Post-acute care services are designed to help patients transition from hospitalization in acute care facilities to their homes. Skilled nursing facilities and home health agencies provide the majority of post-acute care services to Medicare beneficiaries. This study from the WWAMI Rural Health Research Center used Medicare administrative data for rural, fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries to describe post-acute care trajectories following acute hospitalization and examine differences between planned discharge disposition from the hospital and actual post-acute care received.
COMING SOON: Emergency Broadband Benefit Program
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) will make $3.2 billion available to qualifying households to lower the cost of high-speed internet service, providing discounts on internet service bills and an opportunity for a computer or tablet. The EBB program is similar to the Lifeline program with expanded eligibility, vendors, and subsidies. We encourage you to develop a plan now to support patients to apply promptly after the application period is announced by the end of April; funds are expected to go quickly. Read more here.
HHS Reports on Risk of COVID-19 Infections in Fee-For-Service Medicare
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services points to several factors raising the risk of infections, hospitalization, and deaths. These risks vary across the country, with some geographic areas having higher concentrations of at-risk beneficiaries. This issue brief provides information on risk scores at the national, state, and county level, and includes a database of risk scores by county.
CHART Model’s ACO Track RFA Delayed to Spring 2022
This week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the release of the Community Health Access and Rural Transformation (CHART) Model Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Transformation Track Request for Applications (RFA) is delayed until spring 2022. The CHART Model aims to help rural communities transform their health care delivery systems. This delay applies only to the ACO Transformation Track. Applications for the CHART Community Transformation Track are due by May 11, 2021.
Volunteer to Administer COVID-19 Vaccines
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services has expanded its definition of persons authorized to give the vaccine. These include, among others, current and retired traditional and non-traditional health care professionals, and students in health care programs. Read more here.
American Rescue Plan Includes $6 Billion for CHCs
The sweeping, nationwide plan to recover from the pandemic will invest more than $6 billion in underserved and rural areas through Community Health Centers (CHCs). More than 91 percent of health center patients are individuals or families living at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, and more than 60 percent are racial or ethnic minorities. Read more here.
How States Use Federal Medicaid Authorities to Finance Housing-Related Services
The National Academy for State Health Policy released a policy brief exploring how states have used federal waivers to better meet the housing needs of its Medicaid enrollees. Housing with supportive services, known as permanent supportive housing, supports individuals with complex medical needs and reduces emergency department use. Supportive housing also helps individuals remain stably housed over the long term. Evidence shows a strong association between access to safe, affordable, and stable housing and positive health outcomes. Learn more about states that have leveraged a variety of federal Medicaid authorities to deliver housing-related support services to individuals with disabilities and chronic conditions.
This policy brief was developed with support through a cooperative agreement with HRSA.
Expanding Access to Medication-Based Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in Underserved Rural Areas Using Telehealth
Part 3 on Thursday, April 15, Noon – 1 p.m. EDT
Even before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, only about one in ten Americans with a substance use disorder received needed treatment. Rural populations face additional challenges in accessing medications for opioid use disorder due to a short supply of treatment programs and credentialed providers within a reasonable proximity. Today, the need to physically distance due to the COVID-19 pandemic presents further challenges for people seeking these services and the organizations providing them. This webinar discusses tips and promising strategies for addressing substance use disorder among vulnerable populations in rural areas with a focus on individuals with opioid use disorder.
The webinar will feature speakers from our Office of Regional Operations, the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and the Northeast Telehealth Resource Center.
New Research: General Surgeons in the Rural U.S.
New research shows that between 2001 and 2019 the supply of general surgeons in the U.S. decreased by 29.1% in rural areas, and 18% overall. This is a crucial finding as general surgeons play a critical role in rural health care.
General surgeons in rural areas decrease the need for patients to travel for routine surgery, provide backup to rural primary care providers in emergency care, obstetrics, and orthopedics, and contribute substantially to the financial health of rural hospitals. The study also found rural general surgeons are older than their urban counterparts and fewer surgeons in rural areas are women. The research was conducted by the HRSA-funded WWAMI Rural Health Research Center.
Nurse Corps Scholarship Program Now Open
The Nurse Corps Scholarship Program provides financial support to students enrolled in nursing degree programs in exchange for a commitment to serve in high-need areas across the country. This year, Nurse Corps has additional funding for awards. Are you pursuing an NP degree in psychiatric mental health? An APRN or RN degree in women’s health or certified nurse midwifery? Or are you a CNA, home health aide, medical assistant, or LPN working towards your RN degree? You may be eligible for an award. Scholarship support includes tuition, fees, other reasonable educational costs, and a monthly living stipend.
Find out if you qualify today. Accepting applications through May 6, 2021.