Application Now Open for Rural Community Hospitals to Participate in Demonstration Program

January 3, 2025

Application Now Open for Rural Community Hospitals to Participate in Demonstration Program

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is now accepting new applications for the Rural Community Hospital Demonstration. The demonstration tests cost-based reimbursement for Medicare inpatient services for small rural hospitals with fewer than 51 beds that are not eligible to be Critical Access Hospitals.

As part of a broader rural strategy initiative, CMS hosted a Rural Health Hackathon in August 2024 to collaboratively produce creative, actionable ideas to address health care challenges facing rural communities. This Request for Applications (RFA) is one effort to help address these challenges.

The RFA is open and available on Rural Community Hospital Demonstration webpage. Hospitals interested must apply by 11:59 Eastern Standard Time on March 1, 2025. Hospitals currently participating in the demonstration do not need to complete a new application.

For the latest information on the demonstration, visit the Rural Community Hospital Demonstration webpage.

If you have questions about the demonstration, please email RCHDemo@cms.hhs.gov.

Public Comment Period Now Open: Screening for Cervical Cancer USPSTF Draft Recommendation, Draft Evidence Review, and Draft Modeling Report, Comment by January 13

January 3, 2025

Public Comment Period Now Open: Screening for Cervical Cancer USPSTF Draft Recommendation, Draft Evidence Review, and Draft Modeling Report, Comment by January 13

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that women ages 21 to 65 get screened regularly for cervical cancer and seeks comments on the following documents:

  • Draft Recommendation statement
  • Draft Evidence Review, and
  • Draft Modeling Report.

Note the public comment period has been expanded from the standard four weeks to five weeks to account for the holidays. Comment by January 13, 2025.

To comment, click on the title of the draft document Here

Upcoming HRSA Webinar: Improving Patient Engagement in Cervical Cancer Prevention, January 16

January 3, 2025

Upcoming HRSA Webinar: Improving Patient Engagement in Cervical Cancer Prevention, January 16

In observance of Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) invites you to join “Improving Patient Engagement in Cervical Cancer Prevention”, featuring speakers from HRSA’s MCHB, Division of Women’s Health.

Attendees will learn about a new Patient Engagement Toolkit that supports efforts to increase patient and community engagement in cervical cancer and prevention, screening, and management. The toolkit was designed to meet the needs of health centers and safety-net settings but may be useful to other health care organizations that are committed to preventing cervical cancer.

The webinar is part of HRSA’s Women’s Health Leadership Series. The purpose of the series is to spotlight emerging issues and innovations in women’s health across the lifespan.

Cost: Free

When: Thursday, January 16, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. ET

Click Here to Register

CMS 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Final Rule Summary

December 31, 2024

CMS 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Final Rule Summary

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule that updates payment policies and Medicare payment rates for services provided by physicians and nonphysician practitioners (NPPs) that are paid under the PFS in CY 2025. These changes apply to services provided in 2025.

Click Here to Read Summary

Click Here to Read Billing for Telehealth

Click Here to Read Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule

Telehealth Policy Update

December 31, 2024

Telehealth Policy Update

Recent legislation authorized an extension of many of the Medicare telehealth flexibilities. This includes:

  • Waiving geographic and originating site requirements through March 31, 2025.
  • Expanding practitioners eligible to furnish telehealth services through March 31,2025.
  • Allowing Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) to serve as distant site providers through March 31, 2025.
  • For 2025 and 2026, FQHCs and RHCs will be paid for telehealth services under the FQHC prospective payment system or the RHC all-inclusive rates, respectively.
  • Delaying the in-person requirements for tele-mental health services through April 1, 2025.
  • Allowing audio-only telehealth through March 31, 2025.

Click Here to Read More

Notice of Funding Opportunity: RCORP Overdose Response, HRSA-25-010

December 31, 2024

Notice of Funding Opportunity: RCORP Overdose Response, HRSA-25-010

The Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) – Overdose Response is a one-year program supporting improved health care in rural areas by addressing their immediate and short-term needs related to provision of substance use disorder services. RCORP – Overdose Response aims to reduce and prevent the risk of overdoses in rural areas. HRSA will make approximately 20 awards of up to $300,000 each.

The RCORP – Overdose Response Program will support specific, short-term substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery activities, as well as work related to capacity building, supportive services, and special populations.

RCORP Overdose Response funds MUST ONLY be used to support activities from the list of allowable activities described in the HRSA-25-010-Full Announcement document located Here.

Eligible organizations include all domestic public or private, non-profit, or for-profit entities.

The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) will hold a webinar for applicants on Thursday January 30, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. ET.

Click Here to Read Full Announcement and Apply

For more information about this funding opportunity, contact the Program Coordinator, Diana Wang, at ruralopioidresponse@hrsa.gov.

