Month: January 2024

NRHA Webinar – Medicare Advantage’s Rapid Rise in Rural Communities: Understanding – and Addressing – this Unique Challenge to Rural Hospitals

January 18, 2024

NRHA Webinar – Medicare Advantage’s Rapid Rise in Rural Communities: Understanding – and Addressing – this Unique Challenge to Rural Hospitals

For rural hospitals, Medicare Advantage plans present unique challenges.

  • Reimbursement rates are lower,
  • Denials are frequent,
  • Administering multiple plans stretches resources that are already thin

New Chartis data reveals that Medicare Advantage plans now account for 38 percent of all Medicare-eligible patients across rural America. In some states, it already exceeds 50 percent.

Join the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) for the Leading Rural Health Series as they examine how Medicare Advantage is reshaping rural hospital operations including input from NRHA COO Brock Slabach and many other rural health leaders.

When: Wednesday, January 24, 2:00 p.m. CST

Register Now

Rural Hospitals Caught in Aging Infrastructure Conundrum

January 18, 2024

Rural Hospitals Caught in Aging Infrastructure Conundrum

An increase in costs amid lower payments from insurance plans makes it harder for small hospitals to fund large capital improvement projects that would better serve their community.

Additionally, a KFF report shows 9 percent of hospitals had “vulnerable” cash-on-hand levels in 2022, and Western Pennsylvania hospitals are facing pushback over bed capacity. Finally, NRHA Partner TruBridge discusses how to empower effective rural health care revenue cycles.

Act by 11:59 p.m. CST January 20 to save on registration for NRHA’s 35th Rural Health Policy Institute, where hundreds of advocates will educate Congress on keeping rural facilities open and up to date, February 13-15 in Washington D.C.

See Articles for Full details

Learn More about NRHA’s 35th Rural Policy Institute

Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) (HRSA-24-015) Top 5 FAQs

January 18, 2024

Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) (HRSA-24-015) Top 5 FAQs

Q1: Who is eligible to apply for the NFLP grant? Are individuals eligible to apply?

  1. Applicants must be domestic accredited schools of nursing with advanced nursing education programs. Individuals are not eligible to apply for this grant.

Q2: We are a current NFLP grantee and still have remaining NFLP funds. Can we apply for more funding during the 2024 application cycle?

  1. You can apply for additional funding if you anticipate needing more funds to support current or prospective student borrowers for the 2024 academic year.

Note: The NFLP is a formula-based program. NFLP funds will be distributed among applicants as formula-payment based awards according to data provided in the application.

Q3: What are some examples of nurse educator development activities that can be supported by the NFLP fund award?

  1. Examples of nurse educator development activities are (not limited to):
  • Mentorship teaching practicum
  • Teaching assistantships
  • Nurse education focused workshop
  • Nurse educator certification preparation
  • Nurse educator certification fees

Nurse educator development activities should be incorporated as part of the curriculum/courses. NFLP loan funds can be used to cover the cost of student nurse educator development activities within the course of study, as a reasonable educational expense.

Q4: Can part-time advanced nursing education students receive NFLP loan support? How is enrollment status determined?

  1. Both part-time and full-time students in advanced nursing education programs can receive NFLP loan support. The determination of part-time or full-time enrollment status is based on institutional policies; the school makes the decision about what constitutes part-time or full-time enrollment status, including semester sequence.

Q5: Can we allocate a part of the NFLP award for personnel, specifically for document processing and managing NFLP program requirements, or is it exclusively for personnel costs related to collections?

  1. NFLP funds may only be used for students’ loan support except for covering the costs of collection of loaned principals, accrued interest and/or penalty, and cost of student nurse educator development activities as reasonable expenses.

Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. ET on February 5, 2024

More Questions?

Check out the full list of FAQs and the Technical Assistance Webinar recording

Read more about this funding opportunity HRSA-24-015

Upcoming Webinar – Secrets of the 5 Star Physician with Dr. Michael Klein

January 17, 2024

Upcoming Webinar – Secrets of the 5 Star Physician with Dr. Michael Klein

Join Michael Klein and Brian Lee as they share their exciting new breakthrough in Physician and Advanced Care Practitioner engagement model to improve their patient experience.

