- 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
Broadband Listening Sessions to Be Held Across Pennsylvania
Pennsylvanians can learn about the new FCC broadband map, and how to challenge its inaccuracies
Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority (Authority) Executive Director Brandon Carson today announced listening sessions will be held across the commonwealth beginning December 13 to give Pennsylvanians the opportunity to learn about the Authority, federal funding for broadband, and to hear about the important role they have in reviewing the new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) broadband access map. The map’s accuracy is crucial for the commonwealth to receive sufficient federal funding to ensure high-speed internet access for all Pennsylvanians.
“In today’s world, having access to high-speed internet is a necessity,” said Carson. “Pennsylvanians need broadband access for school, work, and to ensure public safety, and it is critical that we close the digital divide across the commonwealth. The more accurate we can make the FCC map, the more we ensure we get a fair allocation of federal funding to expand broadband.”
The FCC’s broadband access map shows all broadband serviceable locations across the United States where fixed broadband internet access service is or can be installed. The commonwealth’s allocation of funding for broadband deployment under the federal infrastructure law is dependent upon the map being accurate. Pennsylvanians should visit the map to search for their home address to determine whether the information listed by the FCC is accurate.
Listening Sessions
The Authority will host the following broadband listening sessions across the commonwealth:
- Tuesday, December 13 at 10:00 AM – Beaver County
In-person only listening session will be held at Community College of Beaver County, Library Conference Center 9103, 1 Campus Drive, Monaca, PA 16061
- Tuesday, December 13 at 2:00 PM – Somerset County
In-person only listening session will be held at Glencoe United Church of Christ, 128 Critchfield Street, Fairhope, PA 15538
- Wednesday, December 14 at 10:00 AM – Venango County
Hybrid listening session
- In-person will be held at Venango County Training Center, 737 Elk Street (Corner of Elk & 8th), Franklin, PA 16323
- Click here to register and attend virtually
- Wednesday, December 14 at 2:00 PM – Elk County
Hybrid listening session
- In-person will be held at North Central PA Regional Planning and Development Commission, 49 Ridgmont Drive, Ridgway, PA 1585
- Click here to register and attend virtually
- Thursday, December 15 at 10:00 AM – Luzerne County
Hybrid listening session
- In-person will be held at Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce, 7 South Main Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701
- Click here to register and attend virtually
- Thursday, December 15 at 2:00 PM – Tioga County
Hybrid listening session
- In-person will be held at Bradford County Public Safety Center, 29 VanKuren Drive, Towanda, PA 18848
- Click here to register and attend virtually
- Friday, December 16 at 10:00 AM – Union County
Hybrid listening session
- In-person will be held at SEDA-Council of Governments, 201 Furnace Road, Lewisburg, PA 17837
- Click here to register and attend virtually
- Monday, December 19 at 11:00 AM – Chester County
In-person only listening session will be held at Borough of Kennett Square, 600 S. Broad Street, 3rd Floor, Kennett Square, PA 19348
Process to Challenge Inaccuracies in the FCC Broadband Map
Challenges to the map can include:
- A location that meets the FCC’s definition of a broadband serviceable location is missing from the map.
- A location’s broadband serviceability is incorrectly identified.
- Information such as the address or unit count for the location is incorrect.
- The location’s placement (its geographic coordinates) is incorrect.
Pennsylvanians should challenge the map to help improve its accuracy by January 13, 2023. There are two ways to submit a challenge: by a single location, or in bulk. The location challenge can be completed by individual consumers utilizing the map itself. Bulk challengers will be required to use the Broadband Data Collection (BDC) platform to submit information to the FCC.
Additional information about the Consumer Challenge Process can be found here, and additional information on the Bulk Challenge Process can be found here. A consumer may also challenge mobile data coverage through the FCC Speed Test App – a free application that can be downloaded from an Apple or Google Play Store.
Governor Tom Wolf announced the creation of the Authority in February 2022 to manage at least $100 million in federal aid to coordinate the rollout of broadband across Pennsylvania. The Authority was charged with creating a statewide broadband plan and distributing federal and state monies for broadband expansion projects in unserved and underserved areas of the commonwealth.
For more information about the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority, or the Department of Community and Economic Development, visit the Authority’s website and be sure to stay up-to-date with all of our agency news on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
CMS Updates Enrollment Information for Rural Emergency Hospitals
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updated Chapter 10 of the Medicare Program Integrity Manual to instruct Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) on how to process enrollment applications for rural hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals converting to the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation beginning January 1, 2023. Included are instructions on how the change of enrollment form CMS-855A should be completed and the steps the MACs should take to review, approve, or deny the applications. This guidance reflects the enrollment requirements for REHs published in the final 2023 Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment Rule.
Understanding Barriers to COVID-19 Testing
Researchers used funding from the NIH-supported RADx-UP program to better understand barriers in underserved communities – rural and urban, as well as racial and ethnic minority populations – in Kansas. The most commonly reported barrier was fear of lost income or employment resulting from quarantine. Common barriers reported in both rural and urban communities were access issues, such as lack of transportation and lack of support for languages other than English. Three subthemes appeared to be dominant in rural counties. Under the theme of “political beliefs,” the subtheme “politicization of COVID-19 mitigation and response efforts” was an identified barrier for most rural counties. See Approaching Deadlines below for a RADx-UP opportunity that closes in January.
2017-2021 ACS 5-Year Estimates Data Now Available
The U.S. Census Bureau released new statistics from the 2017-2021 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, now available at https://data.census.gov/. These estimates provide data for all Pennsylvania counties, municipalities, and other geographic areas regardless of population size.
Some highlights from the Pennsylvania State Date Center include:
- Approximately 47.0% of renter households in PA spent more than 30.0% of their income on housing costs, compared to 40.0 percent of renter households nationally.
- The counties with the highest percentage of renters experiencing a housing cost burden were Centre (58.0%), Pike (57.4%), Lawrence (52.5%), Monroe (51.9%), and Philadelphia (51.9%).
- Between 2012-2016 and 2017-2021, 43 counties experienced a statistically significant increase in median household income.
Visit the Data Center’s Research Briefs page to read this brief and past releases.
New Site for Telehealth Centers of Excellence
A new website from the two HRSA-supported Telehealth Centers of Excellence – The Medical University of South Carolina and the University of Mississippi Medical Center – offers a wealth of expertise and resources for telehealth organizations, researchers, providers, and other stakeholders. Sign up for their newsletter to learn about publications, upcoming events, and webinars; use the contact form on the website to ask questions or schedule a consultation.
Policy Brief Released on New Changes to Medicare Shared Savings Program
This Rural Health Value Policy Brief summarizes the changes made to the Medicare Shared Savings Program that will take effect in January 2023 and 2024. It discusses how the changes would reduce barriers to participation for potential or reentering Accountable Care Organizations that operate in rural areas. The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy funds Rural Health Value to provide technical assistance, raise awareness, and engage in communication strategies to support rural provider participation in value-based care.
Maternity Health Care Professional Target Area Scores are Now Available
Scores that identify areas experiencing a shortage of maternity healthcare professionals are now available, including areas that are rural and partially rural. The information is found in the Find Shortage Area Tool at the HRSA Data Warehouse, an interactive databank showing up-to-date information on the supply of primary care, dental, and mental health providers down to the county level. Learn more about the criteria for determining Maternity Care Health Professional Target Areas in the Federal Register notice published earlier this year.
HHS Proposes New Protections to Increase Care Coordination and Confidentiality for Patients with Substance Use Challenges
This week, the U.S. Health and Human Services Department, through the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), announced proposed changes to the Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Patient Records under 42 CFR part 2 (“Part 2”), which protects patient privacy and records concerning treatment related to substance use challenges from unauthorized disclosures. Specifically, the proposed rule increases coordination among providers and increases protections for patients concerning records disclosure to avoid discrimination in treatment. While substance use challenges exist in both rural and urban communities, “many rural areas and populations have disproportionately suffered from a growth in the use of opioids, heroin, prescription medications, and methamphetamines (meth)” according to a 2019 brief from the Rural Policy Research Institute. Comments are due by January 31.
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Rural Health Clinics’ Operations and Cancer Prevention and Control Efforts.
This brief from the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis shows a significant rise in the percent of Rural Health Clinics providing telehealth services during the pandemic – 23% pre-pandemic increasing to 92.2% during the pandemic. However, roughly one in five of the more than 150 RHCs examined experienced a temporary closure. Cancer-related prevention and control services including cancer screening, HPV vaccination, and tobacco cessation services dropped pre- vs. peri-pandemic.
Who Will Care for Rural Older Adults? Measuring the Direct Care Workforce in Rural Areas
This policy brief from the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center examines existing disparities in the supply of home health aides and nursing assistants in rural areas compared to urban areas.