HRSA Invests $11 Million to Expand Medical Residencies in Rural Communities

Posted on by vfl5083

Today, HRSA announced awards of more than $11 million to 15 organizations to strengthen the health workforce in rural areas. Administered through the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, located within HRSA, the Rural Residency Planning and Development Program supports the planning and establishment of new residency training programs in family medicine, internal medicine, psychiatry, preventive medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, and general surgery.  HRSA-funded research has found that more than half of rural U.S. counties lack hospital obstetric services. In response to the declining rural access to maternal health care, one of the awards will be used to create the first obstetrics and gynecology Rural Track Program in the country. Another six of today’s 15 awards will be used to develop new family medicine residency programs with a focus on enhanced obstetrical training in rural communities. Award recipients will each receive up to $750,000 over three years to establish new rural residency programs. They will use this funding to support accreditation costs, curriculum development, faculty recruitment and retention, resident recruitment activities, and consultation services to inform program development. These awards complement efforts by the Administration and by Congress to reform and expand Medicare payment policies for residency training.

National Dental and Fluoridation Associations Respond to New Fluoride Study

Posted on by lad3

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) recently published a study that examined fluoride exposure during pregnancy. In response to the release of the study, the American Dental Association and American Fluoridation Society released statements and resources affirming support of fluoride for oral health.

Click here to read the American Dental Association statement.
Click here to read the American Fluoridation Society Key Messages.

HRSA Releases Updated HPSA Data

Posted on by lad3

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) released updated data on Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). In addition, they updated the number of additional dental health practitioners needed to support the HPSAs. The number of HPSAs has grown nationwide since February. The updated data are available on the HPSA dashboard.

Click here for more information and to view the dashboard.

Final Recommendation Statement: Implementing Interventions to Prevent Falls in Community-Dwelling Older Adults 

Posted on by vfl5083

rural health Clinic

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released a final recommendation statement on interventions to prevent falls in community-dwelling older adults. The Task Force found that exercise can help prevent falls in adults 65 and older who are at increased risk. Additional interventions might be helpful for some older adults. To view the recommendation, the evidence on which it is based, and a summary for clinicians, please go here.

State Tobacco-Related Disparities Dashboard Released

Posted on by vfl5083

The state tobacco-related disparities dashboard, available on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, is an intuitive visualization platform. Use it to quickly explore cigarette smoking prevalence and related disparities in states by numerous factors. It can help you identify opportunities for improvement and action with your health center patients.

Register for HRSA Patient-Centered Medical Home Health Equity Symposium

Posted on by vfl5083

Registration is now open for this annual symposium, which the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) hosts in partnership with The Joint Commission. Join your peers and experts to hear about and discuss best practices and lessons learned in health equity, quality improvement, and accreditation and recognition. Visit the event to learn more and register for the Tuesday, July 16, and Wednesday, July 17, 12:00 – 4:00 pm symposium.

Text Reminders Help with Employee Burn Out

Posted on by vfl5083

Healthcare workers everywhere are struggling with burn out, a problem that has only intensified since the COVID-19 pandemic. To combat burn out and improve employee mental health, institutions like Penn Medicine have adopted a mental health platform that sends regular, automated text messages connecting employees to resources specifically designed for healthcare workers. A recent study by JAMA Network Open showed that employees receiving text message reminders saw a dramatic improvement in their depression symptoms. Read more about the mental health platform and the study here.

Pennsylvania Distributes Funding to Dentists Providing Services to Medicaid Patients

Posted on by vfl5083

As part of the FY 2023-24 state budget, the Pennsylvania state legislature allocated $12 million to be used for the purpose of making one-time payments to dentists enrolled in the Medical Assistance (MA) program based on an enrolled dentist’s utilization from calendar year 2022 billing of 31 dental codes as compared to the total claims billed. Per the legislation, this program is only for dentists that submitted bills for the eligible services using Provider Type 27 (Dentist). That means that care provided by FQHC dentists is not eligible for this funding as FQHCs are enrolled as Provider Type 8 and the FQHC is both billing and rendering provider.

Employers Now Have Employee Health Insurance Coverage Options

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Employers offering an Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement (ICHRA) can reimburse employees with pretax dollars to cover the cost of individual health insurance premiums and qualified medical expenses. ICHRAs first became available in 2020, preceded by qualified small employer health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) in 2017. Until then, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) prohibited employers from reimbursing employees for individual market premiums. Employers determine how much they will reimburse employees via an ICHRA health insurance plan. The same terms must apply to all workers within a given class, though reimbursements may be increased for older employees and those with more dependents. Some ICHRAs may be more affordable options because employers set how much they’re willing to spend and because they provide flexibility for employers who don’t or can’t offer healthcare insurance due to the cost. Unfortunately, not all employees can purchase individual coverage through marketplaces or receive premium tax credits. The coverage employers offer must not meet the Affordable Care Act Affordability standards and ensure enough employees participate or it may become cost prohibitive. Depending on the marketplace offerings, employers will have to determine if the risk or change is worth it.