- Social Factors Help Explain Worse Cardiovascular Health among Adults in Rural Vs. Urban Communities
- Reducing Barriers to Participation in Population-Based Total Cost of Care (PB-TCOC) Models and Supporting Primary and Specialty Care Transformation: Request for Input
- Secretary Kennedy Renews Public Health Emergency Declaration to Address National Opioid Crisis
- 2025 Marketplace Integrity and Affordability Proposed Rule
- Rural America Faces Growing Shortage of Eye Surgeons
- NRHA Continues Partnership to Advance Rural Oral Health
- Comments Requested on Mobile Crisis Team Services: An Implementation Toolkit Draft
- Q&A: What Are the Challenges and Opportunities of Small-Town Philanthropy?
- HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson, Joined by Co-Chair of the Congressional Black Maternal Health Caucus Congresswoman Lauren Underwood, Announces New Funding, Policy Action, and Report to Mark Landmark Year of HRSA's Enhancing Maternal Health Initiative
- Biden-Harris Administration Announces $60 Million Investment for Adding Early Morning, Night, and Weekend Hours at Community Health Centers
- Volunteer Opportunity for HUD's Office of Housing Counseling Tribe and TDHE Certification Exam
- Who Needs Dry January More: Rural or Urban Drinkers?
- Rural Families Have 'Critical' Need for More Hospice, Respite Care
- Rural Telehealth Sees More Policy Wins, but Only Short-Term
- States Help Child Care Centers Expand in Bid To Create More Slots, Lower Prices
NRHA Appropriations Update
According to the Coalition for Health Funding, the Senate Appropriations Committee (SAC) had intended to meet this week to begin marking up the 12 FY 2021 bills. However, partisan fights over what should be included, specifically but not limited to coronavirus and criminal justice funding matters, have caused the SAC to pause consideration of the FY 2021 bills. Congress is internally debating if the spending levels set in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2010, particularly the limit set for non-defense discretionary programs, are sufficient to meet the nation’s needs in the era of COVID-19. The Senate appropriations process may be stalled until September (after the August recess). Meanwhile, House Appropriations Committee (HAC) Chair Nita Lowey (NY-17) recently advised Members that subcommittee and full committee markups of the 12 federal appropriations bills will take place the weeks of July 6th and July 13th and House consideration of the FY 2021 appropriations bills are then expected the weeks of July 20th and July 27th. While progress on FY 2021 appropriations is encouraging, crises, elections, and politics will make enactment of these spending bills unlikely before September 30th—the end of the federal fiscal year.
Reps. Thompson and Butterfield Introduce the HEALTH Act
Representatives Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (PA-15) and G.K. Butterfield (NC-01) introduced the bipartisan Helping Ensure Access to Local TeleHealth, or the HEALTH Act, which will codify Medicare reimbursement for community centers and rural health clinics for telehealth services. Rep. Thompson remarks that, “The HEALTH Act will cut red tape and provide community health centers and rural health clinics the ability to offer these vital services to their patients on a more permanent basis.” Rep. Butterfield further states, “I am proud to join Congressman GT Thompson in introducing this vital legislation to address the telehealth needs of Medicare patients during this pandemic and beyond.” NRHA supports the passage of this bipartisan bill because telehealth has proven vital during COVID-19 and remain necessary in the future as well. However, issues like poor bandwidth internet connectivity and access to appropriate technology for rural providers and their patients must be addressed.
Increasing Rural Health Access During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Act
Representatives Xochitl Torres Small and Dan Newhouse (R-WA) introduced the bipartisan bill, Increasing Rural Health Access During the Covid-19 Public Health Emergency Act. By investing $50 million in rural communities, this bill, introducing a pilot grant program, would help expand access to telehealth in rural areas by increasing remote patient monitoring. Senators Martha McSally (R-AZ) and Dan Jones (D-AL) also introduced the bill to the legislature, stating that it will aid rural health clinics, community health centers, community behavioral health centers, long-term care facilities, and rural hospitals. According to McSally, “Provider shortages, especially among specialists who care for Americans living with chronic conditions, are painfully evident in rural America and on tribal lands, where the prevalence of chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension is often higher than the rest of the country.” She advocates that increasing access to telehealth in rural areas will “remedy these shortages” by allowing vulnerable populations to benefit from health care remotely.
