Author: dianawinder

Join OneLab TEST Today

May 30, 2023

Join OneLab TEST Today

Your agency or organization is invited to join OneLab TEST (Timely Education and Support of Testers). OneLab TEST is a new collaborative network developed to strengthen connections between the testing community and CDC to support the ever-increasing need to expand access to diagnostic testing.

OneLab TEST seeks to —

  • Connect the testing community and exchange lessons learned
  • Train the testing community with free educational resources
  • Empower testers to train and learn from one another in a community of practice

OneLab TEST provides support and resources to a variety of professionals and volunteers who perform testing at non-laboratory settings, such as:

  • Clinics
  • Physician offices
  • Schools
  • Workplace testing sites
  • Local Health Departments
  • Long-term care and assisted living facilities
  • Pharmacies
  • Detention facilities
  • Drive-through testing sites

Benefits of joining OneLab TEST:

  • Community of Practice
    • Join a diverse interconnected community of testers
    • Network with testing peers and experts
  • Training Resources
    • Access FREE online courses, resources, and job aids

OneLab TEST Featured Training – helps ensure that testing personnel have the basic training necessary to safely and accurately perform patient testing waived under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988.

View Course Overview Here

Here’s how to join: 

  • Create a new OneLab REACHTM account
  • Select Opt-in to OneLab TEST on the first registration screen
  • Click Create Account
  • Complete the registration process and demographic survey

Questions? Email OneLabTEST@cdc.gov.

Visit this page for more information about OneLab TEST.

More about RMOMS Funding Opportunity

May 25, 2023

More about RMOMS Funding Opportunity

The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy is pleased to announce that the Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies Program (RMOMS) is now open on grants.gov (announcement number: HRSA-23-049) and accepting applications through July 7, 2023. A total of $2 million is anticipated to fund up to two health networks in this cooperative agreement program.

The purpose of the RMOMS program is to preserve access to and continuity of maternal and obstetrics care in rural communities that address the following RMOMS Focus Areas: 1) Rural Hospital Obstetric Service Aggregation; 2) Approaches to Risk Appropriate Care; and 3) Financial Sustainability.

This year the RMOMS program is providing funding priority for areas with the highest maternity care health professional target area (MCTA) score.

The goals of the RMOMS program are to:

  • Identify and implement evidence-based and sustainable delivery models for the provision of maternal and obstetrics care in rural hospitals and communities
  • Enhance and preserve access to  maternal and obstetric services in rural hospitals that includes developing an approach to aggregate, coordinate, and sustain the delivery and access of preconception, prenatal, pregnancy, labor and delivery, and postpartum services among hospitals within a rural region
  • Provide training for professionals in health care settings that do not have specialty maternity care
  • Collaborate with academic institutions that can provide regional expertise and help identify barriers to providing maternal health care, including strategies for addressing such barriers
  • Assess and address disparities in infant and maternal health outcomes, including among rural racial and ethnic minority populations and underserved populations.

Eligibility for the program requires that the applicant organization must be part of a group of entities that are either an established or a formal network, which may need to be expanded to meet this program’s network definition.

The applicant must have a network composition that includes:

  • at least three rural hospitals or Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs)
  • at least one academic or tertiary institution that can provide regional expertise and help identify barriers to providing maternal health care, including strategies for addressing such barriers
  • the state Medicaid agency

Eligible applicants may request up to $1M each year in the program’s 4-year period of performance September 30, 2023 through September 29, 2027.

A live technical assistance webinar is scheduled for May 31, 2023 from 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. ET to assist applicants in preparing their applications. The webinar will be recorded and playback information can be accessed at the RMOMS webpage.

Call-In Number: 1-833-568-8864

Meeting ID: 160 363 0214

Passcode: 42409094

Link: https://hrsa-gov.zoomgov.com/j/1603630214?pwd=eGpkSHFwS0s4d3BWWm5xamFrUE5zZz09

All application materials will be available on grants.gov and must be submitted electronically under the funding announcement on the grants.gov website. For questions about this funding opportunity, please contact: RMOMS@hrsa.gov

NRHA Webinar – Ready or Not, Here They Come: New Graduate Nurse Practice Readiness

May 25, 2023

 

NRHA Webinar – Ready or Not, Here They Come: New Graduate Nurse Practice Readiness

Join the National Rural Health Administration (NRHA) for an engaging webinar where expert Nicole Weathers, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, Program Manager for the University of Iowa College of Nursing – Online Nurse Residency Program, will provide practical recommendations on the challenges that nursing professionals face in transitioning new graduate nurses from school to the clinical environment, particularly in rural healthcare organizations. We will explore the latest research on the transition to practice experience of new graduate nurses, identify the factors that influence practice readiness, and offer insights to enhance preparation programs and support new nurses in meeting the demands of the constantly evolving healthcare landscape.

