Category: Current Affairs

Inflation Reduction Act – Funding and Tax Credits for Rural Health Organizations

November 22, 2023

Inflation Reduction Act – Funding and Tax Credits for Rural Health Organizations

On Friday October 20th, Assistant Secretary for Health, Admiral Rachel Levine announced that OCCHE will be launching a “catalytic program” early in 2024 to support health care providers and especially safety net organizations in taking advantage of the tax credits, grants and other supports made available by the historic Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). This legislation creates unprecedented opportunities for health sector organizations to make investments in clean energy, building efficiency, infrastructure resilience and more.

OCCHE’s planned initiative will occur through collaboration with federal partners including the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy and will feature national webinars as well as breakout sessions by provider type to help organizations’ assess their needs and opportunities.

Sign Up for the November 30 information session in which you will learn more details on this initiative.

When: November 30, 11:00 a.m. CT

Sign Up Now

With Missouri Approval, 40 States Now Offer Full Year of Medicaid Coverage after Pregnancy

November 20, 2023

With Missouri Approval, 40 States Now Offer Full Year of Medicaid Coverage after Pregnancy

On November 14, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), announced Missouri’s extension of comprehensive coverage after pregnancy through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for postpartum individuals for a full 12 months.

This announcement marks critical progress in implementing the CMS Maternity Care Action Plan, which supports the Biden-Harris Administration’s Maternal Health Blueprint, a comprehensive strategy aimed at improving maternal health, particularly in underserved communities. Missouri is the 40th state to be approved for the extended coverage, made possible by President Biden’s American Rescue Plan (ARP) and made permanent by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (CAA, 2023), which President Biden signed into law earlier this year.

As a result of this announcement, up to an additional 18,000 people in Missouri will be eligible for Medicaid for a full year after pregnancy. Medicaid covers 41% of all births in the nation and more than half of all children in the country. With the approval of Missouri’s plan, an estimated 641,000 Americans across 40 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands now have access to extended postpartum coverage.

If all states adopted this option, as many as 720,000 people across the United States would be guaranteed Medicaid and CHIP coverage for 12 months after pregnancy.

Learn More about the CMS Maternity Care Action Plan

Learn More about the Maternal Health Blueprint

National Health Service Corps Students to Service Loan Repayment Program

November 17, 2023

National Health Service Corps Students to Service Loan Repayment Program

Approaching your final year of school and need help paying off your debt? Consider applying for the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Students to Service Loan Repayment Program. Medical, physician assistant, nursing and dental students can get money for school loans in exchange for serving in a community of need.

Receive up to $120,000, in addition to a competitive salary and benefits, for three years of full-time service or part-time for six years. This year, there is an additional $40,000 supplement for medical students who commit to providing OB/GYN services in a maternity care target area.

The NHSC is currently accepting applications for the program through Thursday, December 7, 7:30 p.m. ET.

Resources

Apply Now

Participate in NRHA’s Latest Rural Health Advocacy Campaigns

October 26, 2023

Participate in NRHA’s Latest Rural Health Advocacy Campaigns

Are you interested in advocating on behalf of rural health? Your first step should be participating in the National Rural Health Administration’s (NRHA’s) rural health advocacy campaigns – and then registering for NRHA’s 35th Rural Health Policy Institute to take your rural voice to Capitol Hill February 13 – 15 in D.C.

The goal of the NRHA campaigns is to make your advocacy even easier by supplying pre-filled, editable information for you to work with. This means you can reach your members of Congress with one click while customizing content as needed. The current NRHA campaigns call on Congress to invest in a robust rural health workforce, reduce burden in rural health clinics, and invest in rural communities in the 2023 Farm Bill.

Learn More about Rural Health Policy Institute

Read More about NRHA’s Rural Health Advocacy Campaigns

Sign up to amplify your voice today

Improving Access to Rural Healthcare – Vizient Shares Feedback

October 23, 2023

Improving Access to Rural Healthcare – Vizient Shares Feedback

Vizient, a National Rural Health Association (NRHA) Platinum Partner, has responded to the House and Ways Means Committee’s Request for Information (RFI) on enhancing rural healthcare. They highlighted the challenges rural health providers face and suggested policy changes to improve care delivery, financing, reimbursement, and the healthcare workforce. Vizient emphasized the importance of supporting the financial viability of rural healthcare providers, avoiding damaging payment policies, protecting key healthcare programs, and investing in the healthcare workforce. They also suggested using their Vizient Vulnerability Index™ to understand social determinants of health in rural areas.

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Prescribing Controlled Medications via Telehealth

October 17, 2023

Prescribing Controlled Medications via Telehealth

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), jointly with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has extended the full set of telemedicine flexibilities regarding the prescribing of controlled medications as were in place during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), through December 31, 2024.

Authorized providers are able to prescribe controlled substances via telehealth if they meet certain criteria.

Telemedicine flexibilities regarding prescription of controlled medications as were in place during the COVID-19 public health emergency include:

  • A practitioner can prescribe a controlled substance to a patient using telemedicine, even if the patient isn’t at a hospital or clinic registered with the DEA.
  • Qualifying practitioners can prescribe buprenorphine to new and existing patients with opioid use disorder based on a telephone evaluation.

For more information, see:

Prescribing Controlled Substances via Telehealth

Second Temporary Extension of COVID-19 Telemedicine Flexibilities for Prescription of Controlled Medications – from the Federal Register

Interstate licensure resources for health care providers, states, and health care organizations

Telehealth Policy Updates

AHRQ Free Health Literacy Toolkits and Guides

October 17, 2023

AHRQ Free Health Literacy Toolkits and Guides

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) offers Free information to promote organizational policies and procedures which can foster the inclusion of patients and family while creating collaborative partnerships with other providers.

Free Tools

Health Literacy Toolkits, GIFS and Educational Resources

October 17, 2023

Health Literacy Toolkits, GIFS and Educational Resources

October is Health Literacy Month – Join the American Institute of Healthcare Compliance (AIHC), a non-profit training organization, for this international observance when hospitals, health centers, literacy programs, libraries, social service agencies, businesses, professional associations, government agencies, consumer alliances, and many other groups work together to integrate and expand the mission of health literacy.

Often patients don’t comply because they either don’t understand what is communicated or they are subject to Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) issues.

Check out these AIHC courses to support your organization:

2023 National Telehealth Conference – Recorded Sessions Now Available

October 17, 2023

2023 National Telehealth Conference – Recorded Sessions Now Available

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has released the recorded sessions from the September 2023 National Telehealth Conference.

Watch individual sessions from the 2023 National Telehealth Conference:

Rural Monitor Article – Recovering from a Cybersecurity Attack and Protecting the Future in Small, Rural Health Organizations

October 16, 2023

Rural Monitor Article – Recovering from a Cybersecurity Attack and Protecting the Future in Small, Rural Health Organizations

A new feature article in The Rural Monitor examines the increasing incidence of cyber-attacks on healthcare organizations and the particular vulnerability of rural providers. According to the Cybersecurity Program at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 60 percent of ransomware attacks – whereby bad actors gain entry to an organization’s online system and lock critical files until a ransom is paid – were aimed at healthcare systems in 2020. FORHP-supported research out last year found that rural hospitals are less likely to be attacked, but staff are less equipped to handle them when they do happen, and rural residents who need these services have fewer alternatives for care.

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