The Medicare Part D program allows Medicare beneficiaries to add prescription drugs to their Medicare coverage. Within Medicare, two plans – Part D prescription plans and Medicare Advantage prescription plans– offer an array of payment options and benefits. Researchers at the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis found that Medicare Advantage prescription drug coverage plans were offered in lower numbers of noncore counties, had higher monthly premiums, and were less likely to offer enhanced benefits. Read more here.
Learning About Local Health Workforce Through Commute Patterns
To learn more about the available supply of nurses and allied health workers at local levels, researchers at the University of Washington Center for Health Workforce Studies looked at commute patterns found in the American Community Survey. The report says a key takeaway for researchers and workforce planners is a need to measure local supply based not only on where people report working, but also where they live. Read the report here.
ARHQ: Hospital Burden of Opioid-Related Inpatient Stays
The Agency for Healthcare Research Quality (AHRQ) examines the costs of opioid-related hospitalizations, with a comparison of metropolitan and rural hospitals. The report is part of AHRQs Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, a collection of data and analysis tools to enable research on a broad range of health policy issues. Read the report here.
GAO: Infection Control Deficiencies in Nursing Homes Before the Pandemic
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress. For this report, the GAO found that about 40 percent of surveyed nursing homes had infection prevention and control deficiencies from 2013 to 2019. Read the report here.
TRACIE Report on COVID-19 Challenges to Rural Health
The Technical Resources, Assistance Center, and Information Exchange (TRACIE) is a site created by the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. In this report, TRACIE explains and provides data for pandemic challenges specific to rural populations and health care facilities. Find the report here. More information and resources for emergency preparation and response can be found on the TRACIE website.
HHS Makes Awards to Expand the Addiction Workforce
On June 2, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) awarded $20.3 million to 44 recipients to increase the number of fellows at accredited addiction medicine and addiction psychiatry fellowship programs. The awardees will train addiction specialists at facilities in high need communities that integrate behavioral and primary care services. Addiction specialists have the knowledge and skills to provide comprehensive behavioral healthcare to under-served populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more here.
Updated Pennsylvania Dental Guidance: June 3, 2020
The Pennsylvania Department of Health issued updated guidance for dental providers in the state on Wednesday, June 3.
The CDC’s Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) call last week focused on “Guidance for Dental Settings During the COVID-19 Response.” The call provided a great overview of the CDC guidelines for infection control in the dental office.
Click here to view the 6/3 PA DOH guidance.
Click here to watch the CDC COCA recording.
Pennsylvania Governor’s Administration Approves $10.8 Million in New COVID-19 Working Capital Access Program Funding
On behalf of Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Secretary Dennis Davin announced that 133 companies have been approved for funding in the final disbursement of the COVID-19 Working Capital Access Program (CWCA). The latest cohort of businesses to receive funding includes chiropractors, restaurants, breweries and wineries, salons, fitness facilities. Over the course of the program, nearly $61 million was awarded to businesses across Pennsylvania.
In total, 745 businesses were approved for loans totaling $60,722,641.
A list of approved projects can be found on the website. New projects are highlighted in yellow.
DCED continues to update its website with financial and other resources.
HRSA Announces Black Lung Clinic Program Awards
The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) has awarded over $11.2 million to 15 recipients for the 2020-2025 Black Lung Clinics Program (BLCP). The purpose of this program is to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with occupationally-related coal mine dust lung disease through the provision of quality medical, outreach, educational, and benefits counseling services for active, inactive, retired, and disabled US coal miners. In an effort to address current disease trends, the program includes an emphasis on Coal Workers’ Pneumoconiosis & Progressive Massive Fibrosis.
Additionally, one cooperative agreement has been awarded to the University of Illinois at Chicago for the Black Lung Data and Resource Center (BLDRC). The purpose of this program is to strengthen the operations of BLCP recipients through programmatic assistance and improved data collection and analysis related to the health status and needs of U.S. coal miners.
Some Temporary Telehealth Provisions Will Become Permanent, CMS Chief Says
Becker’s Hospital Review
The number of CMS beneficiaries has grown from 12,000 weekly telehealth visits to “well into six figures” during the pandemic, and both President Donald Trump and CMS Administrator Seema Verma aim to continue those benefits.
Kellyanne Conway, assistant to the president and senior counselor, and Ms. Verma spoke at a recent news teleconference and discussed, among other topics, their efforts regarding telehealth. During the pandemic, CMS has expanded access to telehealth visits so all beneficiaries are covered for audio and video visits during the pandemic. The agency also updated coverage rates to pay the same rate as in-person visits for the duration of the crisis. Previously, telehealth visits had lower reimbursement rates.
Ms. Conway said that the president would like telehealth access to continue “long after the virus is completely vanquished.” Ms. Verma echoed that sentiment, saying that the president “has made it clear that he wants to explore extending telehealth benefits more widely.” She also said that the administration had made strides toward expanding access to telehealth before the pandemic.
“We had increased the amount of services that qualify for telehealth and even provided small, kind of, short visits over the phone or through Skype, even before the coronavirus,” she said. “So we’re looking at all of the waivers that we provided. We’re evaluating them to determine whether they should be extended past the coronavirus.” She also said that the agency is in the process of rulemaking and she expected some provisions that had been extended during the pandemic temporarily to become permanent.