When: May 31, 2 – 3 p.m. CDT

Register Here

New Site Application Spanish and English Q&A Session

May 25, 2023

New Site Application Spanish and English Q&A Session

Does your health care facility provide outpatient, comprehensive primary health care services to people in Health Professional Shortage Areas? Learn how the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) can help you recruit, hire, and retain clinicians by learning about the benefits of being an NHSC-approve site.

The NHSC New Site application is open now through June 22 at 11:59 p.n. ET.

Learn how to apply and review the eligibility requirements and resources.

Still have questions? Join the upcoming Q & A Session, May 25, 12 – 1:30 p.m., where bilingual staff members will be available to answer your questions.

Watch the 2023 NHSC New Site Application Webinar Recording

Medicare Cost Report Compliance Camp

May 24, 2023

Medicare Cost Report Compliance Camp

Click Here to Download Information Packet w/Camp Syllabus

AIHC has partnered with KraftCPAs LLC to bring you this exciting program and opportunity to Certify as a Cost Report Specialist. Certification is optional after camp. Network with other professionals, learn the Medicare cost report process, and train to become a Certified Cost Report Specialist (Optional) Online, after camp!

This training camp is designed for novice or seasoned cost report preparers who would like to enhance their skillset by obtaining a professional certification and recommended for:

  • Chief Financial Officers
  • Accounting staff
  • Revenue cycle professionals
  • Reimbursement professionals
  • Employees tasked with gathering information for Medicare cost reports at healthcare organizations.

Experienced Cost Reporting Professionals will have the option to certify as a Certified Cost Report Specialist (CCRS) after successful completion of the Medicare Cost Report Training Camp.

Upon registration you are given ready access to downloadable information such as:

  • COVID and Cost Reporting
  • Overview of DSH
  • FAQ
  • e-Filing requirements
  • Documentation Requirements
  • Abbreviations & Terms
  • Sample cost report
  • Cost Report and Compliance Video.

Prerequisites: Basic knowledge of the preparation of Medicare cost reports, with some experience either gathering information for cost reports or actively preparing cost reports for an institutional healthcare organization.

Advanced Preparation: A number of documents will be provided to you electronically before camp begins. You are responsible for reviewing these documents prior to the first day of camp.

Program Level: Basic

Instructional Delivery Method: Group Live

A hard copy training manual is provided at camp. Additional training materials are provided to you electronically after the training camp ends.

Earn Continuing Education Units:

18 CEUs – This program has been approved for 18 continuing education units by the American Institute of Healthcare Compliance for AIHC Certified Professionals. These continuing education units may be applied towards the Ethics or HIPAA Category CEU Renewal Requirements for all AIHC credentials. They may also be applied towards the Core Category CEU Renewal Requirements for ALL AIHC credentials.

Participants will earn 12 CPE credits/ Field of Study:

  • Specialized Knowledge – The American Institute of Healthcare Compliance is registered with the National Associate of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors.
  • State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit.
  • Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.nasbaregistry.org

Earn your “CCRS” credential – attend camp, certify online after camp. Cost to certify is already included in camp tuition.

Medicare-certified institutional providers, such as hospitals, SNFs, HHA, FQHC, and RHCs are required to submit an annual cost report to a Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC).

Certification is recommended for:

  • Chief Financial Officers (CFOs)
  • Accounting staff
  • Revenue cycle and reimbursement professionals
  • Employees tasked with gathering information for Medicare cost reports at all healthcare organizations.

Who should attend?

  • Novice or seasoned cost report preparers working for an institutional provider
  • CPA or consulting firm assisting institutions to file cost reports who desire training and certification as a cost report specialist

When: October 24 – 25

Where: Dallas, TX

Cost

  • AHIC members pay $695
  • Non-members (public) pay $825

Registration Deadline: October 10 @12:00 pm EDT

Click Here to Download Information Packet w/Camp Syllabus

Disparities in Health Care in Medicare Advantage Associated with Dual Eligibility for a Low-Income Subsidy and Disability Stratified Report

May 23, 2023

Disparities in Health Care in Medicare Advantage Associated with Dual Eligibility for a Low-Income Subsidy and Disability Stratified Report

The Centers for Medicaid Services” Office of Minority Health (CMS OMH) released a report detailing the quality of care received by people enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA).

