The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has an updated factsheet for its Frontier Community Health Integration Project (FCHIP) Demonstration. The model tests new models of health care delivery in the most sparsely populated rural counties by waiving certain Medicare requirements regarding skilled nursing facility beds, telehealth, and ambulance services. In the initial demonstration period (August 2016 through July 2019), CMS received applications from Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in Montana, Nevada, and North Dakota (though eligible to apply, CAHs in Alaska and Wyoming did not apply). The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 extended FCHIP. Five CAHs in Montana and Nevada are continuing their participation with the goal of improving health and reducing Medicare expenditures.
