- Social Factors Help Explain Worse Cardiovascular Health among Adults in Rural Vs. Urban Communities
- Reducing Barriers to Participation in Population-Based Total Cost of Care (PB-TCOC) Models and Supporting Primary and Specialty Care Transformation: Request for Input
- Secretary Kennedy Renews Public Health Emergency Declaration to Address National Opioid Crisis
- 2025 Marketplace Integrity and Affordability Proposed Rule
- Rural America Faces Growing Shortage of Eye Surgeons
- NRHA Continues Partnership to Advance Rural Oral Health
- Comments Requested on Mobile Crisis Team Services: An Implementation Toolkit Draft
- Q&A: What Are the Challenges and Opportunities of Small-Town Philanthropy?
- HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson, Joined by Co-Chair of the Congressional Black Maternal Health Caucus Congresswoman Lauren Underwood, Announces New Funding, Policy Action, and Report to Mark Landmark Year of HRSA's Enhancing Maternal Health Initiative
- Biden-Harris Administration Announces $60 Million Investment for Adding Early Morning, Night, and Weekend Hours at Community Health Centers
- Volunteer Opportunity for HUD's Office of Housing Counseling Tribe and TDHE Certification Exam
- Who Needs Dry January More: Rural or Urban Drinkers?
- Rural Families Have 'Critical' Need for More Hospice, Respite Care
- Rural Telehealth Sees More Policy Wins, but Only Short-Term
- States Help Child Care Centers Expand in Bid To Create More Slots, Lower Prices
Updates to PA Free Quitline
The Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Division of Tobacco Prevention and Control, in consultation with the National Jewish Health and Public Health Management Corporation, is implementing changes in cessation products by the PA Free Quitline. As of July 1, 2019, a 3-month supply of Chantix will be offered to newly enrolled Quitline participants on Medicaid.
HRSA Releases Updated HPSA Lists
The Health Resources and Services Administration announced the release of an updated list of geographic areas, population groups, and facilities designated as primary care, mental health, and/or dental care Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Penn State Team Supports Implementation of Novel Pennsylvania Rural Health Model

The Pennsylvania Rural Health Model was formally announced in January 2017 and officially launched in the state on Jan. 1, 2019. The effort will continue through 2024.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Pennsylvania is the first state in the nation to design and implement an alternative payment model focused solely on rural hospitals, with an emphasis on both containing health care spending and transforming care to better meet community needs.
A multi-disciplinary team of Penn State faculty and staff members, led by Lisa Davis, outreach associate professor of health policy and administration and director of the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health and Outreach, and Dennis Scanlon, distinguished professor of health policy and administration and director of the Center for Health Care and Policy Research, will work with the Pennsylvania Department of Health to support and evaluate the implementation of the Pennsylvania Rural Health Model.
The Pennsylvania Rural Health Model was formally announced in January 2017 and officially launched in the state on Jan. 1, 2019. The effort will continue through 2024.
The model, developed with funding from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, addresses the financial challenges that rural hospitals face by transitioning them from fee-for-service to global budget payments.
Currently, five rural hospitals and five health plans are participating in the model’s first implementation year. The Pennsylvania Department of Health and its sub-contractors continue to recruit additional hospitals and plans. Pending the passage of state legislation, the Rural Health Redesign Center (RHRC) will be established as an independent entity to administer the model.
Through a contract with the commonwealth, the Penn State team will engage in a projects and analysis associated with the first phase of the model and the establishment of the RHRC.
Davis will lead the drafting of by-laws, human resources policies, and marketing and communications plans for the RHRC. She also will explore funding opportunities for the RHRC and participating hospitals to extend the reach and impact of the model.
Scanlon will lead an analysis to inform the health needs of rural populations and will chronicle the evolution and history of the model.
Joel Segel, assistant professor of health policy and administration, will provide assistance with data aggregation and analytic support using data from a variety of sources. Segel and his team will assist with aggregation of data related to financial performance, population health, access to care, and quality from model stakeholders, all of which represent important targets for the model.
A computational and spatial analysis team, led by Guangqing Chi, associate professor of rural sociology and demography and public health sciences, will work with a team to understand the geospatial needs of the model and will provide consulting expertise. A data warehouse planning team, led by Max Crowley, assistant professor of human development and family studies and director of Penn State’s Administrative Data Accelerator, will map options and opportunities for the development of a long-term data solution for the RHRC. The solution will be focused on best practices for receiving, storing, managing, securing and using data from stakeholders.
2020 Census: Who’s At Risk of Being Miscounted?
The Urban Institute has published a report identifying the populations at risk for being miscounted in the 2020 U.S. Census. According to the Institute, the decennial census, which aims to count every US resident each decade, is critical to our democracy. It affects congressional seats and funding decisions at every level of government.
But the 2020 Census faces unprecedented challenges and threats to its accuracy. Demographic changes over the past decade will make the population harder to count. And underfunding, undertested process changes, and the last-minute introduction of a citizenship question could result in serious miscounts, potentially diminishing communities’ rightful political voice and share of funding.
To understand how these factors could affect the 2020 Census counts, the Urban Institute created projections under three scenarios—reflecting the miscount risk as low, medium, or high. Access the report at https://apps.urban.org/features/2020-census/?elq_cid=2420582&x_id=.