The Disparities in Health Care in Medicare Advantage Associated with Dual Eligibility or Eligibility for a Low-Income Subsidy and Disability report presents summary information on the performance of Medicare Advantage plans on specific measures of quality of health care reported in 2021, which corresponds to care received in 2020. Specifically, this report compares the quality of care for four groups of Medicare Advantage enrollees that are defined based on the combination of two characteristics: (1) dual eligibility for Medicare and Medicaid or eligibility for a Part D Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) and (2) disability.

Overall, the report showed that people who were dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid or eligible for the Low-Income Subsidy received worse clinical care than those who were not. The largest differences between the two groups were in the areas of Follow-up After Hospital Stay for Mental Illness (within 30 days of discharge), Avoiding Potentially Harmful Drug-Disease Interactions in Elderly Patients with Dementia, and Avoiding Potentially Harmful Drug-Disease Interactions in Elderly Patients with a History of Falls. Disparities by dual eligibility status/Low-Income Subsidy eligibility status were least common among Hispanic individuals and most common among White individuals. The report also shows more pronounced disparities in clinical care for dually eligible/Low-Income Subsidy eligible individuals in urban areas as compared to rural areas.

This report is based on an analysis of data from the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS). HEDIS collects information from medical records and administrative data on the technical quality of care that Medicare Advantage enrollees receive for a variety of medical issues, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and chronic lung disease.

Health care professionals, organizations, researchers, and hospital leaders can utilize this report along with other CMS tools and resources to help raise awareness of health disparities, develop health care interventions for Medicare Advantage enrollees who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid/Low- Income Subsidy eligible and those with disabilities, and implement quality improvement efforts that improve health equity.

Help CMS to advance equity by sharing this report and our resources on prevention and health equity initiatives. Also, sign up for CMS’ listserv or visit https://go.cms.gov/omh for more information.

Webinar – Addressing the C in ACEs Roundtable

May 22, 2023

Webinar – Addressing the C in ACEs Roundtable

The American Public Health Association (APHA) is hosting its second Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) roundtable, Addressing the “C” in Aces: Building Community Resilience. This two-day event will bring together experts and community organizations to discuss the essence of building community resilience to combat ACEs. The webinar will focus on efforts to prevent and respond to the ACEs crisis. The roundtable allows attendees to gain new insights and leave with actionable strategies to address the ACEs crisis.

Topics Include:

  • Building Community Resilience – Child Welfare, Domestic & Community Violence Prevention
  • Building Community Resilience – Restorative Practices, Healing Circle and Justice
  • Building Community Resilience through Strategic partnerships with Culturally Specific Organizations
  • The Power of Healing: Supporting Children to Overcome Trauma
  • The Way Forward

Agenda

All sessions will be recorded and available a week after the meeting. This event is free for APHA members and non-members thanks to a grant.

Register Here

HRSA’s National Maternal Mental Health Hotline

May 22, 2023

HRSA’s National Maternal Mental Health Hotline

HRSA recently celebrated the first anniversary of the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline. Since its launch on Mother’s Day 2022, the Hotline’s professional counselors have provided emotional support, resources, and referrals to almost 12,000 pregnant and postpartum individuals who struggled with mental health concerns, and their loved ones.

HRSA is also introducing an updated toll-free number for the Hotline: 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1 833-852-6262). The former number (1-833-9-HELP-4-MOMS or 1-833-943-5746) will continue to work for another year.

The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline provides 24/7, free, confidential emotional support, resources, and referrals before, during, and after pregnancy. The Hotline is accessible by phone or test in English and Spanish and offers interpreter services in more than 60 languages. Pregnant and postpartum individuals and their loved ones can get the help and resources they need when they need it.

Read the full press release.

Free Mental Health Awareness Month Toolkits and Resources

May 22, 2023

Free Mental Health Awareness Month Toolkits and Resources

The American Hospital Association (AHA) – This Mental Health Month, challenge yourself to examine your world and how it can affect your overall health. Look around, look within – from your neighborhood to genetics, many factors come into play when it comes to your mental health. AHA’s Mental Health Month toolkit includes information about how an individual’s environment impacts their mental health, suggestions for making changes to improve and maintain mental well-being, and how to seek help for mental health challenges.

Download AHA’s Mental Health Awareness Toolkit

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) – Check out what SAMHSA is doing and share their materials. Remember we all play active roles in caring for our mental health!

