- Rural Veterans Are Struggling with Access to VA-Provided Care
- Community Health Workers Spread Across the US, Even in Rural Areas
- Idaho Gained Nurses. But Not Enough To Deal with Retirements and Population Boom.
- CMS Announces New Policies to Reduce Maternal Mortality, Increase Access to Care, and Advance Health Equity
- USDA Partners With White House, National Rural Water Association to Strengthen Cybersecurity for Rural Water Systems
- On-Call Maternity Care in Rural Arizona Boosted by AHCCCS Funding
- Ask an Expert: Solutions to Social Isolation in Rural Communities
- Share Your Rural Health Story in Honor of National Rural Health Day
- On Navajo Nation, a Push to Electrify More Homes on the Vast Reservation
- Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Visits North Carolina to Highlight Federal Resources Available to Help Farmers, Families and Communities Recover from Hurricane Helene
- Pratt Is the Latest Kansas Town Facing Nitrate Pollution. One-Quarter of Its Water Supply Is Off
- NRHA Releases 2024 Compendium of Best Practices for Rural Age-Friendly Care
- Northern Forest Center Focuses on Rural Middle-Income Housing Needs
- Medical Academy Serves High School Students and Their Communities
- Rural Georgians Face Long Distances to Maternity Care - Community Clinics Can Help Fill the Gaps
Expanding Jail-Based Mental Health Services in Rural Counties
A feature article in The Rural Monitor examines the challenges of providing access to mental health services in rural jails. Features a telehealth counseling program in rural Texas and an Ohio program offering case management and mental health services to people in the county jail.
Join Us for PTAC Public Meeting on Rural Participation in Alternative Payment Models
The next quarterly public Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC) meeting will focus on encouraging rural participation in population-based total cost of care models. PTAC was authorized under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 to make recommendations on population-based total cost of care model proposals. Selected topics to be discussed in the two-day September PTAC meeting include challenges facing rural providers and patients and approaches for involving rural providers in such alternative payment models. For further information on the hybrid (in-person and livestream) meeting, please see the agenda, panelist bios, and registration form. The meeting will be held September 18-19.
Report: Rural-Urban Differences in the Availability of Hospital-Based Cardiac Services Between 2010-2020
Among the findings from the Rural and Minority Health Research Center: From 2010 to 2020, the proportions of metropolitan and micropolitan hospitals offering specialized cardiac care substantially increased, but there was no significant change among hospitals in rural noncore counties.
Maternal Mortality Crisis and Extension of Medicaid Postpartum Coverage
Examining the effect of extended postpartum coverage brought by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, policy experts present evidence that ensuring access to care for 12 months after giving birth is a key strategy to address the U.S. maternal mortality crisis. The authors note that Medicaid is used predominantly in rural areas and by individuals who are racial/ethnic minorities. The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show significantly higher rates of maternal death in 2021. A separate report from the CDC, out last month, reveals 1 in 5 women reported mistreatment while receiving maternity care, with clear disparities by race/ethnicity and insurance types. The FORHP-funded Rural Health Research Centers have increased their work on this issue in the last three years, following an earlier determination that rates of maternal mortality have long been higher for rural residents.
Congress Has Increased Rural Physician Training – Is it Working?
Experts analyze Medicare-funded residency training two years after Congress created 1,000 new residency slots reserved specifically for rural and underserved areas. The data show a need to re-examine residency slot distribution methods, sustainable funding, and technical assistance supporting rural locations. FORHP began a separate effort a few years before with the Rural Residency Planning and Development Program (RRPD). Since 2019, RRPD has funded $54 million to 73 organizations across 36 states and six medical disciplines.
The NHSC Student to Service Loan Repayment Application Now Open
The 2024 National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Students to Service Loan Repayment Program is now open. Final-year nursing, medical, and dental students can apply for up to $120,000 in exchange for a three-year commitment to providing primary care services at NHSC-approved sites in high-need areas. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) added a $40,000 supplement for medical students who commit to providing OB/GYN services in a maternity care target area. The application deadline is 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 7.
The Public Health Nursing Program is Seeking Applicants and Hosts
The Pennsylvania Action Coalition is seeking both applicants and host sites for the AmeriCorps Public Health Nursing Program. This program is designed to provide undergraduate nursing students with community-based primary care and public health clinical experiences while serving vulnerable communities. Sign up to be an AmeriCorps Public Health Nursing fellow. Host sites will be responsible for onboarding, and onsite supervising, and can network with nursing students who will be potential job seekers after service. If you are interested in becoming a host site for the nursing fellows, please email Christine Simon at csimon@phmc.org.
Health System Affiliated Primary Care Docs Are Drive Up Spending
Primary care physicians affiliated with large health systems drive up spending on patient care through increased referrals to specialists, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations, a study led by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found. Read more.
CMS ACO Data Highlights Important Role of PCPs in Cost Control
Last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the most recent data on Medicare Shared Savings Program Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), showing that the program reduced total Medicare spending for the sixth year in a row. Most notably, the data demonstrated that primary care providers are highly effective at controlling overall patient costs. Among ACOs that achieved savings, those that included medium or large hospitals averaged $140 per capita in net savings, while those whose members were at least 75% primary care clinicians saw $294 in per capita savings – over twice as much. CMS stated, “These results underscore how important primary care is to the success of the Shared Savings Program.”
340B Program and Medicaid MCOs Update
PA Department of Human Services (DHS) 340B Workgroup members received the following communication from DHS this week regarding the 340B Program and Medicaid MCOs:
“We wanted to provide an update on the Department’s work surrounding the 340B program. We appreciate the time everyone has taken to participate in the workgroup meetings, and individual meetings, as well as sharing information and feedback between meetings.
“CMS is currently considering a method for identifying 340B purchased drugs within the Medicare Program. As we often mirror Medicare, and to avoid duplicate work, we have decided to hold on to any decision until CMS announces the Medicare method. At that time, we will review the applicability of that process and decide how to proceed.
“Thank you again for your engagement and feedback.”