Who Should Attend:

  • Physicians
  • Physician leaders
  • Advanced care practitioners
  • Practice leaders
  • CEOs
  • CNOs
  • Quality professionals & Patient Experience Champions
  • Anyone engaged with provider services and support

You will learn how to:

  • Educate providers to become actively engaged improving the patient experience
  • Gain a buy-in and adopt the 5 Star HABITS model of creating TRUST through kindness and communication
  • Embrace new patient driven best practices and processes that lead to a consistent 5 star patient and family experience
  • Phase in the 5 Star Physician HABIT Checklist as the model for current and future providers to deliver a 5 Star patient experience every time
  • Gain a buy-in for Ten Patient Focused Policies

Cost: No Charge

When:

  • February
    • 8:00 a.m. Pacific Standard Time
    • 9:00 a.m. Mountain Standard Time
    • 10:00 a.m. Central Standard Time
    • 11:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time

Click here to Register

Upcoming Webinar – Make Training Stick – Service Delivery for Clinics

January 17, 2024

Upcoming Webinar – Make Training Stick – Service Delivery for Clinics

Empower your entire team of caregivers to deliver a thoughtful, timely patient experience, every time. This one-hour, high-impact Executive Briefing is designed for healthcare managers and leaders.

Tools & Takeaways

  • Learn best practices and skills to improve and own your patient experience scores
  • Enhance your onboarding and retention process by educating new hires with 17 must-have patient experience communication skills
  • Become a patient relationship expert and learn how to energize your staff
  • Boost employee engagement while learning together and sharing ideas
  • Take the Everyone’s a Caregiver Test Drive today!

Cost: No charge

When:

  • January 22
    • 8 a.m. Pacific Time
    • 9 a.m. Mountain Time
    • 10 a.m. Central Time
    • 11 a.m. Eastern Time

Click here to Register

Warming Center Sites in Missouri

January 17, 2024

Warming Center Sites in Missouri

Winter weather is upon us and can be potentially hazardous as Missouri typically experiences periods of extreme cold during the winter. It is important to be prepared!

It is important to remember that the extreme cold can affect everyone, but can be especially dangerous to small children, the elderly and the chronically ill.

Warming centers provide a warm, safe place for people to go during cold weather. If you know of a senior or an adult with a disability who needs assistance due to cold weather, Make a Difference.

Make the call: 1 800 392-0210

Click here for interactive map of warming center sites in Missouri

More cold weather resources can be found on the DHSS Hypothermia webpage

HHS Releases Healthcare Sector Cybersecurity Strategy

January 16, 2024

HHS Releases Healthcare Sector Cybersecurity Strategy

While cybersecurity attacks on hospitals and other health care-related entities are not new, in recent years we have begun to see a steady increase of attacks. According to the Office of Civil Rights (OCR), from 2018 to 2022, there was a 93% increase in large security breaches within healthcare entities.

When health care systems undergo a cybersecurity attack, not only are patients’ sensitive information put at risk, but there can be an impact on direct patient care that can last weeks, such as:

  • delayed procedures
  • patients being routed to other facilities, and
  • canceled appointments.

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released an outline of its strategy to address cybersecurity moving forward, in the December 2023 report titled Healthcare Sector Cybersecurity: Introduction to the Strategy of the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Health Industry Cybersecurity Practices

Guidance for medical device manufacturers or pre-market cybersecurity recommendations

CMS Accepting Applications for New Physician Residency Slots – Apply by March 31

January 12, 2024

CMS Accepting Applications for New Physician Residency Slots – Apply by March 31

Federal legislation under Section 126 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, authorizes the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to distribute additional residency positions (also known as slots) for physicians training in underserved areas.

Eligible hospitals must use MEARIS, CMS’s online application system to apply by March 31 for 200 newly available slots.

In a one-hour webinar on Wednesday, January 17, at 12:00 p.m. Eastern, experts will provide background information on Section 126. The session is hosted by RuralGME.org, the FORHP supported organization that helps hospitals plan and develop rural residencies and will focus on considerations for rural hospitals.

Interested in Starting a Rural Residency

Click Here to register for January 17 webinar

HRSA Updates HPSA Designations

January 12, 2024

HRSA Updates HPSA Designations

The Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA’s) Bureau of Health Workforce has released the current list of Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) – which can be geographic areas, populations or facilities – that have a shortage of primary, dental, or mental health care providers.

The designations are used to determine eligibility for federal programs that support the health workforce, such as the National Health Service Corps, as well as safety net programs such as HRSA’s Health Centers and CMS’s Rural Health Clinics.

For more details on the information used to determine HPSAs, visit the HRSA Data Warehouse.

Click Here to see complete list of HPSA Designations

Health Workforce Shortage Areas