The fact sheet covers telehealth services made eligible by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in the 2024 Physician Fee Schedule.  These are services that can be delivered by telehealth, remote monitoring services, physician supervision, diabetes self-management training, and more.  The Center for Connected Health Policy is supported by HRSA’s Office for the Advancement of Telehealth.

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Updates from the Rural Health Value team includes summaries for the States Advancing All-Payer Health Equity Approaches and Development (AHEAD) Model and the Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model, announced last week with applications due on January 30.  The Rural Health Value team is funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy.

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Published on November 15, the final rule for Nursing Home Ownership Disclosure requires nursing homes enrolled in Medicare or Medicaid – upon initial enrollment or when revalidating – to disclose additional information regarding their owners, operator, management, and entities that lease or sub-lease property to nursing homes.  The rule also finalizes definitions of private equity company and real estate investment trust for Medicare provider enrollment purposes and makes these disclosures public.

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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services propose new standards for health insurance plans on State and Federal Marketplaces, as well as new requirements for agents, brokers, web-brokers, direct enrollment entities, and other assisters that help Marketplace consumers. Proposals include requiring state Marketplaces to develop standards for time and distance to receive care that are at least as stringent as those under the Federally facilitated Marketplace plans; allowing states to add routine dental services as an essential health benefit; easing consumers’ transition to new coverage under special enrollment periods; and establishing standards for Marketplace call centers to have live representatives available during hours of operation.  The number of issuers offering plans in rural areas has increased in recent years making Marketplace plans an important source of health insurance coverage for those living in rural areas.

Comment by January 8.

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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) made the announcement last week and invites nominations to bring perspectives from outside the government to help inform federal action.  Committee activities will focus on health equity, needing a diverse membership of persons with multidisciplinary expertise – clinical, medical, public health, behavioral health, human services, employment, data science, and research – as well as those with Long COVID experience.  Researchers and even insurers have already considered that long COVID could be “a mass disabling event” affecting economic productivity. A more recent study suggests a higher prevalence among nonmetropolitan adults. As of December 2022, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that the top five states for self-reported symptoms are mostly rural: Montana, Wyoming, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Alaska.

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The Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority (PBDA) has drafted it’s Statewide Digital Equity Plan (Plan), as is required through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Digital Equity Act. The Plan outlines the disparities in digital equity across the commonwealth, existing assets that are in place to bridge the digital equity divide, how the PBDA engaged with a diverse set of stakeholders, industry leaders, and subject matter experts, and how the PBDA will implement this plan across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

This plan would not have been possible without the dedication of the public and our stakeholders, and we look forward to continuing to partner in our mission to provide “Internet for All”.

The draft Plan is now available for review and feedback. Input on the draft Plan is vital to its success and will ensure that the PBDA has listened and incorporated experience and needs from every corner of the state. Public Comment will be open at 12PM EST, Monday November 27, 2023 and will close at 12PM EST on Monday January 8, 2024. The PBDA has identified 3 processes to submit comments, which are outlined on the PBDA Digital Equity Act website.

Lastly, the PBDA will be posting a recording that provides details on how to submit public comment on the draft Statewide Digital Equity Plan, in the coming days. There are also a number of in-person Public Comment sessions being scheduled across the commonwealth, details of each session as well as registration is also available on the PBDA site.

Please note that the PBDA is also finalizing translations of the Executive Summary into 6 other languages, which will be posted and available for review as well.