Announcements from the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy

December 22, 2017

Late Breaking News from FORHP

A new funding opportunity and two other late-breaking news items brings this special announcement.

What’s New

Rural Health Network Development Planning Program – February 23rd.  Up to 20 rural public and nonprofit entities forming a consortium of three or more organizations will be awarded total funding of $2 million to assist in the planning and development of an integrated health care network at the local level.  By emphasizing the role of networks, the program creates a platform for medical care providers, social service providers, and community organizations to coalesce key elements of a rural health care delivery system for the purpose of improving local capacity and coordination of care.  Previous Network Planning grantees have focused on behavioral health, care coordination, infrastructure, health information technology, and health education.  If you have any questions about the program, please contact Sara Afayee: SAfayee@hrsa.gov.

FCC Proposals for the Rural Health Care Program.  The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is seeking public comment on possible changes to the Rural Health Care Program (RHC).  This program provides up to $400 million every year to support telecommunications for health care delivery in rural and underserved areas of the country.  The FCC is seeking input on the viability of the $400 million cap and alternative options to meet the needs of rural health care providers who take part in the program.  FORHP will soon be scheduling a webinar to discuss this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in more detail, as well as some of the key issues to consider for rural hospitals, clinics and telehealth providers.  Once the NPRM is formally published in the Federal Register, the FCC will open a 30-day window for public comment.  Watch this space for more information about these issues.

Rural Matters Podcast. Tom Morris, Associate Administrator for the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, spoke with John White in the December 12th edition of the Rural Matters podcast.  The focus of the conversation was the sobering fact borne out by research that rural Americans are dying at an earlier age and at a higher rate than urban Americans.  Some of the conditions that are leading to the higher rate of death in rural, including certain chronic diseases and opioid addiction, could be prevented through timely intervention, education, and better access to health care.  Rural Matters is a biweekly, 30-minute podcast about rural education, business, and health.  Guests include rural education decision-makers, rural business owners and entrepreneurs and rural health care representatives.

Announcements from the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy

December 21, 2017

What’s New

FCC Proposals for the Rural Health Care ProgramOn December 14, leadership at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) met to discuss changes to the Rural Health Care Program (RHC), which provides up to $400 million every year to support telecommunications for health care delivery in rural and underserved areas of the country. Among issues that were up for consideration in last Thursday’s discussion and in the resulting Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) are changes that could become a turning point in the way Americans living in rural areas get access to health care.  Each of the statements released by FCC Commissioners referenced the potential for rural telehealth to dramatically change outcomes in areas where residents are typically older, sicker and lacking basic care.  The Telecom Program, a component of the RHC Program that subsidizes rates for rural telecommunications services, has not seen any significant changes since it was mandated by Congress in 1997.  At this time, the FCC seeks to make the program more effective and put in place measures to guard against waste, fraud and abuse.  Once the NPRM is published in the Federal Register, the FCC will open a 30-day window for public comment.  Watch this space for more information about these changes and how rural stakeholders can provide input in the coming days.

Contact the Marketplace Call Center for a Special Enrollment PeriodWhile enrollment for health insurance through the Federal Marketplace has ended, consumers affected by natural disasters in Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, and Maine may qualify for an extended enrollment period.  Also, as the number of insurers offering health plans, especially in rural areas, has decreased, consumers who lost coverage because their insurer no longer offers coverage in their area may qualify for a special enrollment period.  Contact the Marketplace call center to find out if you qualify for an extended, or special, enrollment period.  Consumers in DC, Connecticut, Maryland, Rhode Island, Colorado, Minnesota, Washington, Massachusetts, California, and New York should contact their state-based exchange to determine the end of their enrollment period.  

Forecast: Rate of Alzheimer’s Expected to Increase. A new study published in The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association calculates that approximately 6 million adults in the U.S. currently have the disease or mild cognitive impairment that can be a precursor.  With funding from the National Institutes of Health, scientists discovered that, when accounting for numbers of people with biomarkers or other evidence of possible preclinical disease, they can predict that the number of people living with Alzheimer’s will double to 15 million by 2060.  Previous research from the Alzheimer’s Association has shown that three socioeconomic factors – low income, low education attainment, and having lived in a rural area as a child – are associated with greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s and other dementias.  Search for dementia and/or Alzheimer’s on the Rural Health Information Hub for evidence-based projects, toolkits and other resources on these subjects.  For health care providers and health professions educators, HRSA’s Bureau of Health Workforce recently published a training curriculum for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, with 16 learning modules for effective disease management and care.

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Rural Health Information Hub

December 20, 2017

Recording Available: Understanding Health Disparities in Rural America – Insights from the CDC MMWR Rural Health Series

Thank you for participating in the Rural Health Information Hub’s webinar, Understanding Health Disparities in Rural America – Insights from the CDC MMWR Rural Health Series.

The video and audio recordings are now available on the RHIhub website and the transcript will be posted in the near future.

As a reminder, we also ask that you please complete a short survey so that we may continue to enhance our webinars. The survey will take 3-5 minutes of your time, but the feedback that you provide is invaluable to us.

Once again, thank you for your participation.
Rural Health Information Hub

4th Annual Missouri Telehealth Summit

December 19, 2017

Fourth Annual Missouri Telehealth Summit

The Missouri Telehealth Network presents the Fourth Annual Missouri Telehealth Summit (MTS) that will be held January 31 and February 1, 2018 at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Jefferson City, Missouri.

The 2018 MTS will focus on financial barriers and incentives for rural hospitals, successful Missouri telehealth projects, legislative updates and more.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER:
Yulun Wang, PhD, founder and CIO of InTouch Health

ACCREDITATION:
Activity approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.
Nursing CE provided by MU Sinclair School of Nursing

PRESENTED BY:
Missouri Telehealth Network
MU Center for Continuing Medical Education & Physician Lifelong Learning
MU Sinclair School of Nursing
MU Extension

NEW THIS YEAR:
Pre-Summit Telehealth 101 Workshop
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Capitol Plaza Hotel in Jefferson City, Missouri

For up-to-date conference information and registration, please visit musomcme.com/18MTS