Rural Spotlight

Webinar – Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) General Education

March 3, 2023

Webinar – Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) General Education

Stroudwater Associates, in partnership with the Missouri Office of Rural Health and Primary Care, will provide general education on topics including REH Conditions of participation, clinical services, staffing, general operations, potential community concerns, and finance/reimbursement.

Presenters:

Eric Shell, CPA, MBA, Chairman, Stroudwater Associates

With a dedication to improving rural communities, Eric Shell is an industry leader in supporting rural healthcare in its transition to population health. For his nearly 30 years in healthcare financial management and consulting, Eric’s passion for sustainable and accessible rural healthcare has driven him to help hundreds of rural health systems achieve improved financial and operational performance.

Carla Brock Wilber, DNP, RN, NE-BC, Senior Consultant, Stroudwater Associates

Carla Wilber, an accomplished nurse administrator with a strong background in critical care, education, Lean process improvement, and emergency services, joined Stroudwater in 2014. She has completed numerous facility assessments and process improvements in quality, care management, emergency department, and care transitions for critical access hospitals, rural and urban health systems, and provider groups.

Stroudwater will be hosting the general education webinar on three separate dates. Individuals interested in attending only need to register for one meeting. The schedule below includes the meeting date and time and the link to register for the meetings.

Friday, April 14: 1:30 – 2:30 PM CST

Monday, May 8: 1:00 – 2:00 PM CST

Thursday, June 22: 12:00 – 1:00 PM CST

Contact the Stroudwater Team:

Eric Shell, Principal: eshell@stroudwater.com

Carla Wilber, Senior Consultant: cwilber@stroudwater.com

Lindsay Corcoran, Senior Consultant: lcorcoran@stroudwater.com

Megan Zook, Project Coordinator: mzook@stroudwater.com

NRHA Webinar – Become a Certified Rural Hospital Board Member

March 24, 2023

NRHA Webinar – Become a Certified Rural Hospital Board Member

The Board of Trustees for a rural hospital oversee unique, challenging, and complex decisions that rural hospital leaders make to ensure the prosperity of not only their facility but also their community

NRHA is launching the Rural Hospital Board Certification Program to provide rural hospital Board members with the tools, knowledge, and network of peers and experts they need to thrive in their roles. Providing guidance for a rural hospital is different, one of the resounding reasons for the creation of this program.

Created by successful rural hospital Board Members for rural hospital Board Members.

To learn more about this program, sign up for the upcoming webinar:

April 13, 2023, 1:00 – 2:00 PM EST – Register Here

To view all available programs, click here.

HHS Releases Initial Guidance for Historic Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program for Price Applicability Year 2026

March 24, 2023

HHS Releases Initial Guidance for Historic Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program for Price Applicability Year 2026

For the first time in history, Medicare will have the ability to negotiate lower prescription drug prices because of the Inflation Reduction Act, President Biden’s historic law which lowers health care and prescription drug costs. Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), issued initial guidance detailing the requirements and parameters—including requests for public comment— on key elements of the new Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program for 2026, the first year the negotiated prices will apply. Alongside other provisions in the new drug law, the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program will strengthen Medicare’s ability to serve people currently in Medicare and for generations to come.

“For far too long, millions of Americans have had to choose between their prescription drugs and other monthly expenses,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “President Biden is leading the fight to lower the cost of prescription drugs – and with the Inflation Reduction Act, we’re making historic progress. Through the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program, we will make sure seniors get a fair price on Medicare’s costliest prescription drugs, promote competition in the market, and ensure Medicare is strong for beneficiaries today and into the future.”

“Drug price negotiation is a critical piece of how this historic law improves the Medicare program,” said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “By considering factors such as clinical benefit and unmet medical need, drug price negotiation intends to increase access to innovative treatments for people with Medicare.”

The Biden-Harris Administration has made lowering high prescription drug costs and improving access to innovative therapies a key priority. CMS is releasing its initial guidance for how Medicare intends to use its new authority to effectively negotiate with drug companies for lower prices on selected high-cost drugs. The negotiation process will focus on key questions, including but not limited to the selected drug’s clinical benefit, the extent to which it fulfills an unmet medical need, and its impact on people who rely on Medicare. As a result of negotiation, people with Medicare will have access to innovative, life-saving treatments at costs that will be lower for both them and Medicare.

