A new feature article in The Rural Monitor examines the increasing incidence of cyber-attacks on healthcare organizations and the particular vulnerability of rural providers.  According to the Cybersecurity Program at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 60 percent of ransomware attacks – whereby bad actors gain entry to an organization’s online system and lock critical files until a ransom is paid – were aimed at healthcare systems in 2020. FORHP-supported research last year found that rural hospitals are less likely to be attacked, but staff are less equipped to handle them when they do happen, and rural residents who need these services have fewer alternatives for care.

In this learning event hosted by the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will give insight and details of a new project from the CMS Innovation Center designed to improve population health while curbing cost for states.  A Notice of Funding Opportunity for the AHEAD Model (Advancing All-Payer Health Equity Approaches and Development) will soon be announced, seeking participation from as many as eight states.  Eligible applicants are state Medicaid agencies, state public health agencies, state insurance agencies, or other entities with the authority and capacity to enter into an agreement with the federal government.  As with all CMS Innovation Models, selected states will receive tools and resources to help move the entire healthcare system toward value-based care, with improved outcomes for all participants in that system – patients first, but also providers, and the public and private insurers that pay providers.  The AHEAD Model will have a focus on engaging rural and safety net hospitals and primary care providers, including Critical Access Hospitals, Rural Emergency Hospitals, and Rural Health Clinics. Thursday, October 26, 2023 at 12:00 pm Eastern.

The Rural Health Information Hub recently updated this topic guide with information on different types of funding sources.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 expanded the range of behavioral health practitioners that can serve Medicare beneficiaries by allowing marriage and family therapists (MFTs) and mental health counselors (MHCs) to bill Medicare directly beginning in 2024. CMS included policies that would implement this in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule for 2024. The agency has also recently released a document providing answers to Frequently Asked Questions on the details of Medicare enrollment for these providers, along with how this relates to other topics including telehealth. MFTs and MHCs can help to address behavioral health workforce shortages in rural areas, with recent research finding a much smaller proportion of rural counties lacked counselors compared to any other behavioral health provider type.

The Rural Health Information Hub recently updated this topic guide with information on different types of funding sources.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule that simplifies eligibility and enrollment processes for the Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs), a collection of programs that provide qualifying, low-income Medicare beneficiaries with state-based assistance paying for Medicare premiums and cost-sharing. For several years, estimates have shown low enrollment in these programs.  In response, this rule requires States to simplify policies and procedures with the goal of enrolling more eligible Medicare beneficiaries.  In 2020, over 1 million rural Medicare beneficiaries had limited Medicaid benefits through these programs.  

The Physician‐Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC), an independent federal advisory committee, seeks public input to inform their report to the Secretary with recommendations to encourage rural participation in value-based payment (VBP) models.  They request information on what definitions of rural are most relevant for VBP, what are the needs of rural providers, what are the barriers to rural participation in VBP models, and what non-medical interventions rural populations need.  Send questions or comments to PTAC@HHS.gov. Input Requested by October 20, 2023.