With global climate watchers reporting Tuesday, July 4 as the hottest on record, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is striving for widespread awareness and preparation for more intense temperatures.  The first step is knowing who is most vulnerable in each community.  In rural areas, manual laborers are the most visible but older adults – especially those with medical conditions – who live alone are at increased risk and may go unnoticed. One important tip is to build a support network, check on neighbors, and create a plan for emergencies like a power outage.  See the Funding section below for a new grant opportunity from FEMA.

 As a follow-up to the May 2023 release of the School-Based Services (SBS) Comprehensive Guide to Medicaid Services and Administrative Claiming, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched the SBS Technical Assistance (TA) Center.  This TA Center will support State Medicaid agencies, local education agencies, and school-based entities seeking to expand their capacity for providing Medicaid school-based physical and behavioral health services, and it will assist these entities in obtaining payment for Medicaid SBS.  Schools can play an important role in bridging equity gaps among students in low-income and rural communities where access to health care services may be more limited.

On June 26, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule under the end-stage renal disease (ESRD) Prospective Payment System for dialysis services furnished to Medicare beneficiaries on or after January 1, 2024. This includes facility-level adjustments for ESRD facilities that have a low patient volume, for facilities in rural areas, and for the wage index. In addition, CMS is issuing a Request for Information (RFI) soliciting comments regarding potential changes to the Low-Volume Payment Adjustment (LVPA) methodology and the possible creation of a new payment adjustment that accounts for isolation, rurality, and other geographic factors to inform future rulemaking.  Comments are due by August 25, 2023.

 Learn why Massachusetts, Hawaii, and New Hampshire top the health policy nonprofit’s ranking based on 58 measures of access, quality, disparities, and outcomes among other factors.  While there’s scant mention of health care in rural areas, many of the emerging crises at the center of the report – namely, avoidable deaths from preventable and treatable causes – are known to have higher incidence in these areas.

  Researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) update their chart showing the number of physicians per capita in rural counties.

 The federal Administration for Community Living (ACL) is seeking input on proposed updates to the regulations for its Older Americans Act programs. The proposed rule is the first substantial update in 35 years, addressing new issues that have emerged and clarifying a number of requirements for programs, such as ACL’s state and tribal caregiver support programs.  Last year, the FORHP-supported Rural Health Research Gateway evaluated 50 State Plans on Aging, including common and innovative approaches for serving older adults. Respond by August 15, 2023.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released a final recommendation statement on screening for anxiety disorders in adults. The task force determined that screening can help identify anxiety disorders in adults younger than 65, including those who are pregnant and postpartum. More research is needed to recommend for or against screening for anxiety disorders in adults older than 65. View the recommendation, the evidence on which it is based, and a summary for clinicians. In addition, the task force has also released a final recommendation statement on a related topic, screening for depression and suicide risk in adults.