“Negotiation is a powerful tool that will drive drug companies to innovate to stay competitive, fostering the development of new therapies and delivery methods for the treatments people need,” said Meena Seshamani, M.D., Ph.D., CMS Deputy Administrator and Director of the Center for Medicare. “This initial guidance is the next step in the extensive engagement CMS has had to date with interested parties, and we look forward to continuing to receive comment on key policy areas and engage with the public as we implement the Negotiation Program.”

This initial guidance is one of a number of steps CMS laid out in the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program timeline for the first year of negotiation. The initial program guidance details the requirements and procedures for implementing the new Negotiation Program for the first set of negotiations, which will occur during 2023 and 2024 and result in prices effective in 2026. Key dates for implementation include:

  • By September 1, 2023, CMS will publish the first 10 Medicare Part D drugs selected for initial price applicability year 2026 under the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program.
  • The negotiated maximum fair prices for these drugs will be published by September 1, 2024 and prices will be in effect starting January 1, 2026.
  • In future years, CMS will select for negotiation up to 15 more Part D drugs for 2027, up to 15 more Part B or Part D drugs for 2028, and up to 20 more Part B or Part D drugs for each year after that, as outlined in the Inflation Reduction Act.
  • CMS is seeking comment on several key elements in today’s guidance. Comments received by April 14, 2023, will be considered for revised guidance. CMS anticipates issuing revised guidance for the first year of negotiation in Summer 2023.
  • CMS is committed to collaborating and engaging with the public in the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act. CMS is working closely with patients and consumers, Medicare Part D plan sponsors and Medicare Advantage organizations, drug companies, hospitals and health care providers, wholesalers, pharmacies, and others. Public feedback contributes to the success of the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program, and this initial guidance is one tool, among many, that CMS will use to ensure interested parties know when and how they can make their voices heard on implementation of this new drug law.

View a fact sheet on the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program Initial Guidance

Read the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program Initial Guidance

New Funding Opportunity – Rural Communities Opioid Response Program – Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health – HRSA-23-041

March 23, 2023

New Funding Opportunity – Rural Communities Opioid Response Program – Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health – HRSA-23-041

HRSA is accepting applications for the FY 2023 Rural Communities Opioid Response Program – Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health (RCORP-CABH) HRSA-23-041. The purpose of this program is to establish and expand sustainable behavioral health care services for children and adolescents aged 5-17 years who live in rural communities, and to prevent substance misuse. Over the four-year period of performance, award recipients will use RCORP-CABH funding to establish and expand service delivery, training and peer mentorship, and community partnerships.

Eligible applicants include:

  • Community-based organizations
  • Federally-recognized tribes
  • Tribal organizations
  • State Offices of Rural Health
  • State, local and territorial governments
  • Institutions of higher education
  • Faith-based organizations

Applications are due May 12, 2023.

Apply Here

EMS Community Benefit Pilot Project for Rural Ambulance Services- Apply By April 7, 2023

March 24,2023

EMS Community Benefit Pilot Project for Rural Ambulance Services

The Department of Health and Senior Services’ Office of Rural Health and Primary Care and the Bureau of Emergency Medical Services, in coordination with Health Resources and Services Administration and the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, requests your participation in the federal EMS Community Benefit and Financial Distress Pilot Project for Rural Ambulance Services.

The Rural Ambulance Community Benefit and Financial Distress tool, provided by the National Rural Health Resource Center, is designed to quantify and standardize the value rural EMS services provide to the community for free or at a reduced rate, by calculating the benefits the community receives from the ambulance service.

Click Here to Learn more about the EMS Community Benefit & Financial Distress Pilot Project for Rural

Ambulance Services

 Contact Nicole Clement at nclement@ruralcenter.org

By April 7, 2023 to participate
 Click Here to Learn more About the Project and Financial Distress Tool

https://youtu.be/tRMkzbZkTOE

 Click Here to Learn more about the National Rural Health Resource Center
Please see attachment for more information: EMS Community Benefit Pilot Project for Rural Ambulance Services

 

Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) – National Strategy for Suicide Prevention SM-23-017

March 22, 2023

Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) – National Strategy for Suicide Prevention SM-23-017

The purpose of the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention – SM-23-017 is to implement suicide prevention programs for adults (with an emphasis on older adults, adults in rural areas, and American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) adults) that help implement the 2021 Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Implement the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention. This program is intended to address the Call to Action’s broad-based public health approach to suicide prevention by enhancing collaboration with key community stakeholders (e.g., county health departments, workplace settings, criminal justice settings, senior-serving organizations, and community firearm stakeholders), raising awareness of the available resources for suicide prevention, and implementing lethal means safety.

