- 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
Apply for a New Funding Opportunity: Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program
HRSA’s Bureau of Health Workforce will hold an online information session for applicants today at 1:00 pm ET. Eligible substance use disorder (SUD) treatment clinicians and community health workers can apply to receive up to $250,000 in educational loan repayment in exchange for working full-time for six years at an approved facility. Recent research shows that nearly one-fifth (18.4 percent) of rural counties did not have a behavioral health or social service counselor compared to 4.6 percent of urban counties. Apply by July 13, 2023.
FORHP Grants is in Motion: The Rural Health Care Coordination Program
This edition of Grants in Motion focuses on a recipient of the Community Based Division’s Rural Health Care Coordination Program (RHCC). The RHCC Program supports rural health consortiums/networks aiming to achieve the overall goals of improving access, delivery, and quality of care through the application of care coordination strategies in rural communities.
New Study Released for Rural Healthy People 2030: Common Challenges, Rural Nuances
This study from the Southwest Rural Health Research Center is a companion piece to the Healthy People 2030 initiative with a focus on the health priorities of rural people.
Here You Can Research Health Care Capsule: Accessing Health Care in Rural America
The Government Accountability Office discusses challenges rural communities face related to healthcare access, such as limited healthcare providers, travel distance and transportation issues, insurance coverage, and access to broadband.
Research in this section is provided by the HRSA/FORHP-supported Rural Health Research Gateway. Sign up to receive alerts when new publications become available.
Behavioral Health Conditions Reach Crisis Levels: Counties Urge Stronger Intergovernmental Partnerships and Outcomes
Several rural counties are featured in a report from the National Association of Counties on behavioral health needs and access challenges.
How Regional Partnerships Bolster Rural Hospitals
The nonprofit Commonwealth Fund takes a closer look at how Critical Access Hospitals and other rural providers partner to overcome challenges. The report profiles six regional partnerships that address staffing, quality improvement, contracts with payers, value-based payment, and community development.
Notice of Meeting and Request for Information: ICD-11 Transition
The National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) advisory committee, part of the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), seeks feedback on the upcoming ICD-11 transition. The information received via the RFI and meeting will provide advice to HHS to inform ICD–11 policy. The meeting will be held Thursday, August 3, 2023, 10:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m. EDT and is open to the public. Instructions are posted on the Committee website: https://ncvhs.hhs.gov/meetings-meeting/. To submit comments in response to the RFI, please send by close of business June 30, 2023, to NCVHSmail@cdc.gov, and include on the subject line: Response from [your organization or name] regarding ICD–11 RFI. Due by June 30, 2023.
New Articles Published on Cancer, Hospital Finance, Obstetrics, Occupational Distress, and Rural Healthy People 2030
Among new policy briefs posted by the Rural Health Research & Policy Centers: COVID-19 pandemic impact on Rural Health Clinic’s operations, and a look at barriers to rural obstetric training for family physicians.
The Government Accountability Office on Child Care Networks
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) examines the federal Child Care and Development Fund and its efficacy at increasing access to quality child care for low-income families. The fund supports 142 family childcare networks, primarily through coaching, training, and peer-to-peer networking opportunities for childcare providers at the community level. Most of these are licensed providers, though many of the networks serve license-exempt family, friend, and neighbor providers. Earlier this year, the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health & Human Services recommended creation of a Childcare Shortage Area designation similar to the Health Professions Shortage Area designation.
New Flexibilities for States to Minimize Medicaid and CHIP Coverage Losses
In a letter to governors, the Secretary of Health & Human Services announced several new options states can use to help eligible individuals and families maintain their Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage as requirements change with the end of the public health emergency. The new flexibilities include allowing managed care plans to assist people with completing their Medicaid renewal forms and allowing pharmacies and community-based organizations to facilitate reinstatement of coverage for those who were recently disenrolled for procedural reasons based on presumptive eligibility criteria. A complete list of flexibilities available to states can be found here. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has created outreach and educational resources. The Kaiser Family Foundation Medicaid Enrollment Tracker reports that at least 1,027,000 Medicaid enrollees had been disenrolled as of June 12, 2023, based on the most current data from 20 states. There is also a call to action for community organizations, employers, providers, and others can help in this effort.