– Comment by June 24. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) seeks comments on the reestablishment of a matching program between CMS and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Health Administration (VHA) titled “Identification and Recovery of Duplicate Payments for Medical Claims.” According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Rural Health (ORH), there are 4.4 million veterans living in rural America, with 2.7 million enrolled in the VA health care system. The matching program will assist CMS and VHA in identifying claims where VHA and CMS made duplicate payments for the same healthcare services. The program will be effective 30 days after the publication of the final rule and will begin with an initial term of 18 months (from approximately June 24, 2024 to December 23, 2025).

Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that individuals now have the option to file an Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) complaint directly with CMS if they believe their EMTALA rights have been violated by a hospital emergency department. CMS’ new process is in addition to the traditional process of contacting state survey agencies. EMTALA is a federal law that helps prevent any hospital emergency department that receives Medicare funds from refusing to treat patients. The new form is the latest in a series of new resources from CMS to help educate the public about EMTALA.

Each program director of active HRSA grants has received an invitation to take our new and improved Grantee Satisfaction Survey.  With the highest possible response rate through June 10, we can pinpoint crucial areas for action.   For general questions about the survey, contact HRSAGranteeSurvey@hrsa.gov 

– June 27.  HRSA’s Bureau of Health Workforce provides up to $250,000 in loan repayment for behavioral health clinicians, support workers, and clinical support staff trained in substance use disorders.  According to data from the Rural Health Research Gateway, “as of March 31, 2023, there were 4,040 Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas in rural areas, with 2,141 practitioners needed to remove the designations.”

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is proud to announce the recipients of the 2024 CMS Health Equity Award. The CMS Health Equity Award is awarded to organizations working towards advancing health equity by reducing disparities in health care access, quality, and outcomes.

The CMS Health Equity Awardees at the CMS Health Equity Conference on May 30, 2024.

The 2024 CMS Health Equity Award Recipients are:

Latino Connection, Harrisburg, PA, Community-Accessible Testing & Education (CATE) Initiative (provided by Latino Connection)

In 2014, George Fernandez founded a community-based organization, Latino Connection, in the heart of Pennsylvania to create and activate programming in low-income communities to address every aspect of the social determinants of health. Their Community-Accessible Testing & Education (CATE) initiative was launched in response to the COVID-19 pandemic with the aim of addressing disparities in access to essential resources and education among underserved communities. With Latino Connection being the first Latino and LGBTQ+ organization to launch such a program, CATE represents a groundbreaking effort to provide critical support to populations disproportionately affected by the pandemic, including minorities, low-income individuals, LGBTQ+ communities, and those residing in urban areas.

CATE has successfully reached thousands of Pennsylvanians with lifesaving resources and education. Between 2020 and 2022, nearly 9,000 COVID-19 tests and over 17,000 vaccinations were administered across the state, particularly in vulnerable and underserved communities who may not have had access otherwise. CATE also provided 500 flu shots and 10,000 PPE kits, resources, and education in both English and Spanish to the more than 37,000 people that attended all their community events combined. Latino Connection’s CATE initiative exemplifies the transformative power of community-driven interventions in addressing health disparities.

By prioritizing inclusivity, accessibility, and collaboration, CATE has not only provided critical support during the COVID-19 pandemic but has also laid the groundwork for long-term improvements in health equity across Pennsylvania.

Augusta Health, Shenandoah Valley, VA, Primary Care Mobile Clinic Program (provided by Augusta Health)

Celebrating its 30^th Anniversary, Augusta Health is a 255-bed, non-profit, independent hospital serving communities of the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, in a semi-rural setting. Embracing their vision to be “a national model for community-based healthcare”, Augusta Health reaches out to neighborhoods with rural geographic barriers and local cities with high poverty rates and adverse social and health barriers. One of the ways they respond to acute deficits in access to health care in the community is through the implementation and growth of their Primary Care Mobile Clinic program (Today known as the Augusta Health Neighborhood Clinics).

Since its official launch in September 2022, the Primary Care Mobile Clinic program has expanded to operate at 14 unique sites each month. Sites have included community centers, churches, a fire house, the mayor’s office, and homeless shelters. Neighborhood selection is based on identifying communities in the most need through analysis using the University of Wisconsin’s Area Deprivation Index (ADI) score and mapping techniques.  Building upon the analytics, the key component for their success is having community partners with local expertise in key social services like housing and food insecurity.

Within the first full year of the program, the Primary Mobile Clinic has provided more than 1,700 primary care visits for 825 patients at 17 different community sites. Services vary by location and are based on community need.

To learn more about the CMS Health Equity Award and to sign up for updates on other grants and awards, please visit go.cms.gov/HEaward.

On May 21, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a new suite of summer nutrition programs to help tackle hunger and improve healthy eating for millions of children. Through the suite of SUN Programs (Summer Nutrition Programs), families now have more choices and convenient ways to get summer nutrition support for their children and teens with new SUN Bucks, SUN Meals, and previously launched SUN Meals To-Go. These programs offer free summer meals for kids 18 and under and new grocery benefits for eligible school-aged kids.

Visit USDA’s SUN Programs website—www.fns.usda.gov/summer—to find out more and see what’s available in your community. Program information is also available in Spanish. The USDA have also developed digital, brand and print materials – available in English, Spanish, and additional languages – that can be used to promote SUN programs.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has extended the temporary SEP to help people who are no longer eligible for Medicaid or CHIP transition to Marketplace coverage in states using HealthCare.gov.

The end date of this “Unwinding SEP” has been extended from July 31, 2024, to November 30, 2024, which will help more people leaving Medicaid or CHIP secure affordable, comprehensive coverage through the start of the next Open Enrollment Period. This extension is crucial to ensuring people remain covered, including in states that have given children or other groups additional time to renew their coverage, as CMS has recommended, to help eligible people stay enrolled.

Click here for more information on the extension of the Unwinding SEP. This document is an addendum to the original FAQ, which is available for reference here.