Who is Eligible:

  • Community-based primary care or behavioral health care setting
  • An emergency department
  • A state mental health agency (or state health agency with mental or behavioral health functions)
  • Public health agency
  • A territory of the United States
  • An Indian tribe or tribal organization

Apply before May 15, 2023

Forecasted FY2023 Open Nursing Workforce Programs – Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) – HRSA-23-006

March 17, 2023

Forecasted FY2023 Open Nursing Workforce Programs – Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) – HRSA-23-006

The Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) – HRSA-23-006 increases the number of qualified nursing faculty nationwide.

Anticipated FY2023 Funding: $26,500,000

Who is Eligible:

  • Accredited schools of nursing with advanced nursing programs
  • Tribes and Tribal organizations

Deadline: May 1, 2023

Learn More

New Virtual Option for Annual NRHA Conference

March 21, 2023

New Virtual Option for Annual NRHA Conference

NRHA’s 46th Annual Rural Health Conference events, May 15-19 in San Diego, Calif., cover the needs of all rural health stakeholders from hospital leaders to health educators, with an overarching goal of health equity for all.

Be sure to act by April 17 to save hundreds on registration and hotel for the nation’s largest gathering of rural health professionals. The hotel block is filling up fast and will sell out before that date.

Register Today

NRHA is offering an on off-site, virtual registration option that includes access to 46 sessions of recorded content across all events available for viewing the day after it occurs on the agenda. No sessions will be livestreamed during this event, but recordings of sessions noted in green within each agenda will be available to view through Aug. 16.

San Diego is the perfect place to turn a week of learning into a vacation. Coronado Island has one of the best beaches in the US, a charming main street, and great hotels for families or a romantic getaway.

Balboa Park is the site of the renowned San Diego Zoo, along with numerous art galleries, artist studios, museums, and gardens. A deep harbor is home to a large active naval fleet, with the USS Midway, an aircraft carrier turned museum, open to the public.

Be sure to register early to save hundreds. We look forward to seeing you in San Diego.

Registration Now Open: CMS Health Equity Conference

March 21, 2023

Registration Now Open: CMS Health Equity Conference

Registration for the in-person Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) inaugural Health Equity Conference is now open. The conference will serve as an opportunity to gain invaluable insights and a better understanding of disparities that exist from leading experts in the field. Participants will have the opportunity to connect with peers, build relationships, and share research, best practices, and initiatives that are reducing disparities in CMS programs and increasing equity for underserved populations and gain the skills necessary to effectively address them moving forward.

Attendance is free and open to all. Reserve your spot now before all the spots are filled.

When: June 7 – 8, 2023; 8 AM to 5 PM

Where: Howard University, Washington, D.C.

Register by May 19, 2023

USDA Seeks Applications for Grants to Help Socially Disadvantaged Agricultural Producers and Business Owners in Rural

March 21, 2023

USDA Seeks Applications for Grants to Help Socially Disadvantaged Agricultural Producers and Business Owners in Rural

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is accepting applications for grants to support technical assistance for socially disadvantaged agricultural producers and rural business owners.

USDA is making available up to $3 million in Fiscal Year 2023 through the Socially Disadvantaged Groups Grant Program. The maximum amount an individual applicant may receive is $175,000.

The Department is making the Socially Disadvantaged Groups Grants available to organizations that will provide any technical assistance for the development of cooperatives or the formation of new cooperatives. Technical assistance includes leadership training, and developing feasibility studies, business plans and/or strategic plans. The grants are not provided directly to businesses or individuals.

USDA defines a socially disadvantaged group as one whose members have been subjected to racial, ethnic or gender prejudice because of their identity as a member of that group without regard to their individual qualities. Applicants may be based in any area, but the groups they serve must be located in an eligible rural area.

