By Tim Murphy and Tim Marema
Gaps in reporting over the holidays created a false impression about the virulence of the pandemic in rural America.
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Rural-Specific Considerations for COVID-19 Vaccine
The Rural Health Information Hub provides a collection of information, including guidance for providers and resources for outreach to the public.
Request for Nominations to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission – February 12
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is accepting nominations for appointments to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), the independent agency that advises Congress on Medicare. Submit letters of nomination and resumes to MedPACappointments@gao.gov.
Medicaid Guidance Addressing SDOH
In this letter, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) describes opportunities under Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to better address social determinants of health (SDOH) as well as federal authorities under Medicaid and CHIP that states can use to address SDOH.
Extension for Filing Medicare Cost Reports
For Medicare cost reports ending March 1, 2020, through December 31, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is granting providers an additional 60 days from the initial due date to file their cost reports. Read more here.
Final: Modifications to the Definition of Rural for FORHP Grants
The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) finalized modifications to the definition of ‘rural’ used to designate areas eligible for its rural health grants. For grants awarded after October 1, 2021, FORHP will add all outlying Metropolitan counties that do not contain any Urbanized Area (UA) population to the list of eligible areas. With this change, almost 300 counties in 42 states will be newly-designated as completely eligible for rural health grants. Read more here.
RAND: How COVID-19 Has Affected Family Caregiving
The RAND Corporation is a non-partisan, nonprofit organization that researches and analyzes public policy. In this report, RAND makes the case for integrating family caregivers into the health care team and highlights several solutions for accomplishing this goal.
Comments Requested: FCC COVID-19 Telehealth Program – January 19
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) received $249.95 million in new appropriations to fund a second round of the Commission’s COVID-19 Telehealth Program. This program started last spring with a $200M appropriation in the CARES Act. The Commission seeks public comment by Tuesday, January 19 on planning Round 2, such as priorities and metrics for awardee selection and how to streamline selection administration. Details of the solicitation and comment filing process are in the FCC’s official request for information.
HHS Renews Public Health Emergency
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services renewed the COVID-19 public health emergency declaration for an additional 90 days, effective January 21, 2021.
Nationwide Study Shows Rise in Opioid Affected Births
A new study conducted by researchers at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services indicates that mothers with opioid-related diagnoses documented at delivery increased by 131 percent from 2010 to 2017. Rural, white, and Medicaid populations continue to have the highest rates of maternal opioid-related diagnoses and neonatal abstinence syndrome.