New Analysis Highlights Rural and Racial Disparities in Accessing COVID-19 Testing
According to a new Surgo Foundation analysis: Nearly two-thirds (64%) of all rural counties in the United States do not have a COVID-19 testing site, leaving 20.7 million people in a ‘testing desert.’ Of the rural population without a COVID-19 testing site, 8.5 million (41% of this population, 20% of the total rural population) live in highly vulnerable areas geographically concentrated in four states: Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Arkansas. Drilling deeper, 1.27 million rural Black Americans (35% of the rural black population) live in highly vulnerable testing deserts. Compared to the average rural American, Black Americans are 1.7 times more likely to live in these areas. And rural Black Americans are 2.7 times as likely to be living in a vulnerable area with a lack of testing sites and increasing deaths, compared to the average rural American.
Rural Hospice Workers Struggle to Overcome Physical and Emotional Barriers to Care
Tribal organizations and activists step up as Covid-19 begins to threaten mental wellness among tribes hit hard by the pandemic. Read more here.
Rural Counties Set Record for New Cases of Covid-19
By Tim Marema
The cumulative number of infections in rural counties jumped 13% in the last week, a faster rate than the rest of the nation. Read more here.
Clarification on RHC and FQHC Cost Sharing Announced
On July 6, CMS updated MLN Matters Article SE20016 to clarify how Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) can apply the Cost Sharing (CS) modifier to preventive services furnished via telehealth. This update includes:
- Additional claim examples
- New section on the RHC Productivity Standard
COVID-19 Crisis Fire Company and EMS Grant Program Funding Available in Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Emergency Health Services Council has announced that COVID-19 Crisis Fire Company and EMS Grant Program funding is now available. Organizations are urged to access the following links to check eligibility and for application details.
https://www.osfc.pa.gov/GrantsandLoans/Pages/COVID-19-Fire-Rescue-EMS-Grant.aspx?fbclid=IwAR0C9oOMttwYWykLir2_qPHMLvsVY4js7awH8grFZbqJds4HiZNAmtZMMa8
Providers Urged to Submit Data by July 20 Deadline for Medicaid and CHIP Relief Funds
HHS recently announced the additional distributions from the Provider Relief Fund to eligible Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) providers that participate in state Medicaid and CHIP programs. HHS expects to distribute approximately $15 billion to eligible providers that participate in state Medicaid and CHIP programs and have not received a payment from the Provider Relief Fund General Distribution. Eligible providers must submit their data by July 20.
Before applying through the Enhanced Provider Relief Fund Payment Portal, applicants can watch a webinar about the application process for Medicaid/CHIP providers. An additional webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, July 8 at 4:00 pm EDT, which you can register for here. I also encourage you to review the most recent FAQs on the program and the Medicaid/CHIP targeted distribution here.
More Research Points to Importance of Masks, Mandatory Mask-Wearing Order Remains in Effect
Pennsylvania Governor Wolf’s Administration highlighted recent research studies that further point to the importance of wearing masks to stop the spread of COVID-19.
According to a recent, comprehensive study published in The Lancet and funded by the World Health Organization, which identified 172 observational studies across 16 countries and six continents, face mask use could result in a large reduction in risk of infection from COVID-19, in particular when combined with social distancing.
A study by a team of researchers led by a Texas A&M University professor has found that not wearing a face mask dramatically increases a person’s chances of being infected by the COVID-19 virus. The findings were published in the PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences). According to the study’s findings, “not wearing a face mask dramatically increases a person’s chances of being infected by the COVID-19 virus.”
And a recent modeling study by the Royal Society A notes that wearing masks in public could have a major impact toward reducing the spread of COVID-19. According to the modeling, “Under certain conditions, when lock-down periods are implemented in combination with 100% facemask use, there is vastly less disease spread, secondary and tertiary waves are flattened, and the epidemic is brought under control. The effect occurs even when it is assumed that facemasks are only 50% effective at capturing exhaled virus inoculum with an equal or lower efficiency on inhalation.”
Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine signed an order mandating mask-wearing on July 1. It remains in effect. Frequently Asked Questions about the mask-wearing order can be found here.