Author: dianawinder

HRSA Announces New Board of Directors for the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network

July 2, 2025

HRSA Announces New Board of Directors for the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network

On June 5, HRSA announced the new 34-member Board of Directors for the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). This launch of the OPTN Board of Directors advances HRSA’s ongoing efforts to strengthen OPTN governance, mitigate conflicts of interest, and modernize the organ donation, procurement and transplantation system within the United States.

This effort has been strongly supported by HHS Secretary Kennedy, whose leadership has been key to advancing these modernization goals. His support underscores a commitment to strengthening the U.S. organ donation, procurement and transplantation system, and to making impactful decisions that benefit Americans awaiting organ transplants.

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HRSA Reaffirms Commitment to Lowering Drug Prices for Low-Income Patients

July 2, 2025

HRSA Reaffirms Commitment to Lowering Drug Prices for Low-Income Patients

On June 24, HRSA announced new steps to lower out-of-pocket costs for life-saving medications. In alignment with President Trump’s Executive Order “Lowering Drug Prices by Putting Americans First,” HRSA has issued updated award terms requiring HRSA-funded health centers to provide insulin and injectable epinephrine to low-income patients at or below the price paid by the center through the 340B Drug Pricing Program.

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Rural Emergency Hospital: A Facilitated Discussion with REH Executives, July 10

July 2, 2025

Rural Emergency Hospital: A Facilitated Discussion with REH Executives, July 10

Effective January 1, 2023, Medicare introduced the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) provider type to help sustain essential services in rural communities facing hospital closures. Eligible Critical Access Hospitals and small rural hospitals may convert to an REH to preserve emergency and outpatient care.

Join the Rural Health Redesign Center for a session hosted by the Rural Emergency Hospital Technical Assistance Center, featuring a panel of REH executives sharing firsthand experiences and technical assistance available for hospitals exploring the Reh designation.

Target Audience:

  • Critical Access Hospitals
  • Other rural hospitals considering conversion to a Rural Emergency Hospital

Cost: Free

When: Thursday, July 10, 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

Whitepaper: Infusion Care in Crisis: Why 82% of Centers Struggle to Access the Data They Need

June 25, 2025

Whitepaper: Infusion Care in Crisis: Why 82% of Centers Struggle to Access the Data They Need

As cancer diagnoses rise, infusion centers are navigating a perfect storm: workforce shortages, uneven patient flow and limited visibility into performance. Leaders are struggling to balance staff workloads, manage scheduling bottlenecks and prepare for growth – many without the tools to make informed decisions.

A new survey of nearly 200 cancer center executives identified where operations are breaking down and how centers can adapt. From AI-enabled scheduling to workforce optimization, this report outlines real-world strategies that are already delivering measurable ROI.

Download this report to explore:

  • Top 3 operational challenges centers face in 2025 – and what’s driving them
  • How new models are reducing burnout and improving staff-to-patient ratios
  • What successful growth planning looks like amid limit6ed budgets and workforce constraints

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Article: Insurers Pledge Ease to Prior Authorizations

June 23, 2025

Article: Insurers Pledge Ease to Prior Authorizations

The broader health insurance industry has announced a series of commitments to streamline, simplify and reduce prior authorization requirements across commercial, Medicare Advantage and managed Medicaid plans covering 257 million Americans.

“The health care system remains fragmented and burdened by outdated manual processes, resulting in frustration for patients and providers alike,” AHIP President and CEO Mike Tuffin said June 23. “Health plans are making voluntary commitments to deliver a more seamless patient experience and enable providers to focus on patient care, while also helping to modernize the system.”

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Request for Information: Inviting Comments on the NIH Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy, Comment by July 15

June 23, 2025

Request for Information: Inviting Comments on the NIH Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy, Comment by July 15

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is crafting an ambitious institute-wide strategy to guide its use and development of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies – and they are now seeking public input. Through its recently issued Request for Information (RFI): Inviting Comments on the NIH Artificial Intelligence Strategy, the NIH is calling on researchers, health systems, developers, and stakeholders across sectors to help shape the direction of biomedical AI over the coming decade.

Information Requested

NIH welcomes input on any relevant topic, especially the areas below:

  • Strategic Architecture
  • Research & Innovation Actions
  • Intramural-Extramural Synergy
  • Operational Excellence
  • Facilitating & Validating AI in Healthcare Delivery
  • Reproducibility & Trust
  • Partnerships & Ecosystem Building

The deadline for submitting comments is July 15, 2025.

