February 25, 2025
Save the Date – Faith and Health: Purple Sundays Offer Education and Support for Memory Loss, February 26
Raise awareness of Alzheimer’s disease through Purple Sunday events. Participants will learn how to access free care and support services, engage in research, and educate members of the faith community about Alzheimer’s and other dementias.
Cost: Free
When: Wednesday, February 26, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Click Here to Register
February 25, 2025
MRHA Webinar: Colorectal Cancer in Younger Patient Populations and the Impact of Non-Invasive Testing
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is not only rising in prevalence but affecting younger patient populations at an alarming rate. Traditional approaches, focused solely on colonoscopies, may not reach enough at-risk individuals, especially in rural communities. Exact Sciences’ non-invasive test, Cologuard, offers a groundbreaking way to improve screening accessibility and help prevent CRC.
Target Audience
Cost: Free
When: Thursday, February 27, 12:00 p.m.
Click Here to Register
February 21, 2025
Registration is Now Open: NRHA’s 48th Annual Conference
Join the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) and hundreds of rural health leaders from across the country to help raise the standard for rural health with more than 80 innovative, practical, and cost-saving sessions and much more.
Don’t miss NRHA’s expanded Rural Health Equity Conference May 19 – 20 and Rural Medical Education Conference occurring immediately beforehand on May 20.
When: May 20 – 23, 2025
Where: Atlanta, GA
Click Here to See Agenda and Full Details of Conference
February 19, 2025
Register Now: Missouri Immunization Conference 2025, April 24-25
The purpose of this conference is to provide immunization education to increase immunization rates and protect all Missourians.
The conference brings together bright minds to give talks that are action-oriented on a wide range of subjects related to immunizations to foster learning and inspiration, as well as provoke conversations that matter and actions that lead to increased vaccination rates for Missourians.
Learning Outcomes:
Target Audience Includes:
Where: Lodge of Four Season, Lake of the Ozarks
Click Here to Learn More and Register
February 19, 2025
Registration Open: Rural Health Workforce Development Conference, April 1 – 2
The Rural Health Workforce Conference provides professional development, sharing of best practices, and mentorship opportunities that are key to successful recruitment and retention of rural health professionals.
This will be an avenue to provide:
Target Audience
Click Here to Learn More and Register
February 18, 2025
CMS Provides Billing Instructions for Opioid Treatment Programs (OTP) Telecommunications Add-On Codes
In the 2025 Final Physician Fee Schedule, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized important updates for Opioid Treatment Programs (OTPs) aligning with regulations previously adopted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). These changes aim to enhance access to care for individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) by expanding telehealth options.
Key Updates include:
As a result of these changes, CMS has updated its Opioid Treatment Program (OTP) webpage to reflect proper billing practices. OTPs should use the following HCPCS add-on codes when treating eligible patients:
For more details on the finalized policy, review the 2025 Final Physician Fee Schedule.
To learn more about billing and G-codes for OTPs, visit the CMS Opioid Treatment Program webpage.
Click Here to go to 2025 Final Physician Fee Schedule
Click Here to go to CMS Opioid Treatment Program webpage.
February 18, 2025
HHS Proposes Major Updates to HIPAA Security Rule to Strengthen Cybersecurity, Comments due March 7
For the first time in two decades, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has proposed significant updates to the HIPAA Security Rule to better protect electronic protected health information (ePHI) from increasing cyber threats. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (Proposed Rule) seeks to modernize security safeguards in response to a significant increase in large-scale healthcare breaches caused by hackers and ransomware between 2018 and 2023.
If enacted, the rule would require all HIPAA-regulated entities to:
Additionally, covered entities would be obligated to:
As remote care platforms manage vast amounts of ePHI, these new cybersecurity rules could significantly impact telehealth services.
The Proposed Rule also emphasizes stricter compliance documentation and monitoring, including mandating a 72-hour disaster recovery plan, annual compliance audits, and stronger incident response protocols. Notably, business associates would be required to notify covered entities of any contingency plan activation within 24 hours.
The proposed rule also seeks comments on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, virtual and augmented reality, and HIPAA’s role in regulating these emerging technologies.
Comments are due by March 7, 2025 and can be submitted through the federal register.
Click Here to Read More
February 18, 2025
Critical Access Hospital Financial Sustainability Guide
This resource from the National Rural Health Resource center provides guidance and assistance to state Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) Program personnel, leaders of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), and others helping CAHs manage long-term stability.
Click Here to Access the CAH Financial Sustainability Guide
February 18, 2025
USDA Rural Hospital Technical Assistance
Through a cooperative agreement with the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA), the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) provides several types of assistance to rural hospitals selected in collaboration with USDA. Technical Assistance services will be provided under contract with NRHA by selected contractors who specialize in the types of services outlined below.
Process and Criteria
Through NRHA, USDA will provide selected rural hospitals with TA services to identify and address health care needs and strengthen the local health care system.
The goal is to:
Prior to selection, hospitals will be interviewed by NRHA and complete an initial assessment to identify TA services needed. The total number of projects will be limited by cooperative agreement funding.
Project Goals
Possible project goals may include:
For more information and to see if your hospital qualifies, or to refer a hospital that would benefit from technical assistance, fill out the referral form and NRHA staff will follow up.
Contact Mory Bell, mbell@ruralhealth.us for more information and assistance.
Click Here to Access Referral Form
February 18, 2025
Funding Opportunity: HRSA Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) Program for Paraprofessionals, Apply by March 18
The purpose of the HRSA-25-066 Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) Program for Paraprofessionals is to develop and expand community-based experiential training such as field placements and internships to increase the skills, knowledge and capacity of students preparing to become mental health workers, peer support specialists, and other behavioral health paraprofessionals.
The program has a special focus on developing knowledge and understanding of the needs of children, adolescents, and transitional-age youth who have experienced trauma and are at risk for behavioral health disorders including anxiety, depression, and substance use disorder.
The program also emphasizes developmental opportunities and educational support in interprofessional collaboration by using team-based care in integrated behavioral health and primary care settings to improve the distribution of a well-trained behavioral health workforce.
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will award approximately $10.9 million to up to 29 awardees over a period of four years.
The funding will go to community-based organizations, including Rural health Clinics, for training that prepares students to become mental health workers, peer support specialists, and other behavioral health-related paraprofessionals.
Apply by March 18, 2025.
Click Here to See Complete List of Eligible Applicants and Learn More
