Over 28 minutes, the Freakonomics podcast examines the outcomes of rural hospital closures.
Webinar Explores Strategies for Cultivating a Rural Health Workforce
On September 6, 2022, the Pennsylvania Rural Health Association held a webinar on training, recruiting, and retaining a strong rural health workforce in Pennsylvania, as part of its Special Topics in Rural Health 2022 Webinar Series hosted by Rep. Kathy Rapp (R-PA 65th District) and Sen. Michele Brooks (R-PA 50th District). Ben Fredrick, MD, Professor of Family & Community Medicine at the Penn State College of Medicine and Program Director of the Pennsylvania Area Health Education Center (PA AHEC), gave a compelling presentation on strategies for cultivating rural health professionals in our hometowns.
See below for the links to the presentation, recording, and handout.
Presentation: Cultivating A Rural Health Workforce in Pennsylvania
Recording: Cultivating a Rural Health Workforce in Pennsylvania
NRHA Provides Resources on Rural Emergency Preparedness and Response
The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) guide provides federal, state, and local resources and an interactive map linking to each state’s emergency response website.
Implementing Full-Service Community Schools in a Rural Setting
The Edredesign Lab at Harvard Graduate School of Education reports on how Leslie County Schools in rural Kentucky implemented the federal program that blends social and health services with academics. The application cycle for the next cohort of the Full-Service Community Schools program closes on September 12. (See the link in Approaching Deadlines below.)
Providing High-Quality Support to Pregnant People and Their Families in Racially Diverse Rural Communities
This case series from the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center offers three examples of rural hospitals offering high-quality support during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period.
Just Announced, An Extended Shelf Life for COVID At-Home Tests
While the federal program for free at-home tests will be suspended on Friday, September 2, the Food and Drug Administration provides a list of authorized testing products that are still available over the counter. In some cases, the expiration date for a test may be extended, meaning the manufacturer provided data showing that the shelf life is longer than was known when the test was first authorized.
CMS Funds Navigator Organizations for 2023 Open Enrollment
Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS awarded $98.9 million in grant funding to help consumers navigate enrollment through the Marketplace, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Navigator organizations will focus on outreach to people who identify as racial and ethnic minorities, people in rural communities, the LGBTQ+ community, American Indians and Alaska Natives, refugee and immigrant communities, low-income families, pregnant women and new mothers, people with transportation or language barriers or lacking internet access, veterans, and small business owners. The Navigator funding can play a key role in addressing coverage gaps in rural areas. An HHS report shows that while the uninsured rate in rural areas has fallen in recent years, it continues to be about 2-3 percentage points higher than in urban areas over the 2018-209 period.
DOL, HHS, and Treasury Finalize Surprise Billing Policies
On August 19, the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury issued final rules concerning standards related to the arbitration process implementing the No Surprises Act, a bipartisan law to protect consumers against surprise medical bills. The increased transparency required under these final rules is designed to help providers, facilities and air ambulance providers engage in more meaningful open negotiations with plans and issuers. They will help inform the offers they submit to certified independent entities to resolve claim disputes. Parties or providers (including air ambulance providers), facilities, plans, and issuers may use an arbitration process known as the Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR) process to determine the total payment amount for out-of-network healthcare services for which the act prohibits surprise billing. The final rules include guidance for certified IDR entities on how to make payment determinations and instructs these entities that they must provide additional information and rationale in their written decisions.
Creating a Roadmap for the End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency
With the eventual end of the Medicare Public Health Emergency (PHE), many of the waivers and broad flexibilities CMS provided to healthcare providers during this time will terminate, as they were intended to address the acute and extraordinary circumstances of a rapidly evolving pandemic and not replace existing requirements. To help healthcare facilities and providers understand the coming changes, CMS has developed a roadmap for the eventual end of the Medicare PHE waivers and flexibilities. Similar to the guidance CMS has made available to states, CMS is releasing fact sheets that will help the health care sector transition to operations once the PHE ends, whenever that may occur. For information on waivers and flexibilities applicable to rural healthcare facilities and providers, please see the rural crosswalk CMS published in May 2021.
Celebrate National Recovery Month in September Here!
Since 1989, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has increased efforts to raise awareness, promote new evidence-based treatment and practices, and celebrate individuals during their long-term recoveries. Promotional materials, including social media content, are available on SAMHSA’s National Recovery Month website. At HRSA, nearly every bureau and office has a program focused on the opioid crisis, including an array of ongoing projects in the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program.