The new Rural Emergency Hospital designation is putting providers between a rock and a hard place, offering an infusion of cash from the federal government that is available only if they eliminate inpatient care, The New York Times reported December 9.

CMS released the final rule for the new designation in November. The rule aims to curb rural hospital closures by offering them a chance to shutter infrequently used inpatient beds and focus on providing outpatient and emergency department services. The new designation is set to go into effect in January.

Hospitals that convert will receive monthly payments of $272,866, with annual increases based on inflation, according to the report. They will also receive higher Medicare reimbursements than larger hospitals.

Some rural healthcare providers and health policy analysts said officials behind the rule are “out of touch with the difficulties of transferring rural patients,” according to the Times. Bigger hospitals are dealing with their own set of challenges and are increasingly unwilling to accept transferred patients, especially from small field hospitals that are unaffiliated with their systems.

Katy Kozhimannil, PhD, director of the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center, told the Times she is concerned that gambling with transfers could mean “some of the most extremely remote and marginalized communities could end up with no care at all — and that’s what we were trying to avoid in the first place.”

Some hospitals, such as Sturgis (Mich.) Hospital, have said they are planning to convert to a rural emergency hospital. The hospital was on the verge of closing when the Michigan Hospital Association suggested it convert to a rural emergency facility. Sturgis Hospital CFO Bobby Morin said 80 percent of the facility’s revenue comes from outpatient services, and a sizable portion of its expenses comes from the inpatient side.

Others, such as Bucktail Medical Center in Renovo, Pa., have ruled out the conversion because there would be nowhere to transfer patients in the case of another pandemic surge, according to the report. Bucktail’s financial margin for patient services was minus-43 percent in 2021.

“Am I going to lose some revenue? Possibly,” CEO Time Reeves told the Times. “But is it more important to provide the services needed? That’s the position we’re taking.”

Pennsylvanians can learn about the new FCC broadband map, and how to challenge its inaccuracies

Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority (Authority) Executive Director Brandon Carson today announced listening sessions will be held across the commonwealth beginning December 13 to give Pennsylvanians the opportunity to learn about the Authority, federal funding for broadband, and to hear about the important role they have in reviewing the new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) broadband access map. The map’s accuracy is crucial for the commonwealth to receive sufficient federal funding to ensure high-speed internet access for all Pennsylvanians.

“In today’s world, having access to high-speed internet is a necessity,” said Carson. “Pennsylvanians need broadband access for school, work, and to ensure public safety, and it is critical that we close the digital divide across the commonwealth. The more accurate we can make the FCC map, the more we ensure we get a fair allocation of federal funding to expand broadband.”

The FCC’s broadband access map shows all broadband serviceable locations across the United States where fixed broadband internet access service is or can be installed. The commonwealth’s allocation of funding for broadband deployment under the federal infrastructure law is dependent upon the map being accurate. Pennsylvanians should visit the map to search for their home address to determine whether the information listed by the FCC is accurate.

Listening Sessions

The Authority will host the following broadband listening sessions across the commonwealth:

• Tuesday, December 13 at 10:00 AM – Beaver County

In-person only listening session will be held at Community College of Beaver County, Library Conference Center 9103, 1 Campus Drive, Monaca, PA 16061

• Tuesday, December 13 at 2:00 PM – Somerset County

In-person only listening session will be held at Glencoe United Church of Christ, 128 Critchfield Street, Fairhope, PA 15538

• Wednesday, December 14 at 10:00 AM – Venango County

Hybrid listening session

• In-person will be held at Venango County Training Center, 737 Elk Street (Corner of Elk & 8th), Franklin, PA 16323
• Click here to register and attend virtually
• Wednesday, December 14 at 2:00 PM – Elk County

Hybrid listening session

• In-person will be held at North Central PA Regional Planning and Development Commission, 49 Ridgmont Drive, Ridgway, PA 1585
• Click here to register and attend virtually
• Thursday, December 15 at 10:00 AM – Luzerne County

Hybrid listening session

• In-person will be held at Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce, 7 South Main Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701
• Click here to register and attend virtually
• Thursday, December 15 at 2:00 PM – Tioga County

Hybrid listening session

• In-person will be held at Bradford County Public Safety Center, 29 VanKuren Drive, Towanda, PA 18848
• Click here to register and attend virtually
• Friday, December 16 at 10:00 AM – Union County

Hybrid listening session

• In-person will be held at SEDA-Council of Governments, 201 Furnace Road, Lewisburg, PA 17837
• Click here to register and attend virtually
• Monday, December 19 at 11:00 AM – Chester County

In-person only listening session will be held at Borough of Kennett Square, 600 S. Broad Street, 3rd Floor, Kennett Square, PA 19348

Process to Challenge Inaccuracies in the FCC Broadband Map

Challenges to the map can include:

• A location that meets the FCC’s definition of a broadband serviceable location is missing from the map.
• A location’s broadband serviceability is incorrectly identified.
• Information such as the address or unit count for the location is incorrect.
• The location’s placement (its geographic coordinates) is incorrect.

