The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) is here to be responsive to the needs of their members during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their commitment is to provide their members with the latest information and resources available to help them provide care for the patients of rural America. Additionally, NRHA’s advocacy team continues to fight to make sure that members have the resources and abilities needed to control and manage this pandemic. NRHA will continue to:
- Provide access to the latest COVID-19 federal information fact sheets, and resources. They have launched a COVID 19 Resource page linked here;
- Continue their advocacy fight with the Administration and Congress to ensure rural providers have the resources needed to both provide patient care and protect their workforce. Here is what NRHA is fighting for (also attached via Connect);
- Provide an open-forum on NRHA Connect to allow real-time discussions of best practices, open concerns and shared information; and
- Be the rural voice. NRHA continues to work with federal leadership, as well as national, state and local media to outline the needs of their members, in this unprecedented time.
NRHA’s online Grassroots Forum has generated quite a bit of feedback on issues relevant theiro you, our members. In summary, the thread included these topics:
- Section 1135 waiver process
- Waiver of the 72-hour rule (does it apply to Swing Beds?)
- Rural Health Clinics (RHC) as an originating site for virtual E&M visits and billing for same?
- Emergency licensure of physicians and other health care professionals to meet workforce needs for a growing demand for services
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) availability, stock outs of essential supplies