- Request for Information (RFI): Evolving the Network of the National Library of Medicine
- Dental Therapists, Who Can Fill Cavities and Check Teeth, Get the OK in More States
- Colorectal Cancer Is Rising among Younger Adults. Some States Want to Boost Awareness.
- Rural Hospitals Built During Baby Boom Now Face Baby Bust
- Food Stamps Go Further in Rural Areas — Until You Add Transportation Costs
- CMS Announces Resources and Flexibilities to Assist with the Public Health Emergency in the State of Texas
- CMS Proposes New Payments for Digital Health Under CY2025 PFS Draft Rule
- Improving Public Health by Strengthening Community Infrastructure
- Biden Harris Administration Proposes Policies to Reduce Maternal Mortality, Advance Health Equity, and Support Underserved Communities
- Nearly Half of U.S. Counties Don't Have a Single Cardiologist
- Randolph County, Ill. Turns Unused Part of Nursing Home Into State-Of-The-Art Behavioral Health Center
- Safe and Stable Housing Is a Foundation of Successful Recovery
- Rural RPM Program Is a Lifeline for Pregnant Women
- Expert: Rural Hospitals Are Particularly Vulnerable to Increasing Cyberattacks Targeting Healthcare Facilities
- Biden-Harris Administration Invests Over $200 Million to Help Primary Care Doctors, Nurses, and Other Health Care Providers Improve Care for Older Adults
CMS COVID-19 Stakeholder Engagement Calls – Week of 4/27/20
CMS hosts varied recurring stakeholder engagement sessions to share information related to the agency’s response to COVID-19. These sessions are open to members of the healthcare community and are intended to provide updates, share best practices among peers, and offer attendees an opportunity to ask questions of CMS and other subject matter experts.
Call details are below. Conference lines are limited so we highly encourage you to join via audio webcast, either on your computer or smartphone web browser. You are welcome to share this invitation with your colleagues and professional networks. These calls are not intended for the press.
Calls recordings and transcripts are posted on the CMS podcast page at: https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Outreach/OpenDoorForums/PodcastAndTranscripts
CMS COVID-19 Office Hours Calls (Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:00 – 6:00 PM Eastern)
Office Hour Calls provide an opportunity for hospitals, health systems, and providers to ask questions of agency officials regarding CMS’s temporary actions that empower local hospitals and healthcare systems to:
- Increase Hospital Capacity – CMS Hospitals Without Walls;
- Rapidly Expand the Healthcare Workforce;
- Put Patients Over Paperwork; and
- Further Promote Telehealth in Medicare
This week’s Office Hours:
Tuesday, April 28th at 5:00 – 6:00 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 5787874
Audio Webcast link: https://protect2.fireeye.com/url?k=7638a38f-2a6c8aa4-763892b0-0cc47a6d17cc-cf3ef7b272885f7a&u=https://engage.vevent.com/rt/cms2/index.jsp?seid=1976
Thursday, April 30th at 5:00 – 6:00 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 7476619
Audio Webcast link: https://protect2.fireeye.com/url?k=ca9c4ad8-96c94308-ca9c7be7-0cc47a6a52de-da25fff20d2e55d3&u=https://engage.vevent.com/rt/cms2/index.jsp?seid=2069
Lessons from the Front Lines: COVID-19 (Fridays at 12:30 – 2:00 PM Eastern
Lessons from the Front Lines calls are a joint effort between CMS Administrator Seema Verma, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, MD, and the White House Coronavirus Task Force. Physicians and other clinicians are invited to share their experience, ideas, strategies, and insights with one another related to their COVID-19 response. There is an opportunity to ask questions of presenters.
This week’s Lessons from the Front Lines:
Friday, May 1st at 12:30 – 2:00 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 877-251-0301; Access Code: 9545128
Weekly COVID-19 Care Site-Specific Calls
CMS hosts weekly calls for certain types of organizations to provide targeted updates on the agency’s latest COVID-19 guidance. One to two leaders in the field also share best practices with their peers. There is an opportunity to ask questions of presenters if time allows.
