A new report from Capital Link and the National Health Care for the Homeless Council aims to provide practical guidance for Health Care for the Homeless (HCH) health centers. It provides a thorough examination of financial and operational benchmark trends, empowering HCHs to leverage their data resources to effectively address health equity concerns. Visit Capital Link’s site to download.

The American Cancer Society and Color Health are working together on a program to bring free at-home colorectal cancer screenings to patients in rural areas, who often face barriers to cancer screening. This program is free for both participating health centers and patients. Color Health will provide health centers with free Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) kits for patients (up to 50 per site). Support to help navigate through this screening process will also be provided by Color Health. Patients and health centers will be notified of results and instructions for next steps. Even clinics not in a rural area but that serve rural patients are eligible. Any interested health centers can reach out to kacie.jankoski@cancer.org for more info.

In July, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released two pieces of guidance on provisions in the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) of 2023. The first piece of guidance addresses new requirements around accurate, regularly updated, and searchable provider directories in Medicaid and CHIP. Medicaid agencies and managed care organizations will need to make these changes by July 1, 2025. The second piece of guidance discusses Section 5121 of the CAA, which creates a new requirement to provide screening, diagnostic, and case management services to “eligible juveniles” who are post-adjudication in correctional facilities. Medicaid agencies will also have the option, under Section 5122 of the CAA, to provide full Medicaid and CHIP benefits to incarcerated young people who are pre-adjudication.

The latest feature article in The Rural Monitor features four rural health care organizations describing the impact of their community health worker programs and strategies for sustaining them.

This campaign from the University of Rochester (UR) Recovery Center of Excellence developed an awareness campaign to address stigmatizing beliefs around substance use disorder (SUD) that can pose a barrier to care in rural communities.  The resource features perspectives of people in recovery from SUD as well as providers.  UR has one of three FORHP-supported Rural Centers of Excellence on Substance Use Disorder.

– Thursday, August 15 at 2 pm Eastern. The National Association of Rural Health Clinics (NARHC) will host the free webinar with details on the recently released Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Calendar Year 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) proposed rule. This annual regulatory update contains Rural Health Clinic (RHC) specific proposals to eliminate productivity standards, remove hemoglobin/hematocrit from the six required lab services, reform care management billing, and allow RHCs to bill for administration of part B preventive vaccines at time of service, among others. Additional time for Q&A will be provided. Advanced registration is required.

On July 30th, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule that provides updates to the fiscal year (FY) 2025 Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP). This rule finalizes new HQRP quality measures; finalizes a new data collection instrument, the Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE); summarizes responses to a request for information regarding potential social determinants of health (SDOH) elements; and provides updates on Health Equity activities, future quality measures, and public reporting requirements. The rule also finalizes changes to the Hospice Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (Hospice CAHPS) Survey.   This rule is effective October 1, 2024.

This brief from the North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center provides an update to a 2016 analysis of the profitability of low-volume and non-low-volume rural Prospective Payment System hospitals under the Affordable Care Act’s qualifying criteria.

-Apply by September 23.  The U.S. Department of Commerce seeks applications from state and local entities for grants aimed at putting affordable, high-speed internet in communities where it is not available.  The funding is part of the “Internet for All” initiative, formally known as the Digital Equity Act, legislation that was passed by Congress in 2021. This initiative includes special provisions for rural communities, tribal organizations and more covered entities to assist in the costs associated with hardware and construction of broadband.  Urban residents were more likely than rural residents to have a broadband internet subscription (91% of urban households vs. 87% of rural households).  Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration will hold a Digital Equity Grants 101 Webinar on Wednesday, August 7 at 3:00 pm Eastern.