This study from the WWAMI Rural Health Research Center describes the availability of care to increase comfort for patients with serious illness and identifies novel solutions for providing this essential care to rural communities.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center summarize available data on the challenges of providing obstetric services in rural settings, as well as clinical and policy efforts to improve access.

The U.S. Census Bureau reports on the change in commuting patterns between rural workers and urban areas and describes the impact on rural communities and economies.

The federal Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) provides information on mortality disparities due to overdose, suicide, and alcoholic liver disease/cirrhosis among people ages 15-64.  The report is a collaboration among ARC, East Tennessee State University Center for Rural Health Research, and the NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis.

 The Government Accountability Office (GAO), the federal agency that examines how taxpayer dollars are spent, issued a new report on behavioral health benefit availability under Medicare and Medicare Advantage (MA) programs. The GAO reports findings on what beneficiaries pay out of pocket, and oversight by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services of cost-sharing in MA plans for behavioral health services. Behavioral health conditions were estimated to affect at least a quarter of the 66.7 million Medicare beneficiaries in 2023.  The 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health estimated approximately 7.7 million nonmetropolitan adults reported having any mental illness (AMI) in 2023, accounting for 22.7 percent of non-metropolitan adults.

Have you watched the BPHC Workforce recent webinar on designing and implementing a Workforce Well-being Strategy? BPHC invites you to join their virtual office hours where they will clarify your questions and go over common challenges health center leadership face when developing such a strategy. Examples may include securing executive buy-in, balancing competing priorities, and integrating initiatives into organizational culture. BPHCs TA facilitators will also point out ways in which you can tackle these issues and address topics requested by health center staff. Don’t forget to download their Workforce Well-being Strategy Template to support your health center in building an effective strategy. TA Modality Office Hours are Sept. 10, 2024, from 2:00-3:00 pm. For more information about BPHCs full range of Technical Assistance opportunities, access to publications and resources, and details on past events, please visit their website.

CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices updated its flu vaccine recommendations for the 2024-2025 flu season. Primary changes and updates include the composition of the vaccines and updated recommendations for vaccination of adult solid organ transplant recipients. See the full announcement in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

This week, leadership from the Pennsylvania Departments of Human Services (DHS), Health (DOH), Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP), and the Pennsylvania Insurance Department (PID) met with healthcare providers and doulas to kick off development of the commonwealth’s maternal health strategic plan. The plan will address high rates of maternal mortality, especially among black women, and ensure pregnant women in Pennsylvania get the prenatal and postpartum care they need to live healthy lives for both themselves and their children. The maternal health strategic plan will include priorities centering on equity and diversity, with a focus on increasing access to high-quality care, expanding and diversifying the maternal health care workforce, and addressing behavioral health and substance use disorder services and supports. DHS, DOH, DDAP, and PID will launch an online survey and host community events throughout Pennsylvania in September and October to help gather input from Pennsylvanians with lived experience in maternal health. The survey and events will help the departments inform and expand the planned strategies to improve maternal health outcomes across the state. Learn more.

– Comment by October 4. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is revisiting possible changes to Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) jurisdictions and contract duration. In this RFI, CMS seeks feedback from industry leaders about potentially combining 4 MAC jurisdictions into 2 and extending MAC contracts to 10 years.  A CMS MAC is a primary health care insurer that has been awarded a geographic jurisdiction to process fee-for-service claims, e.g., Medicare Part A, Part B, and durable medical equipment claims. The MAC serves as the primary contact between Medicare and health care providers, and is a multi-state, regional contractor responsible for administering both Part A and Part B claims. To see if your MAC jurisdiction may be affected by CMS’ proposed updates, please review the RIF on SAM.gov.

To improve implementation of parity in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) seeks comments on a new set of templates and instructional guides for state agencies to document how mental health and substance use disorder benefits provided through a state’s Medicaid managed care program, Medicaid alternative benefit plans, and/or Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) comply with Medicaid and CHIP Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act Final Rule requirements. These new tools are intended to standardize, streamline, and strengthen the process for states to demonstrate, and for CMS to determine, compliance with, mental health/substance use disorder parity requirements in coverage and delivery of state Medicaid and CHIP benefits.  Medicaid and CHIP are important sources of insurance in rural areas, and they play a key role in financing care for people with behavioral health needs.