Public Health Emergency Resource Update Released by CMS

Posted on by lad3

On January 30, 2023, the Biden-Harris Administration announced its intent to end the national emergency and public health emergency (PHE) declarations related to the COVID-19 pandemic on May 11, 2023. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has resources available to help you prepare for the end of the PHE, some of which have been updated based on recent action by Congress .

On December 29, 2022, H.R. 2716, the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) for Fiscal Year 2023 was signed into law. This legislation included an extension of the major telehealth waivers and the Acute Hospital Care at Home (AHCaH) individual waiver that were initiated during the PHE.

We will continue to execute the process of a smooth operational wind down of the flexibilities enabled by the COVID-19 emergency declarations. The following materials reflect recent changes and are currently available on the CMS Emergencies Page:

Updates will continue to be provided as we approach the end of the PHE. We encourage you to regularly visit the CMS Emergencies Page for the most up to date information.

The Internet For All Map Has Been Released

Posted on by kow5101

The interactive map shows 56 states and territories that have received grants from the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program.  More than $42 billion has been committed to infrastructure planning and deployment nationwide.  Click each state or territory on the map to learn the details of current internet availability, amount of funding, and contact information for the state/territory Broadband Office.

Rural Provider Participation Has Started in Accountable Care Relationships

Posted on by kow5101

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released information on three Medicare accountable care initiatives in which groups of providers collaborate to improve care.  For 2023, the Medicare Shared Savings Program will have 456 accountable care organizations (ACOs), including 2,240 Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and 467 Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). The ACO Realizing Equity, Access, and Community Health (ACO REACH) model will have 132 ACOs with 78 RHCs and 15 CAHs.  The Kidney Care Choices Model will have 130 entities with more than 8,000 providers participating, including newly expanded areas in North Dakota and South Dakota.

A Rural Hospitals Make Gains in Interoperability

Posted on by kow5101

 According to a new report, interoperability – the ability of healthcare providers to exchange electronic health information – continues to improve among hospitals. As of 2021, 88 percent of hospitals engaged in sending and obtaining patient health information electronically.  The rate of availability of outside information at the point of care grew over 20 percent in 2021 reaching 62 percent nationwide.  For rural and small hospitals the rate grew by more than 26 percent, reaching a rate of 48 percent.  Additionally, usage of information received electronically from outside sources by rural and small hospitals increased at twice the rate of hospitals nationally (over 40% vs. over 20%) between 2017 and 2021. The report concludes these less-resourced hospitals are still not on par with their counterparts, indicating the need to continue addressing challenges with having full access to electronic information from external sources.

The Community Socio-Demographics and Rural Hospital Survival Analysis Has Been Released

Posted on by kow5101

 Among the key findings in this study from the Center for Economic Analysis of Rural Health: among rural hospitals at risk of financial distress, closures disproportionately took place in communities with specific sociodemographic characteristics: lower incomes, a lower percentage of college graduates, larger populations, lower percentages of the White population, higher percentages of the Black population, higher child poverty, higher unemployment rates, higher uninsurance rates for those younger than 65, a higher percentage of adults reporting fair or poor health, higher obesity levels, and higher rates of smoking.

New Guidelines Have Been Released for Pregnant People with HIV

Posted on by kow5101

This week, a federal panel of experts issued new guidelines for people with HIV who are pregnant, have recently given birth, or are trying to conceive.  Thanks to antiretroviral medications and other viral suppression strategies, parent-to-child transmission of HIV is less than 1 percent in the United States. The updated recommendations include new information about the use of antiretroviral drugs before and during pregnancy, guidance for pregnant people who have not achieved viral suppression, and infant feeding options.  The Panel on Antiretroviral Therapy and Medical Management of Children Living with HIV also co-authored sections published in the Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in Pediatric HIV Infection. Updates to these guidelines are anticipated in April 2023.

Approaching Deadline for Rural HIV and Aging Challenge

Posted on by kow5101

 The Administration for Community Living will award $500,000 in cash prizes for innovative and effective pilot solutions that address the needs of people in rural communities who are aging with HIV. Some potential solutions may be: enhancing the capacity of community-based organizations; increasing engagement/reducing isolation for long-term survivors; or addressing social determinants of health such as transportation or access to physical activities.  Up to 10 winners may be selected to each receive a prize of up to $15,000. Because these are prize competitions, there are no reporting requirements, deliverables, or other restrictions associated with federal grants.  The participants selected to receive a prize for Phase 1, Design of Concept, may compete for Phase 2, Development of Solution. The date was extended to February 14, 2023.