How to Submit a Response

  • Email: ai-rfi@nih.gov
  • Subject Line: “RIF Response – NIH AI Strategy”
  • Format: 7 pages (PDF, Word, or plain-text); include section headers that correspond to the bullets, such as those above, when feasible.

Responses must be received by 11:59 p.m. ET on July 15, 2025. All submissions are voluntary; do not include proprietary, classified, or personally identifiable information you do not wish to make public. NIH may post anonymized summaries or use content to inform future solicitations or policy documents.

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Save the Date: Minority Mental Health Webinar Series

June 23, 2025

Save the Date: Minority Mental Health Webinar Series

Join the Minority Mental Health Webinar Series to learn more from professionals at the University of Missouri’s Department of Psychiatry about ways to dispel myths and provide tips to address mental health disparities.

Series Schedule:

  • Dispelling Mental Health Myths, Thursday, July 24, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
  • Providing Mental Health Tips, Thursday, August 28, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Cost: Free

Click Here to Register

Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Grant Program Funding will be Available Soon!

June 23, 2025

Substance Use Disorder Grant Program (SUD) Grant Program Funding will be Available Soon!

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) is pleased to announce the Substance Use Disorder Grant Program (SUD). The goal of the program is to increase health outcomes and prevent and reduce the prevalence of SUDs and/or drug-related harms, including overdose.

Funding will soon be available for projects to achieve this goal through evidence-based strategies aimed at increasing prevention, recovery, and access to treatment programs and services targeting Missouri’s populations with the highest rates of drug-related overdose, poor health outcomes and contributing health factors.

Notice of Grant Opportunities will be posted on the DHSS website when available. To apply for funding, YOU MUST BE REGISTERED with the MO procurement system, MissouriBUYS. MissouriBUYS is the State of Missouri’s web-based statewide eProcurement system located at https://missouribuys.mo.gov/supplier-registration. You can find detailed registration instructions at https://missouribuys.mo.gov/media/pdf/movers-supplier-registration-instructions.

Please note: the time from funding opportunity posting to the application due date may be limited to 4 weeks.

Please email SUDGrantProgram@health.mo.gov to be added to the DHSS mailing list to receive notification of SUD Program funding opportunities and other program-related information.

Webinar: Mental Health Integration in Your RHC – A Clinician and Administrator’s Perspective, Free for NARHC Members, July 2

June 23, 2025

Webinar: Mental Health Integration in Your RHC – A Clinician and Administrator’s Perspective, Free for NARHC Members, July 2

Qualitative and quantitative data support the value of integrating mental health in primary care – but how does that actually work – financially, operationally, and clinically in Rural Health Clinics?

Join Dr. Ryan Santin and Amy Tate, clinical and operational leaders at Merrick Medical Center – Bryan Health, for a members-only webinar, where they will share their experiences integrating mental health into primary care.

They will share advantages and challenges, financial considerations, and effective implementation strategies.

Cost: Free – For NARHC Members ONLY

Click Here to Register

If you have registration issues and are using Internet Explorer, try using another browser. If you continue to have issues, please contact NARHC at 866 306-1961 for assistance.

Register Now: 2025 Independent Rural Health Clinic Institute, Starts July 8

June 23, 2025

Register Now: 2025 Independent Rural Health Clinic Institute, Starts July 8

You are invited to join Stroudwater Associates and the National Organization of State Office of Rural Health (NOSORH) for a four-part institute focusing on chronic care management for independent Rural Health Clinics (RHCs).

The independent RHC Institute will begin on Tuesday, July 8, and will feature four live sessions and “Office Hours.”

Session Topics

Part 1: Care Management in the RHC, July 15, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. ET

  • This session will explore how population health data can be leveraged to inform and guide the strategic development of care management within RHCs, setting the stage for understanding the importance of implementing a care management.

Part 2: Using Population Data to Drive Care Management, July 15, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. ET

  • This session will explore how population health data can be leveraged to inform and guide the strategic development of care management programs within RHCs.

Part 3: Medicare’s Chronic Care Management (CCM), July 22, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. ET

  • This session will focus on CCM and the principles of Advanced Primary Care Management (APCM) within the Medicare program.

Part 4: Care Planning & Best Practices, July 29, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. ET

  • Discover how incorporating data-driven goals into care plans can enhance coordination, promote accountability, and enable timely intervention as patient needs evolve.

Office Hours: August 5, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. ET

  • Join the Stroudwater Associates team for our designated office hours to ask specific questions.

COST: Free

Click Here to Register