New Funding Opportunity: FY 25 Delta Health Systems Implementation Program (DSIP), Apply by March 20

December 31, 2024

New Funding Opportunity: FY 25 Delta Health Systems Implementation Program (DSIP), Apply by March 20

The Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA’s) Federal Office of Rural Health Policy’s (FORHP’s) Delta Health System’s Implementation Program (DSIP) funding opportunity for FY25 is open and accepting applications – HRSA-25-032 for the program’s two-year period of performance (September 1, 2025-August 31, 2027).

HRSA expects to award five rural healthcare organizations, up to $400,000 each, to enhance healthcare delivery in rural areas by implementing projects that will improve financial sustainability and increase access to care.

Eligible applicants include:

  • Critical access hospitals
  • Small rural hospitals
  • Rural health clinics
  • Tribal healthcare facilities, and
  • other healthcare organizations located in a rural county or parish in the Delta region.

Applicants must propose projects based on recommendations received from previous technical assistance (TA) provided through the Delta Region Community Health Systems Development Program or another similar TA program within the last five years.

Examples of implementation projects include, but are not limited to:

  • Financial and Operational:
    • Developing new service lines,
    • Increasing inpatient and swing bed volume,
    • Increasing outpatient services,
    • Implementing revenue cycle best practices to increase point of service collections, and
    • Optimizing emergency department operations.
  • Quality:
    • Reducing readmissions,
    • Improving transitions of care and discharge planning,
    • Implementing performance measurement systems,
    • Clinical documentation integrity training, and
    • Utilizing data analytics.
  • Telehealth:
    • Expanding telehealth services and enhancing cybersecurity.
  • Workforce:
    • Recruitment initiatives,
    • Implementing new technology to increase clinical efficiency,
    • Simulation training for clinicians, and
    • Leadership training such as rounding to improve patient and employee satisfaction.

Applications Due by March 20, 2025

A technical assistance webinar via Zoom will be held for applicants on Wednesday, January 8, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern.

Interested applicants should start registrations in grants.gov and sam.gov ASAP.

Click Here to See Full Details

For more information about this funding opportunity, contact the Program Coordinator, Suzanne Snyder, at RuralHospitals@hrsa.gov.

 

Webinar Recording Available for Viewing: Addressing the Intersection of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and Substance Use in Maternal Health Care

December 31, 2024

Webinar Recording Available for Viewing: Addressing the Intersection of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and Substance Use in Maternal Health Care

View the recorded webinar to learn about the National Strategy to Improve Maternal Mental Health Care, as well as the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Health and Human Services (HHS) Office on Women’s Health (OWH) initiatives that are integrating prevention and care for IPV, substance use, and maternal health.

This webinar featured speakers from HRSA’s Maternal and Child Health Bureaus and HHS OWH.

Click Here to View Recorded Webinar

FCCC Cervical Cancer Patient Engagement Toolkit

December 31, 2024

FCCC Cervical Cancer Patient Engagement Toolkit

Download this new toolkit, developed by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Federal Cervical Cancer Collaborative (FCCC), the new toolkit, Improving Patient Engagement in Cervical Cancer Prevention (available in English and Spanish). The FCCC develops resources to advance equitable cervical cancer prevention, screening, and management in safety-net settings.

This toolkit helps providers improve equitable cervical cancer prevention, screening, and management. In this toolkit, “providers” means all people involved in cervical cancer care. This includes anyone who interacts with patients or supports patient care.

The toolkit has four sections:

  • Introduction: overview, importance of patient engage3ment, and the role of health centers.
  • Patient Engagement Materials: these items include a social media calendar, screening by age poster, live read script, text message library, LGBTQIA+ poster, and cervical screening follow-up card.
  • Community Partner Guide: Browse suggestions on how to work with partners in your community.
  • Additional Resources: Help your patients understand HPV infection, screening, and test results.

Click Here to Learn More and Download the Toolkit

HRSA Funding Opportunity: Graduate Psychology Education Program – HRSA-25-067, Apply by January 21

December 31, 2024

HRSA Funding Opportunity: Graduate Psychology Education Program – HRSA-25-067, Apply by January 21

The Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA’s) Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW), Division of Nursing and Public Health is accepting applications for the Graduate Psychology Education Program – HRSA-25-067.

The purpose of this program is to train doctoral health service psychology students, interns, and postdoctoral residents in integrated, interdisciplinary behavioral health, with significant focus on trauma-informed care and substance use disorder prevention and treatment services.

The program will prepare trainees for practice in community-based primary care settings in high need and high demand areas. To support trainees, the program will also focus on developing health service psychology faculty.

Who Can Apply:

  • Public and private institutions of higher education,
  • HRSA-funded health centers, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and rural health clinics,
  • State, county, city, township, and special district governments,
  • Nonprofits with or without a 501(c)(3) IRS status,
  • Native American tribal governments and organizations

**Individuals are not eligible to apply**

Please Note: Training programs of either the applicant or a partner organization must be accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency approved for such purposes by the U.S. Department of Education.

Award Information

  • Awardees may receive up to $450,000 per year for three years,
  • The three-year period of performance is July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2028,
  • $22.8 million is available annually for approximately 50 awards.

Apply by January 21, 2025

Click Here to Learn More and Apply