Calling current and future community leaders!  Applications for our Appalachian Leadership Institute (ALI) are now open.

This no-cost, nine-month leadership development training opportunity is centered on economic development. During six sessions in communities across the region, participants will learn how to better:

• Identify and implement strategies to strengthen their communities.
• Collaborate with a network of leaders across Appalachia.
• Recognize and utilize unique assets in their communities to build economic development plans.
• Appreciate the diversity and shared experiences of Appalachians.

Anyone living or working in Appalachia’s 423 counties is eligible to apply now. We look forward to building a stronger future for the region together!

A brief from the Aspen Institute discusses access to clean drinking water in rural, underserved communities and Native nations, and presents case studies of communities working to improve environmental health equity. Features the Environmental Justice Community Action Network (EJCAN) of North Carolina, the Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) of the Native Village of Hooper Bay, Alaska, and community leaders in Ivanhoe, North Carolina.

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HRSA’s Bureau of Health Workforce provides demographic, training and education, employment, COVID-19 impact, and workforce projection data for registered nurses (RNs) in the U.S.

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Thank you for attending the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy’s 2024 Preview Webinar on April 3rd.  Over 400 participants joined to hear about our anticipated funding opportunities and “hidden gems” – resources and projects that may not be well-known. Here, we’re providing a recording of the hour-long session.

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The Rural Health Information Hub posted a recording of the hour-long webinar from April 5 where experts from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reviewed policy updates on the latest hospital price transparency policies and enforcement actions that were made effective January 1, 2024 and affect all hospitals operating in the United States.

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Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updated this guidance to clarify that informed consent from patients is required before medical students or other students perform important surgical tasks, invasive procedures, or examinations. This guidance specifically references hospital enforced consent obligations in response to increasing public attention to the traditional practice of allowing practitioners or supervised medical, advanced practice provider, or other applicable students to perform examinations to training -related examinations outside the medically necessary procedure, particularly on anesthetized patients.

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In finalizing changes to payment policies for these programs, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) estimates an increase in Medicare Advantage plan revenues by an average 3.7 percent, or over $16 billion, from 2024 to 2025. The notice implements changes to the Part C risk adjustment model finalized in the CY 2024 final rule. The changes will be phased in over a three-year period. CMS also finalized technical updates to the Part C and D star ratings and will implement changes to the standard Part D drug benefit required by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. This includes capping annual out-of-pocket costs for people with Medicare Part D at $2,000 in 2025. Finally, CMS reminds stakeholders the agency seeks public input on Medicare Advantage Data – comment by May 29.

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The changes from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) are intended to improve access to behavioral health care; cap and standardize MA plan compensation to brokers which includes prohibiting volume-based bonuses for enrollment into certain plans; streamline enrollment for individuals dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid; and annually review MA utilization management policies for health equity considerations. Medicare Advantage enrollments continue to become a significant form of insurance coverage for Medicare eligible rural enrollees with 45.1 percent of nonmetropolitan eligible beneficiaries are enrolled in a MA plan (November 2023 RURPI Rural Policy Brief). Additionally, MA enrollment grew by 7.7 percent (2.2 million) from 2022 to 2023; the highest rate of growth was observed in non-metropolitan counties.

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The final rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services sets standards for Marketplaces and issuers, as well as requirements for agents, brokers, web-brokers, direct enrollment entities, and assisters that help Marketplace consumers. The rule includes policies that extend the special enrollment period for low-income people to enroll in coverage in any month rather than only during Open Enrollment, provides states the ability to increase access to routine adult dental services such as cleanings, diagnostic X-rays, and restorative services like fillings and root canals, and sets network adequacy standards for the time and distance people travel to appointments with in-network providers. The rule standardizes certain operations across the Marketplaces to increase reliability and consistency for consumers. Lastly, the rule includes several policies impacting the Medicaid program, Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the Basic Health Program.

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