The Department is offering priority points to projects that advance key priorities under the Biden-Harris Administration to create more and better market opportunities and improved infrastructure, advance equity and combat climate change. These extra points will increase the likelihood of funding for projects seeking to address these critical challenges in rural America.

Electronic applications will be accepted via Grants.gov until 4:30 p.m. local time on May 16, 2023.

For additional information, see page 16404 of the March 17, 2023, Federal Register.

Contact your local USDA Rural Development State Office to discuss potential projects and ask questions about the application process. You may also visit www.rd.usda.gov/mo, call (573) 876-0976, or email RDMissouri@usda.gov.

USDA Rural Development has 25 offices across the state to serve the 2.2 million residents living in rural Missouri. Office locations include a state office in Columbia, along with local offices in Butler, Charleston, Chillicothe, Clinton, Dexter, Eldon, Farmington, Higginsville, Houston, Kennett, Kirksville, Maryville, Mexico, Moberly, Neosho, New London, Poplar Bluff, Richmond, Rolla, Sedalia, Springfield, St. Joseph, Troy, and West Plains.

If you’d like to subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates in Missouri, visit our GovDelivery subscriber page and follow @RD_Missouri on Twitter.

Contact the Business Program that serves your county

USDA Makes $31 Million in Grants Available to Help Farmers and Ranchers Add More Value to Their Products to Access New and Better Markets

March 21, 2023

USDA Makes $31 Million in Grants Available to Help Farmers and Ranchers Add More Value to Their Products to Access New and Better Markets

USDA is making $31 million in grants available to help farmers and ranchers access new and better markets by adding more value to their products.

USDA is making the grants available under the Value-Added Producer Grants program. The grants help agricultural producers generate new products, create marketing opportunities and increase their incomes through value-added activities.

USDA is offering priority points to projects that advance key priorities under the Biden-Harris Administration to help rural communities and people address climate change and environmental justice, advance racial justice, place-based equity, and opportunity, and create more and better market opportunities.

Eligible applicants include independent producers, agricultural producer groups, farmer or rancher cooperatives, and majority-controlled producer-based business ventures.

Funding priority will be given to beginning farmers or ranchers who are military veterans or socially disadvantaged individuals; small and mid-sized family farms or ranches; and farmer or rancher cooperatives. Priority also will be given to projects that propose a mid-tier value chain by developing a supply network that moves agricultural products from production through consumption in a local or regional market.

The funding may be used for planning activities or working capital expenses related to producing and marketing a value-added agricultural product. Planning activities may include conducting feasibility studies and developing business plans. Working capital expenses may include costs associated with processing, marketing, advertising, inventory and salaries.

The maximum award for a planning grant is $75,000. The maximum award for a working capital grant is $250,000.

Electronic applications will be accepted via Grants.gov until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 11, 2023. Paper applications must be sent to the State Office where the project is proposed.

Paper applications must be postmarked and mailed or sent overnight by May 16, 2023. Applications also may be delivered in person or emailed to a local RD field office by close of business May 16, 2023.

Additional information is available on page 16396 of the March 17 Federal Register or by contacting your local USDA Rural Development office.

For assistance with an application or to learn more about Rural Development programs, visit www.rd.usda.gov/mo, call (573) 876-0976, or email RDMissouri@usda.gov.

USDA Rural Development has 25 offices across the state to serve the 2.2 million residents living in rural Missouri. Office locations include a state office in Columbia, along with local offices in Butler, Charleston, Chillicothe, Clinton, Dexter, Eldon, Farmington, Higginsville, Houston, Kennett, Kirksville, Maryville, Mexico, Moberly, Neosho, New London, Poplar Bluff, Richmond, Rolla, Sedalia, Springfield, St. Joseph, Troy, and West Plains.

If you’d like to subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates in Missouri, visit our GovDelivery subscriber page. You can also stay current by following @RD_Missouri on Twitter.

More USDA State Contacts:

Business & Cooperative Programs

Nathan Tutt

Phone (573) 876-9327

Email: Nathan.tutt@usda.gov

 

Local USDA Offices:

To locate the office nearest you, please refer to the map of USDA Rural Development Missouri offices.