The SAMHSA toolkit is a one-stop shop:

  • Social media content to help spread awareness about the vital role mental health plays in our well-being, promote acceptance and support of anyone living with a mental illness, and share key resources.
  • Best practices for engaging in healthy discussions about mental health.
  • Promotional materials for mental health awareness in May and beyond.

All of the SAMHSA materials are designed to be shared with your audiences and across your media channels; they are downloadable and shareable, and some of the material is customizable.

How to Use the Toolkit:

  • Copy, download, and share our social messages, graphics, and promotional materials in ways that fit the needs of your audiences and channels.
  • Use SAMHSA hashtags, including #MHAM2023, when sharing any Mental Health Awareness Month-related content.
  • Use SAMHSA tools in tandem with the actions recommended in Best Practices with your communities and networks.

SAMHSA Mental Health Awareness Month Toolkit:

  • Key Messages and Weekly Themes
  • Social Media Sharables
  • Hashtag Guidance
  • Stickers
  • Resources for Content Development
  • Tips for Engaging in Respectful Conversations Around Mental Health

Click here for SAMHSA Mental Health Awareness Toolkit

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) – During National Mental Health Awareness Month, be part of the conversation about mental illness and raise awareness about the National Institute of Mental Health’s (NIMH) resources related to mental health.

Click here to download the NIH Digital Toolkit for Mental Health Awareness Month with sample messages for Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and for Email content.

The Joint Commission releases new public education campaign, Speak up For Your Mental Health, to help consumers understand the signs and symptoms of mental illness, as well as how they can receive help and advocate for their care.

“Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen an increase in rates of anxiety, depression and substance use disorder,” says Haytham Kaafarani, MD, MPH, FACS, chief patient safety officer and medical director, The Joint Commission. “It is more important than ever to reduce the stigma of mental illness and made sure that individuals speak up to get the help they need. I encourage anyone who feels that they may need help to talk with a family, friend or someone they trust, and reach out to a provider who can work with them to navigate the best treatment and journey forward.”

Click Here for Joint Commission Resources

HRSA Funding Opportunity – Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies Program – HRSA-23-049

May 19, 2023

HRSA Funding Opportunity – Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies Program – HRSA-23-049

The Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) announces the funding opportunity HRSA-23-049 – Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies (RMOMS) program. The purpose of the RMOMS program is to establish or continue collaborative improvement and innovation networks to improve access to and delivery of maternity and obstetrics care in rural areas.

Goals of program:

  • Identify and implement evidence-based and sustainable delivery models for the provision of maternal and obstetrics care in rural hospitals and communities
  • Enhance and preserve access to maternal and obstetric services in rural hospitals
  • Provide training for professionals in health care settings that do not have specialty maternity care
  • Collaborate with academic institutions that can provide regional clinical expertise and help identify barriers to providing maternal health care, including strategies for addressing such barriers
  • Assess and address disparities in infant and maternal health outcomes

Applicants are encouraged to propose novel ways to achieve these goals through the establishment or continuation of collaborative improvement and innovation networks. The RMOMS program seeks to document and monitor progress on these goals through the collection of aggregate data from each RMOMS award recipient and their network members. All network members will be REQUIRED to collect and share aggregate data.

This program intends to preserve access to and continuity of maternal and obstetrics care in rural communities that address the following RMOMS Focus Areas:

  • Rural Hospital Obstetric Service Aggregation A regional network with several rural hospitals that are facing challenges in providing obstetric services could aggregate obstetric services to a targeted rural hospital or Critical Access Hospital (CAH) within the rural region to revive or sustain rural obstetric and maternal services.
  • Approaches to Risk-Appropriate Care Pregnant patients in a rural region should receive care in a facility that best meets their needs and those of their neonates through appropriate risk stratification.
  • Financial Sustainability Rural hospitals who have coordinated and aggregated their obstetrics services, in partnership with Medicaid and other payers, should aim to demonstrate improved outcomes and potential savings with the goal of ensuring ongoing support of the network once federal funding ceases.

Eligible Applicants

  • Non-profit or for-profit entities providing prenatal care, labor care, birthing, and postpartum care services in rural areas, frontier areas, or medically underserved areas, or to medically underserved populations
  • Indian Tribes or Tribal organizations

Join the Applicant Technical Assistance Webinar: May 31, 2023, 2 – 3 p.m. ET

Dial-In Toll-Free (833-568-8864

Meeting ID: 160 363 0214

Passcode: 42409094

Application Deadline: July 7, 2023

Apply Here