Home Health and Hospice (Tuesdays at 3:00 PM Eastern)
Tuesday, April 28th at 3:00 – 3:30 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 1854778 Audio Webcast Link: https://protect2.fireeye.com/url?k=946b510f-c83e58df-946b6030-0cc47a6a52de-bec23b2d515d07a0&u=https://engage.vevent.com/rt/cms2/index.jsp?seid=1856
Nursing Homes (Wednesdays at 4:30 PM Eastern)
Wednesday, April 29th at 4:30 – 5:00 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 4680237 Audio Webcast Link: https://protect2.fireeye.com/url?k=f1b73c29-ade31502-f1b70d16-0cc47a6d17cc-7bc599a5ffca4ab1&u=https://engage.vevent.com/rt/cms2/index.jsp?seid=1982
Dialysis Organizations (Wednesdays at 5:30 PM Eastern)
Wednesday, April 29th at 5:30 – 6:00 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 6965645 Audio Webcast Link: https://protect2.fireeye.com/url?k=22d566a1-7e817fdd-22d5579e-0cc47adc5fa2-3832e64127e18fa0&u=https://engage.vevent.com/rt/cms2/index.jsp?seid=2057
Nurses (Thursdays at 3:00 PM Eastern)
Thursday, April 30th at 3:00 – 3:30 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 4268398 Audio Webcast Link: https://protect2.fireeye.com/url?k=d014edc7-8c40c4ec-d014dcf8-0cc47a6d17cc-369639c42710a141&u=https://engage.vevent.com/rt/cms2/index.jsp?seid=2063
To keep up with the important work the White House Task Force is doing in response to COVID-19 click here: https://protect2.fireeye.com/url?k=36fa2226-6aae0b0d-36fa1319-0cc47a6d17cc-2d06c219f858d641&u=http://www.coronavirus.gov/. For information specific to CMS, please visit the Current Emergencies Website.
ARC Updates COVID-19 Cases in Appalachian Counties
The COVID-10 Cases in Appalachia map displays the current number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Appalachia and throughout the United States. Higher numbers of cases are marked by larger dots, while smaller numbers of confirmed cases are represented by smaller dots. By clicking on a location, users can see confirmed COVID-19 cases and any related deaths at the county level. This map is automatically updated throughout the day drawing on data collected by the Johns Hopkins University. Due to frequent changes, it is advised that users refresh their browsers often when viewing the map. As of April 22, there were almost 24,000 cases in 392 counties.
Congressman Jodey Arrington Pens Op-Ed on COVID-19
Congressman Jodey Arrington (R-TX-19) has written an important opinion letter in the Washington Examiner. The Texas representative calls for a flattening of the curve of rural hospital closures. The opinion letter calls on our nation’s leaders to not leave rural America without resources to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Congressman Arrington advocated for rural access to the PPP, and for rural focused resources and funds.
New NACHC Infographic on Health Centers’ Response to COVID-19
The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) research team has been working with HRSA to collect data on health centers’ ongoing experiences and responses to COVID-19. The data will be updated weekly to this infographic. The infographic highlights the percentage of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) that have the ability to test, that have walk-up or drive-up testing, the number of tests conducted by health centers in the past week, how many patients tested positive, how many employees tested positive, the percentage of visits that were conducted virtually, access to essential personal protective equipment (PPE) and challenges to health center operations.
Has COVID-19 Changed the Course of Primary Care?
The coronavirus pandemic has hit the nation’s struggling primary care system hard. But could the crisis present an opportunity to change the way we provide and pay for primary care? A new Commonwealth Fund article highlights the shortcomings of primary care in the United States and offers strategies for building a more robust primary care system, starting with increasing what we pay primary care providers and ensuring that people can more easily get these services that are critical to maintaining health. Read more.
Battling COVID-19 Requires Testing and Contact Tracing
In an April 19 Lancaster Online op ed, Alisa Jones, CEO of Lancaster Health Center , asserts that an effective response to the COVID-19 crisis requires the public health approach of both testing and contact tracing. Citing the World Health Organization definition of contact tracing as “the systematic approach to identifying positive cases, connecting with individuals who had contact with the person who tested positive for COVID-19 and regular follow-up with those contacts to monitor for symptoms,” the article shares LCH’s experience using this approach. Ms. Jones asserts, “Widespread testing and contact tracing are how we flatten the curve of COVID-19 infection and return our community to a semblance of normalcy.” Read more.
Federal Stimulus Package 4
Congress is not expected back until May but is already discussing a fourth stimulus package to assist healthcare providers and others with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. NACHC is asking $73.2 billion for health centers, including $7.6 billion in emergency funding to assist with the impact of COVID-19 and $41.9 billion over five years for Health Center Program Fund reauthorization.
Pennsylvania Health Department Issues Return to Work for Healthcare Personnel Guidance
The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) released PA-HAN-499 with guidance for making decisions about return to work for healthcare personnel with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. This guidance replaces PA-HAN-489. Decisions about return to work should also be made in the context of local circumstances. Options include a test-based strategy or a non-test-based strategy. If healthcare personnel must return to work before meeting criteria, they should ideally perform non-direct care or direct care for persons confirmed to have COVID-19. Click here for all the 2020 health alerts, advisories and updates.
Bipartisan Policy Center: Confronting Rural America’s Health Care Crisis
The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) is a think tank combining ideas and solutions from both parties. In this report, the BPC’s Rural Health Task Force makes policy recommendations to stabilize rural health care in the current emergency and the long term.
CDC COVID-19 Updates
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides daily updates and guidance. New this week is a breakdown of factors that influence racial and ethnic minority group health. Another page updated daily has demographic characteristics of known cases in the U.S. A CDC site for rural-specific information will have a recording of yesterday’s Coronavirus update for rural stakeholders and communities, along with an archive of previous calls. CDC also does regular clinical calls for public health emergencies, called Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA).