- 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
- NIH HEAL Initiative Turns Attention to Pragmatic Trials in Rural Communities
Pennsylvania Broadband BEAD Challenge Rebuttal Phase In Process
Important Reminder:
The Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority (PBDA) BEAD Rebuttal Window is currently open, and it closes on June 22nd, 2024 at 11:59PM. If you are an eligible participant for the challenge process and have not registered, you will need to complete a registration before you can submit a rebuttal.
The timeline for the BEAD Challenge process is as follows:
- Rebuttal of Challenges: Entities that have been challenged will have 30 days to respond (May 24–June 22)
- Final Determinations: The PBDA will decided if challenges and rebuttals are valid or not within 30 days (June 23– July 22)
Additional Information:
Please visit the BEAD Challenge webpage for additional details, including:
- How to register for the challenge portal
- Review of the public map that identifies those areas deemed unserved, underserved, served, as well as Community Anchor Institutions (CAIs).
- Informational BEAD Challenge webinar that was held on March 29, 2024 and download the PowerPoint presentation used during the webinar.
If you have any questions please email the PBDA at ra-dcpbda_bead@pa.gov.
CDC Office of Rural Health Call for Papers
Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD) welcomes submissions for its upcoming collection, Rural Health Disparities: Contemporary Solutions for Persistent Rural Public Health Challenges.
Public health challenges have been documented in rural geographical areas and remain persistent public health, medicine, and health services problems. These challenges include limited health care access, excessive tobacco use in poor counties, limited physical activities, socioeconomic inequities, behavioral and mental health conditions, and major chronic diseases. These persistent rural health challenges magnify and lead to racial and socioeconomic disparities.
The goal of this collection is to capture current solutions to these challenges. Peer-reviewed articles in this collection will help advance the discourse on rural public health beyond biomedical models for chronic disease prevention. For this collection, PCD encourages the submission of manuscripts covering diverse topics using various article types. We encourage authors to explore the social determinants of health, environmental influences, policy interventions, and community-based initiatives contributing to chronic disease prevention in rural areas.
PCD is a peer-reviewed public health journal published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and authored by experts worldwide. Visit the PCD website for more information about the journal, submission guidelines, and deadlines for this upcoming collection.
Key Dates: Accepted manuscripts will be published on a rolling basis. Please submit an inquiry to the Editor in Chief at PCDeditor@cdc.gov by July 19, 2024. All manuscripts intended for this collection are due by January 24, 2025. The collection will include published manuscripts along with a guest editorial, set to be published in Summer 2025.
New Economic Analysis for Dentistry Released
A new analysis from the American Dental Association Health Policy Institute shows the economic impact of dentistry in all 50 states. In Pennsylvania, the annual economic impact generated by dental offices is $16.4 billion and the average annual economic impact per dentist is $2.3 million. The full data available in Excel format includes impact measures such as direct and indirect spending, economic impact per dentist and the number of jobs within dental practices as well as jobs supported by dental offices.
Click here for the Pennsylvania infographic.
Click here for the full analysis.
New World Economic Forum White Paper Released
The World Economic Forum released a white paper, “The Economic Rationale for a Global Commitment to Invest in Oral Health.” This paper was created in collaboration with the American Dental Association, Colgate-Palmolive Company, and Henry Schein. This white paper is the first in a planned series that explores the role of various sectors in improving oral health. The intention of the authors is to inspire international health leaders, policy-makers, and private sector partners to reconnect the mouth to the body in pursuit of a healthier future for all.
Mpox Cases on the Rise in Pennsylvania
Mpox cases continue to rise in Pennsylvania and the surrounding states. The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) is encouraging providers to continue to screen all patients with suspected mpox for travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) or recent contact with someone who has traveled to DRC. Providers should be aware of the more stringent infection control measures required for Clade I mpox and are encouraged to follow the CDC guidelines for infection prevention and control for mpox. Outreach, education, testing and vaccination continue to be important. According to DOH, Hispanic men are significantly impacted and there is need for these interventions among the migrant worker population. See mpox toolkit for more information on mpox and promotional materials.
Clinical Quality Measures for Eligible Professionals: 2024 Update Released
A new spreadsheet developed by the HITEQ Center provides a crosswalk of Clinical Quality Measures and their electronic specifications as defined in the 2023 update for Eligible Professionals (Clinicians). Fields include the crosswalk of measures with related information about CMS, NQF, and CMS Quality or MIPS ID, and Telehealth Eligibility, as well as inclusion in HRSA BPHC Uniform Data System (UDS) CY2024, Million Hearts, CMS Quality Payment Program (QPP) – APM Performance Pathway (APP) Measures, 2024 APM Performance Pathway: CMS Web Interface Measure Benchmarks for CMS ACO Shared Savings Program, CMS Core Set (Child Core Set Medicaid / CHIP): HEDIS Specified, CMS Core Set (Adult Core Set Medicaid): HEDIS Specified, Core Quality Measures Collaborative (ACO / Primary Care). Links are included throughout. Download the spreadsheet here.
Medicare Telehealth Legislation Takes Another Step Forward
Last week, the House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee advanced a two-year extension of Medicare telehealth payment policies to the full Energy & Commerce Committee. The bill, H.R. 7623, the Telehealth Modernization Act of 2024, includes a two-year extension of current policies and would also ensure that Medicare reimburses telehealth visits at the same rate as in-person visits. This payment parity language, along with the rest of the policy extensions, passed the subcommittee by a 21-0 bipartisan vote. The full Committee will consider the bill in the coming months.
New Study Provides Summary on Rural Behavioral Health Workforce Retention
According to a new study by the Provider Retention and Information System Management (PRISM), behavioral health professionals who had an experience with rural health care during their training are more likely to work and stay in rural areas when they enter practice. PRISM’s Behavioral Health study that was published by The Journal of Rural Health is now available here. This study assesses the amount of exposure to care in rural underserved communities that behavioral health clinicians received during training and how it impacted their success and retention in rural safety net practices.
America is Experiencing More than a Red-Blue Divide
If you’re serving multi-generations like most Community Health Centers are, you’ll want to look at the charts in Washington strategist Bruce Mehlman’s Six-Chart Sunday newsletter. The infographics highlight some startling differences between older and younger generations across an array of topics, including values, economics, party identification, and happiness.
Appeals Court Approves Drugmakers’ Federal 340B Contract Pharmacy Restrictions
On May 21, the Federal Appeals Court ruled that the 340B statute doesn’t prohibit drugmakers from placing any conditions on distribution of 340B drugs to covered entities. However, the ruling left open the possibility that more stringent conditions by drugmakers could be illegal. NACHC is analyzing the appeal and its impact on FQHCs. Click here to read the appeal.