Apr 8, 2020 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development has taken actions to help rural communities and businesses affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. This resource provides a list of opportunities for immediate relief, including the Rural Housing, Rural Utilities, and Rural Business-Cooperative Services. Items with an asterisk are new or updated as of April 8, 2020. Read more here.
One-in-Four U.S. Rural Hospitals at High Financial Risk of Closing as Patients Leave Communities for Care
Apr 8, 2020 — This article summarizes an analysis conducted before the coronavirus outbreak, that found a quarter of rural hospitals are at high risk of closing due to financial challenges. It describes how the migration of patients to care options outside the community has contributed to the situation, includes advice for rural hospitals to partner with other regional health systems and their communities. Read more here.
Individualized Telephone Outreach Reduces COPD Exacerbations
Apr 13, 2020 — Highlights a telephone outreach intervention launched by the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) at one of the VA’s rural outpatient clinics in Ohio. The program provided weekly healthcare visits by telephone for six weeks and reduced acute episodes of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among veterans. Read more here.
Public-Private Effort Launched to Help Distribute Existing Ventilators to High-Need Areas of the U.S.
Apr 14, 2020 — The American Hospital Association (AHA) and several hospitals and health systems announced the creation of the “Dynamic Ventilator Reserve,” an online inventory of ventilators and other supplies needed to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospitals can record inventory they are willing to lend to others, and providers can access and request to borrow as their need for ventilators increases. Read more here.
CMS: Medicare Program; FY 2021 Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities Prospective Payment System (IPF PPS)
Apr 14, 2020 — Notice of proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services updating the FY 2021 prospective payment rates, outlier threshold, and wage index for Medicare inpatient hospital services provided by inpatient psychiatric facilities (IPF), including psychiatric hospitals and excluded psychiatric units of an acute care hospital or Critical Access Hospital. The proposed rule also adopts the most recent Office of Management and Budget (OMB) statistical area delineations, and applies a 2-year transition for all providers negatively impacted by wage index changes. The changes would be effective for IPF discharges beginning October 1, 2020 – September 30, 2021. Comments on the proposed rule are due on June 9, 2020. Read more here.
CMS: Medicare Program; FY 2021 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update
Apr 15, 2020 — Notice of a proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services updating the hospice wage index, payment rates, and cap amount for fiscal year 2021. Includes changes related to the adoption of the most recent Office of Management and Budget (OMB) statistical area delineations, with a 5% cap on wage index decreases. Also summarizes the changes to the hospice election statement finalized in the FY 2020 Hospice Wage Index and Rate Update final rule and effective for October 1, 2020; and provides hospices with a model election statement and sample addendum. Includes rural considerations throughout. Comments are due by June 9, 2020. Read more here.
CMS: Medicare Program: Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities; Updates to the Value-Based Purchasing Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2021
Apr 15, 2020 — Notice of a proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services seeking comments on updates to the prospective payment system (PPS) for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) for fiscal year 2021. Includes proposals to make changes to the case-mix classification code mappings used under the SNF PPS, adopt the most recent Office of Management and Budget (OMB) statistical area delineations, and changes to the SNF value-based purchasing (VBP) program. Includes rural considerations throughout. Comments are due by June 9, 2020. Read more here.
FCC: Promoting Telehealth for Low-Income Consumers; COVID-19 Telehealth Program
Apr 9, 2020 — The Federal Communications Commission has released a rule to establish the COVID-19 Telehealth Program and the Connected Care Pilot Program. The COVID-19 Telehealth Program provides $200 million for healthcare providers to provide connected care services to patients in their homes or mobile locations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This program is effective April 9, 2020. The Connected Care Pilot Program will provide up to $100 million over three years to examine how the Universal Service Fund can support the trend toward connected care services to consumers, particularly for low-income and veteran populations. The Connected Care Pilot Program will be effective once approved by the Office of Management and Budget. Read more here.
HHS, CDC: Approval Tests and Standards for Air-Purifying Particulate Respirators
Apr 14, 2020 — Notice of interim final rule with comment period to update the regulatory requirements used by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to test and approve air-purifying particulate respirators for use in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The rule will be effective April 14, 2020. Comments are due by August 12, 2020. Read more here.
Using Telehealth to Fight Infectious Disease
Telehealth has gained traction recently due to the opportunities in care and convenience it offers to both patients and providers. One of telehealth’s most relevant features, given the current COVID-19 crisis, is its ability to support social distancing and quarantine precautions. In a March 23, 2020 article “Using Telehealth to Fight Infectious Disease,” Athenahealth highlights a Utah-based health system’s use of telehealth to combat the dangers of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing and the challenge of managing infectious diseases in remote areas. Additional telehealth resources are available on the athenahealth’s health care technology knowledge hub webpage.