved coverage and access to dental care among low-income adults but also produced significant improvements in clinical indicators of oral health.
Health Workforce Research Centers Release Annual Report
The Health Resources and Services Administration- (HRSA)- sponsored Health Workforce Research Centers (HWRC) released their annual report. The report includes information on a variety of resources for physical, behavioriral, and oral health. See the image below from the report, depicting specific requirements in state laws and regulation that impact the ability of dental hygienists to apply silver diamine fluoride (SDF).
Household Food Security in the U.S. Last Year
The Economic Research Service (ERS) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture released its annual report on access to adequate food for households in the U.S. The survey data collected in December 2020 showed an estimated 89.5 percent of households had food access throughout the year, a number not significantly different from the same survey taken at the end of 2019. The prevalence of very low food security for rural areas, 4.5 percent, was slightly higher than the national average of 3.9 percent.
RAND Weighs in on Vaccine Hesitancy
The RAND Corporation is a non-partisan, nonprofit organization that researches and analyzes public policy. Their recommendations promote the World Health Organization’s “three Cs” model: 1) boosting confidence in the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, 2) combating complacency about the pandemic, and 3) increasing the convenience of getting vaccinated. Earlier this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cited data showing lower COVID-19 vaccination coverage in rural areas.
ONC: Challenges to Interoperability
The ability to exchange electronic health data between facilities, known as interoperability, is essential to the long-term goals of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC). This report examines the challenges for acute care hospitals – including rural hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals – exchanging electronic health information with public health agencies. The report uses data collected in 2019 and identifies ongoing barriers that may have been exacerbated by the pandemic.
CDC: Overdose Deaths Up by a Third
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the latest data on reported deaths due to overdose within the 50 states and the District of Columbia. While final counts are not yet complete, 90,133 deaths occurred between February 2020 and February 2021, an increase of more than 30 percent over the previous year. Read more here.
HRSA Releases New Projections for the Health Workforce
According to data collected by the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis (NCHWA), the supply of primary care physicians in the U.S. will see a shortage by the year 2030; a surplus of nurse practitioners and physician assistants is projected for the same time span. The forecast shows the largest shortages in Nevada, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Arizona. The NCHWA is part of the Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW) at the Health Resources and Services Administration. Last week, BHW announced funding for a new federal program to increase the number of physician assistants in rural areas. Accredited training programs that can demonstrate a high rate of rural placement for graduates may apply for the HRSA Physician Assistant Rural Training Program through December 9. Read more here.
Adult Medicaid Issue Brief Published
Community Catalyst, the American Dental Association (ADA) Health Policy Institute, (HPI) and Families USA published an issue brief on the current landscape of dental coverage for Medicaid-enrolled adults. “Making the Case for Dental Coverage for Adults in All State Medicaid Programs” illustrates how comprehensive dental coverage is a major driver of access to dental care and improved oral health for Medicaid-enrolled adults. The authors discuss federal policy options to ensure that all states offer adequate adult dental coverage in Medicaid that could reduce cost barriers and improve access to dental care for adults across the United States.
GAO Examines Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program
Until last year, the federal program that repays education loans for nurses required that they work only at non-profit facilities. The pandemic-related CARES Act eliminated that restriction in March 2020, allowing Nurse Corps members to serve at for-profit critical shortage facilities (CSFs). The Government Accountability Office (GAO) examined the change and determined that it’s too early to tell its effects. Officials at non-profit CSFs such as Critical Access Hospitals expressed concern that for-profit facilities can offer higher wages, resulting in fewer nurses willing to work at non-profit CSFs in rural and other underserved areas.
The report can be accessed here: GAO Examines Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program.
Report: Rural Health Clinic Experiences from the COVID-19 Testing Program
The National Association of Rural Health Clinics (NARHC) published a report on the federal program that funded COVID-19 testing in rural areas. First launched in May 2020, the program sent a total of more than $225 million to eligible RHCs in almost every state. The report captures how the RHCs used the funds, the challenges they faced, and anecdotes of their experiences.
Access the report here: Rural Health Clinic Experiences from the COVID-19 Testing Program [pdf].