- 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
Research Released on the Availability of Diabetes Self-Management Education and Dialysis in High Need Rural Counties
Researchers at the Rural and Minority Health Research Center assess the availability of in-county diabetes self-management education and dialysis across rural and urban counties.
Research Released on Intimate Partner Violence in Rural Communities
This policy brief from the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center describes findings from interviews with key informants from IPV victim support and advocacy organizations, shedding light on distinct challenges faced by rural victims and survivors. It also highlights targeted opportunities for better supporting the health and safety of rural IPV victims and survivors.
Identifying Rural Health Clinics Within the Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) Analytic Files
There is limited information on the extent to which Rural Health Clinics (RHC) provide pediatric and pregnancy-related services to individuals enrolled in state Medicaid/CHIP programs. In part, this is because methods to identify RHC encounters within Medicaid claims data are outdated. This brief from the Maine Rural Health Research Center describes a methodology for identifying RHC encounters within the Medicaid claims data using Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) Analytic Files.
CMS Announces ACO Primary Care Flex Model
The Innovation Center at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will test a new model beginning January 1, 2025, that aims to increase the number of low-revenue accountable care organizations (ACOs) in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (SSP). Participating ACOs will receive monthly prospective, primary care payments (PPCPs) from CMS to address the medical and health-related social needs of their patients. The ACOs will distribute the PPCS to their primary care providers, which can include Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics. CMS encourages distributing funds to providers on a capitated basis. ACO Primary Care Flex Model participants will also receive a one-time Advanced Shared Savings Payment to help cover the costs of forming an ACO and administrative costs associated with the model. While this model features joint participation in both ACO Flex and the Medicare Shared Savings Program, ACO Flex participants will not be eligible to receive the SSP’s Advance Investment Payments. CMS will host an hour-long public overview webinar on Thursday, April 4, at 2:00 pm Eastern. A Request for Applications is expected to be released in the second quarter of 2024. The initial submission period to apply to the SSP closes June 17, 2024.
Health Professional Student Scholarship Pays Tuition, Fees and More
HRSA’s National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Scholarship Program is now accepting applications. Awardees will receive tax-free tuition payment, fees, and other essential educational expenses, along with a stipend for their living costs. They are expected to serve at least two years at NHSC-approved sites in underserved rural, urban, and tribal communities. Read more about eligibility and applying in the Bureau of Health Workforce’s bulletin.
NHSC Loan Repayment Programs Now Open for Applications
The National Health Service Corp (NHSC) is now accepting applications for the NHSC Loan Repayment Program, NHSC Substance Use Disorder Workforce Loan Repayment Program, and the NHSC Rural Community Loan Repayment Program. Please make sure your eligible staff are aware of the May 9, 2024, deadline. This year, NHSC has increased award amounts to $75,000 for full-time and up to $37,500 for half-time participants who are physicians, nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, and physician assistance. Additionally, there is an added $5,000 award enhancement for clinicians who demonstrate Spanish-language proficiency. Award levels for dental and behavioral health professionals remain at $50,000 plus the Spanish-fluency bonus.
Primary Care Reaches Record Incoming Class in 2024 Match
There were a record number of primary care positions offered in the 2024 Match, with a 92.9% fill rate for the specialties this year, according to the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP).This month’s Match figures showed 4,595 medical students and graduates matching into family medicine residency programs; there were 5,231 slots this year, or 124 more than in 2023. There was a total of 19,423 primary care positions, or 46.8% of all positions offered in the Match, comprising family medicine, internal medicine, internal medicine-pediatrics, and pediatrics, according to NRMP.
AstraZeneca to Cap Inhaler Costs at $35
AstraZeneca this week became the second company in recent weeks to announce it will cap the out-of-pocket costs that patients pay for its inhalers at $35. The cap is effective June 1 and will apply to the company’s entire range of inhaler products used to treat asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, including inhalers Symbicort, Breztri Aerosphere, and Airsupra. The cap will be applicable for patients who are uninsured or underinsured.
Study: Health Centers with Higher Use of Enabling Services Have Better Clinical Outcomes
A new HRSA-funded study shows that Community Health Centers with the highest use of patient support services (aka enabling services) such as transportation, score higher than other FQHCs on 90% of clinical quality process measures (e.g., cervical cancer screening, childhood immunization status). This suggests that health-related social services make a significant positive impact on clinical health outcomes. The article is the top one listed here.
New Rule to Determine Independent Contractor Status Now in Effect
The Department of Labor (DOL)’s Final Rule governing the standard for determining independent contractor status under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) became effective March 11, 2024. The Final Rule establishes a six-factor economic realities worker classification test and rescinds a narrower rule issued in 2021. The multifactor test uses a totality-of-the-circumstances analysis to determine whether a worker is an employee who is economically dependent on the employer for work or an independent contractor who is in business for themself. For more information, read this SEK article.