- 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
- AJPH Call for Papers Special Section on Intersections of Public Health And Primary Care
COVID-Positive Pennsylvanians Ignoring Contact Tracing Questions
Provider Relief Fund – Latest Definition of “Lost Revenues”
Last month, the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) again revised the definition of “lost revenues” which Provider Relief Fund (PRF) funding may be used to offset. On Oct. 22, HHS announced that lost revenues should be defined as the difference between a provider’s actual patient care REVENUE in CY 2019 vs. CY 2020, calculated quarterly. This definition is tighter than the one that HHS announced in June (any reasonable estimate offered by the provider) but looser than the definition announced in September (the difference between net CY19 and CY20 INCOME.) NACHC staff are currently working with the PCA Leadership Committee to create a forum for resolving detailed questions raised by the latest definition. Questions on the new definition and guidance can be submitted to Cheri Rinehart, PACHC President and CEO.
NEW Uniform Data System COVID-19 Reporting Guidance
Developed to provide additional information about Uniform Data System (UDS) reporting that may be impacted by COVID-19, this new guidance includes information about reporting visits and patients, staffing, clinical quality, and revenue. For additional information on other COVID-19-related reporting considerations, such as temporary sites, health center staffing (e.g., volunteers) and funding and revenue, see our COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
Pennsylvania Updates Guidance for Reporting Point of Care SARS-CoV-2 Test Results
The Pennsylvania Department of Health issued updated guidance for reporting point of care COVID-19 test results in Health Alert 534-10-30-UPD. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued Emergency Use Authorizations (EUA) for several COVID-19 point of care (POC) tests for rapid detection of SARSCoV-2. All entities conducting these POC tests are required to report these results, including positive, negative and inconclusive/indeterminate, to public health authorities through PA-NEDSS. Click here to access all 2020 health alerts, advisories and updates.
‘No Mercy’ Chapter 7: After a Rural Town Loses Hospital, Is a Health Clinic Enough?
‘No Mercy’ is Season One of ‘Where It Hurts,’ a podcast about overlooked parts of the country where cracks in the health system leave people without the care they need. Our first destination is Fort Scott, Kansas.
Family physician Maxwell Self is doing his same old job for a new employer. For two decades he was a doctor with Mercy Hospital. But when Mercy packed up and left, a federally qualified health center moved to town — into the hospital building itself — and hired Dr. Self.
The Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas does things differently.
“What CHC says really has teeth and they’re solid,” Self said. “There’s real follow-through. And I have a lot more, I feel like, freedom to take care of people the way I want to and to get them what they need.”
With nutrition counseling and mental health and addiction services, and even things like arranging rides for patients, the center offers people what they need to be healthy, clinic executives said — not only health care for when they’re sick.
In the final chapter of the podcast, we also meet Sherise Beckham, 31, who lost work as a dietitian at Mercy when the hospital closed — just as she was expecting her second child.
“Initially, I cried a lot because I would be losing my job as well as losing a place to have my baby,” Beckham said.
Beckham helps explain how much more difficult it can be to have a baby when a town loses full-service maternity care. Then, later when she gets a job at — where else? — the new CHC clinic, Beckham gives us a front-row seat to the new vision for health care in Fort Scott.
CMS COVID-19 Stakeholder Engagement Calls – November
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 (twice a month on Tuesday 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
Next Office Hours:
Tuesday, November 17th at 5:00 – 6:00 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 2491556
Audio Webcast link: https://engage.vevent.com/index.jsp?eid=5779&seid=2617
Weekly COVID-19 Care Site-Specific Calls
CMS hosts calls for certain types of organizations on an intermittent basis 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.
Next Nursing Homes
Wednesday, November 18th at 4:30 – 5:00 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 1335116 Audio Webcast Link: https://engage.vevent.com/index.jsp?eid=5779&seid=2721
For the most current information including call schedule changes, please click here
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.
Research: Food Insecurity Is Worse for Rural Residents During the Pandemic
By Liz Carey
Before the pandemic, more than 2.3 million households in rural communities faced food insecurity. Researchers found it’s getting worse.
Read more
States Turn to Telehealth During the Pandemic
Since March, 36 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have enacted more than 79 bills changing telehealth policies, either permanently or temporarily, during the pandemic. This article published by the National Conference of State Legislatures discusses the details of that legislation. The article was funded through HRSA’s cooperative agreement with the National Organizations of State and Local Officials.
CDC Foundation COVID-19 Communications Toolkit
The non-profit supporting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers this collection of resources that help local public health agencies communicate about the pandemic.
ONC Interim Final Rule on Pandemic-Related Health IT
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) is accepting comments on an Interim Final Rule, effective on December 4, pertaining to Information Blocking and the ONC Health IT Certification Program that were outlined in the ONC Cures Act Final Rule released in March 2020. Find more information here.