Community HealthChoices (CHC) in Pennsylvania is Coming in January 2020
The counties included in the third and final phase of the program’s implementation are:
- Lehigh/Capital Zone: Adams, Berks, Cumberland, Dauphin, Fulton, Franklin, Huntingdon, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Northampton, Perry, York.
- Northeast Zone: Bradford, Carbon, Centre, Clinton, Columbia, Juniata, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mifflin, Monroe, Montour, Northumberland, Pike, Schuykill, Snyder, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Wayne, Wyoming.
- Northwest Zone: Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Forest, Jefferson, McKean, Mercer, Potter, Venango, Warren.
What you need to know:
- CHC information for providers or participants can be found at healthchoices.pa.gov. The website will be updated as events are scheduled, so please check back often.
- Click here to take our online trainings and read CHC fact sheets.
- Access a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) about CHC by clicking here.
- Contact a CHC managed care organization (CHC-MCO) to become part of their provider network:
- AmeriHealth Caritas
- Phone: 1-800-521-6007 // Email: chcproviders@amerihealthcaritas.com
- Pennsylvania Health & Wellness
- Phone: 1-844-626-6813 // Email: information@pahealthwellness.com
- UPMC Community HealthChoices
- Phone: 1-844-860-9303 // Email: CHCProviders@UPMC.edu
- Sign up and encourage your peers to subscribe to CHC emails here. By signing up, you will receive regular communications regarding CHC distributed from the Office of Long-Term Living.
- AmeriHealth Caritas
Here’s a schedule of what’s coming in 2019
July 2019-October 2019
- An introductory flyer will be sent to participants identified within the CHC population. View the flyer by clicking here.
- Notices and enrollment packets will be mailed to participants.
- Information on the LIFE program will be sent to potentially eligible participants.
- Informational sessions will be held for participants to learn about CHC and how to select a CHC-MCO.
- For a full look at the CHC implementation timeline, click here.
- To learn the difference between CHC and HealthChoices, click here.
If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Long-Term Living’s Provider Hotline at 1-800-932-0939
A listserv has been established for ongoing updates on the CHC program. It is titled OLTL-COMMUNITY-HEALTHCHOICES, please visit the ListServ Archives page at http://listserv.dpw.state.pa.us to update or register your email address.
Please share this email with other members of your organization as appropriate. Also, it is imperative that you notify the Office of Long-Term Living for changes that would affect your provider file, such as addresses and telephone numbers. Mail to/pay to addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers may be updated electronically through ePEAP, which can be accessed through the PROMISe™ provider portal. For any other provider file changes please notify the Bureau of Quality and Provider Management Enrollment and Certification Section at 1-800-932-0939 Option #1.
To ensure you receive email communications distributed from the Office of Long-Term Living, please visit the ListServ Archives page at http://listserv.dpw.state.pa.us to update or register your email address.
Management Methodologies and Value-Based Strategies: An Overview for Rural Health Care Leaders
Management Methodologies and Value-Based Strategies: An Overview for Rural Health Care Leaders. The Rural Health Value team recently released a new resource outlining eight commonly used change management methodologies that are rural-relevant. It is intended as a guide to help rural health care leaders identify which approaches might be most useful to them and their organizations.
Resource for Clinicians: Health Workforce Connector
The newly-updated site allows users to create a profile to be viewed by employers at more than 16,000 sites and healthcare facilities located in rural and underserved communities. Subscribe for updates on virtual job fairs, as well as loan repayment and scholarship opportunities from the Bureau of Health Workforce at the Health Resources and Services Administration.
Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Training and Assistance
Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Training and Assistance. The website created at Brandeis University and funded by the U.S. Department of Justice provides comprehensive services and resources to help support the use and effectiveness of prescription drug monitoring programs in combating the misuse and diversion of prescription drugs. Visit the resource center. The department’s Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Program (COAP) also offers training and TA around increasing PDMP efficiencies and facilitating coordination between PDMPs and state and national stakeholders.
CMS ET3 Model RFA Preview and Webinar Archive Now Available
CMS ET3 Model RFA Preview and Webinar Archive Now Available. On June 11, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) hosted an overview webinar on the Emergency Triage, Treat, and Transport (ET3) Model Request for Applications (RFA), which was released for preview on May 22. The ET3 Model is a voluntary five-year payment model that provides greater flexibility for ambulance care teams to implement alternate models of emergency medical services (e.g., telehealth treatment and transport to alternative destinations) that appropriately address the needs of Medicare beneficiaries following a 911 call. The recorded webinar is now available online and includes key components of the RFA (i.e., eligibility requirements, application timelines, and necessary information required for a complete application). The application portal for the RFA will open later this summer and the anticipated start date for the ET3 Model is January 2020.
Comments Requested: Methodology for FCC Broadband Fund
Comments Requested: Methodology for FCC Broadband Fund – July 15. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) seeks feedback from the public on its proposed rule establishing a cap for the Universal Service Fund (USF) or methods for evaluating the financial impact of USF’s 4 programs: Connect America Fund, the Lifeline program, the schools and libraries program, and the Rural Health Care program. These programs support access to high-speed broadband.