Open Enrollment for Pennsylvania’s health insurance marketplace, Pennie, on November 1. For customers to get coverage for Jan. 1 coverage, they must enroll and choose a plan by December 15. Although Open Enrollment does not end until January 15 it is important customers pay their first premium payment before the first date of coverage for it to be active. Financial savings through tax credits assist with lowering premiums and coverage costs. Enrollment Assisters can also request outreach materials from

The Pennsylvania Department of Health is asking physicians to provide detailed and accurate information on the self-reported survey as part of the license renewal process. Maintaining accurate and current information on providers is essential for effectively analyzing, designing, and designating areas with health care workforce shortages across Pennsylvania. The Primary Care Office relies on these data to ensure that health care resources are allocated where they are needed most. Read this notice for more information.

The Pennsylvania Primary Care loan repayment program is open for applications. All practitioner applications are due by 11:59 pm on Friday, November15, 2024. This generous loan repayment program pays primary care physicians, dentists, and psychologists up to $80,000 for full time and up to $40,000 for half time. Other practitioners – including nurse practitioners, physician assistants, dental hygienists, licensed clinical social workers, and more, can receive up to $48,000 full time and up to $24,000 for half time. Read the loan repayment fact sheet for more information.

The American Heart Association (AHA)/American Stroke Association updated 2014 guidelines for primary prevention of stroke. The new guidance aligns with the AHA’s Life’s Essential 8 for optimizing cardiovascular and brain health and adds sex-specific suggestions for screening and prevention of stroke, including assessment of social determinants of health. The full guidelines are available. 

Prescribing certain controlled medications via telehealth was a lifeline for health center patients during the pandemic. A pending rule from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is under review but could curtail tele-prescribing of controlled substances. Without a proposed rule, tele-prescribing flexibility expires this year on Dec. 31. NACHC and other stakeholders are pushing for the White House to ensure these flexibilities are extended for two additional years.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed legislation into law that creates the first Alzheimer’s, Dementia and Related Disorders Division in the Commonwealth’s history to support older adults living with the disease and their caregivers. The Pennsylvania Department of Aging will provide oversight for the Division. Click here to learn more.

 In August of this year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services published revisions to the Conditions of Participation for hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Hospitals and CAHs must electronically report data related to acute respiratory illnesses, including SARS-CoV2/COVID-19, influenza, and RSV, including confirmed infections of respiratory illnesses among hospitalized patients, hospital bed census and capacity (both overall and by hospital setting and population group [adult or pediatric]), and limited patient demographic information, including age. Beginning November 1, 2024, hospitals and CAHs must electronically report this information to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) or CDC-supported system. The CDC has posted instructions for Reporting Requirements, Frequency, and Pathway as well as data import templates, training slides, and additional resources.  This rule also finalized requirements that during a declared national, state, or local public health emergency for an acute infectious illness, the hospital and CAH must also electronically report data elements including facility structure and infrastructure operational status including hospital/emergency department diversion status, staffing shortages, supply inventory shortages (for example, equipment, blood products, gases), and relevant medical countermeasures and therapeutics (or both).

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) Services updated the Medicare Benefit Policy Manual, Chapter 13 with Calendar Year 2024 requirements and payment policies for RHCs and FQHCs.

– Comment by December 27. This proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) would expand access to coverage of recommended preventive services, with a particular focus on reducing barriers to coverage of contraceptive services, including over-the-counter (OTC) contraceptives. As part of the proposed rule, most group health plans and health insurance issuers would be required to cover OTC contraceptives without cost-sharing or requiring a prescription. Plans and issuers would have to provide consumers with additional choices of covered contraceptives and drug-led combination products. The proposed rule includes several requests for comments aimed at gathering feedback on whether proposals related to coverage of recommended contraceptive items should be extended to other or all recommended preventive services.  CMS provides a fact sheet with brief background and summary of this proposal.

In the FY 2025 Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) final rule, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized separate payments for the cost of establishing and maintaining access to buffer stocks of essential medicines for independent hospitals with 100 or fewer beds.  This new guidance explains how Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) will process these payments and the methods that hospitals can use to receive the payments.