Pennsylvanians should challenge the map to help improve its accuracy by January 13, 2023. There are two ways to submit a challenge: by a single location, or in bulk. The location challenge can be completed by individual consumers utilizing the map itself. Bulk challengers will be required to use the Broadband Data Collection (BDC) platform to submit information to the FCC.

Additional information about the Consumer Challenge Process can be found here, and additional information on the Bulk Challenge Process can be found here. A consumer may also challenge mobile data coverage through the FCC Speed Test App – a free application that can be downloaded from an Apple or Google Play Store.

Governor Tom Wolf announced the creation of the Authority in February 2022 to manage at least $100 million in federal aid to coordinate the rollout of broadband across Pennsylvania. The Authority was charged with creating a statewide broadband plan and distributing federal and state monies for broadband expansion projects in unserved and underserved areas of the commonwealth.

For more information about the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority, or the Department of Community and Economic Development, visit the Authority’s website and be sure to stay up-to-date with all of our agency news on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Introducing Reimagine Rural, a podcast featuring rural towns experiencing positive change

While the dominant narrative regarding rural America is one of decline and division, Reimagine Rural is a new podcast that visits rural towns across the United States that are experiencing positive change and explores how public investment in rural people and places can lead to increased and equitable prosperity.  

Hosted by Tony Pipa, a scholar in the Center for Sustainable Development at the Brookings Institution and a product of rural America, each episode features local voices telling the story of progress in their community and considering the intersection with policy and public resources.   

Join Tony on this journey to visit a diverse set of towns across America to learn more about how rural communities are adapting to the 21st century. 

Episode 1 debuted on November 22.   Click here to see the list of podcasts and for information on how to subscribe.

The Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority released its plan which outlines the goals and strategies to expand broadband access across the Commonwealth.

The Authority, created by the legislature in December 2021, has been charged with leveraging the state’s approximate $100 million of federal funding over five years to ensure that more Pennsylvanians have access to high-speed internet. According to the Authority’s plan, the Commonwealth has roughly 640,000 to 800,000 Pennsylvanians that meet the FCC’s definition of being “unserved” and lack access to high-speed broadband.

Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority Executive Director Brandon Carson stated, “Broadband access affects every area of our lives – from work, to education, to health, and safety. Closing the digital divide helps enhance our communities and fosters economic growth and innovation for all Pennsylvanians.”

To read the Authority’s plan click here.

The Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority (Authority) Executive Director Brandon Carson announced that the Authority unanimously voted on November 10 to contract with Penn State Extension to develop and update state broadband maps to directly enable the commonwealth to maximize its federal funding allocation for high-speed internet expansion.

“Contracting with Penn State Extension will bring the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority one step closer to meeting its mission to expand broadband services to unserved and underserved areas of the commonwealth,” said Carson. “The services Penn State Extension will provide will help to close the digital divide and allow Pennsylvanians to get connected at home, work, or on the road.”

Through this initiative, Penn State Extension plans to develop and update state broadband maps; evaluate the accuracy of industry-provided Federal Communications Commission (FCC) data to inform the commonwealth challenge process; provide geo-analytics, data analysis, and cost estimating for fiber to the premises to support local data-driven decisions about broadband deployment; and promote digital equity in underserved populations through strategic partnerships. The project is expected to run through June 30, 2023.

Brent Hales, Penn State Extension director and associate dean in the College of Agricultural Sciences, noted that Extension enters this initiative following its successful partnership with the state Public Utility Commission to develop the map that helped Pennsylvania receive $368 million from the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, which is expected to enable 327,000 Pennsylvanians to gain access to high-speed internet.

“Our partnership with the PUC has enabled Penn State Extension to better serve the people and the communities of the commonwealth,” Hales said. “We are gratified to support future investment in Pennsylvania’s broadband infrastructure and look forward to facilitating new opportunities for broadband deployment. I also want to recognize the efforts of our team and their tireless efforts and enthusiasm.”

The broadband initiative will focus on providing publicly accessible and open-source data mapping and analysis tools where stakeholders can visually identify unserved broadband areas. Additionally, the maps will make transparent current FCC broadband data, demographics, and infrastructure data to inform the challenge processes for residents of the commonwealth. Determining the correct number of unserved and underserved households in the commonwealth will be critical to determining the state’s portion of the $42.5 billion available under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for broadband deployment projects through a program called Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD). Rules for the BEAD program call for the funding to be allocated based, in large part, on each state’s percentage of unserved locations, according to updated FCC broadband maps.

Penn State Extension is an educational organization dedicated to delivering science-based information to people, businesses, and communities. Penn State Extension covers 4-H Youth Development; Agronomy and Natural Resources; Animal Systems; Energy, Business, and Community Vitality; Food Safety and Quality; Food, Families, and Health; and Horticulture.

For more information about the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority, or the Department of Community and Economic Development, visit the DCED website, and be sure to stay up-to-date with all of our agency news on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.