Category: HRSA

CMS Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR) Model – Apply by July

July 15, 2025

CMS Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR) Model – Apply by July

Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the new Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR) Model. CMS will partner with companies specializing in enhanced technologies to test ways to provide an improved and expedited prior authorization process relative to Original Medicare’s existing processes.

The WISeR Model will test a new process on whether enhanced technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), can expedite the prior authorization processes for select items and services that have been identified as particularly vulnerable to fraud, waste, and abuse, or inappropriate use.

Companies selected to participate in the model must have clinicians with appropriate expertise to conduct medical reviews and validate coverage determinations. CMS has issued a Request for Applications for companies interested in participating in the WISeR Model.

Additional information is available in the Model Overview Fact Sheet and on the Federal Register.

Click here to Learn More

Click Here to see Request for Applications

Click Here to view Model Overview Fact Sheet

Click Here to go to Federal Register

Apply for HRSA’s Faculty Loan Repayment Program, Deadline Extended to July 22

July 15, 2025

Apply for HRSA’s Faculty Loan Repayment Program, Deadline Extended to July 22

The Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA’s) Bureau of Health Workforce will repay a portion of your health professional student loan in return for serving on the faculty at a health professions school.

Successful applicants will receive up to $40,000 in loan repayment assistance as well as funding to offset the tax burden.

Click Here to Learn More and Apply

Obstetric Care Access Declined in Rural and Urban Hospitals Across US States, 2010-2022

July 15, 2025

Obstetric Care Access Declined in Rural and Urban Hospitals Across US States, 2010-2022

With support from the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, a team of researchers from the University of Minnesota, Harvard University, and the University of Pennsylvania found widespread loss of obstetric services across states, especially among rural hospitals, during the 12-year period studied.

By 2022, eight states had more than two-thirds of rural hospitals without obstetric services.

Click Here to Read Full Report

Rural Hospital Stabilization Program (RHSP) – Apply Now to Join the Next Cohort, Deadline August 20

July 15, 2025

Rural Hospital Stabilization Program (RHSP) – Apply Now to Join the Next Cohort, Deadline August 20

The Rural Hospital Stabilization Program (RHSP) is funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA’s) Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) and administered by the National Rural Health Resource Center.

The ultimate goal of this program is to strengthen rural health care delivery nationwide. RHSP provides assistance to help hospitals improve financial stability by enhancing or expanding health care services that meet community needs.

Benefits of Participation

  • Improve financial position and increase operational efficiencies,
  • Enhance stability and sustain access to care,
  • Grow services to increase patient volume,
  • Align service to community needs, bolster revenue and reduce bypass, and
  • Enhance community perception of the hospital.

Hospitals participating in the cohort-style program work to identify clinical areas where expansion or addition of services would help to ensure that care is available locally, and develop those service lines to bolster patient volume, optimize service utilization and improve cash flow.

Hospitals that meet program expectations and are selected for participation may receive financial support for operating and equipment costs for service line development and a Community Engagement Champion.

Apply by August 20

Click Here to Learn More and Apply

HRSA Funding Opportunity: Learning Collaborative for HIV Oral Health and Primary Care Integration, HRSA-25-103, Apply by August 12

July 2, 2025

HRSA Funding Opportunity: Learning Collaborative for HIV Oral Health and Primary Care Integration, HRSA-25-103, Apply by August 12

The Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA’s) HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) Part F Community Based Dental Partnership Program (CBDPP), Learning Collaborative for HIV Oral Health and Primary Care Integration (CBDPP), cooperative agreement.

This cooperative agreement will:

  • Promote information sharing and exchange,
  • Maintain and strengthen oral health and primary care integration, and
  • Improve dental education and training through Interprofessional training and community-based education, support community-based dental leaders in HIV oral health care.

Who is Eligible to Apply

  • Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.
  • State governments
  • Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
  • Private institutions of higher education
  • Small businesses
  • Special district governments
  • Independent school districts
  • Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
  • City or township governments
  • For profit organizations other than small businesses

Apply by August 12, 2025, no later than 11:59 p.m. ET

Click Here to Learn More and Apply

Pediatric Specialty Loan Repayment Program, Apply by July 17

July 2, 2025

Pediatric Specialty Loan Repayment Program, Apply by July 17

Eligible clinicians who provide pediatric medical subspecialty, pediatric surgical specialty, or child and adolescent behavioral health care can apply to this program. HRSA offers up to $100,000 in educational loan repayment. In exchange recipients must work full-time for three years in a Pediatric Specialty LRP-approved facility.

Apply by July 17

Click Here to Learn More and Apply

Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery (STAR) Loan Repayment Program, Apply by July 12

July 2, 2025

Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery (STAR) Loan Repayment Program, Apply by July 12

Eligible substance use disorder (SUD) treatment clinicians and community health workers can apply to this program.

HRSA offers up to $250,000 in educational loan repayment. In exchange, recipients must work full-time for six years in a facility approved for the STAR Loan Repayment program.

Apply by July 12

Click Here to Learn More and Apply

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.

Click Here to Read Release

CDC’s Suicide Prevention Communication Campaign Playbook

June 17, 2025

 

CDC’s Suicide Prevention Communication Campaign Playbook

Closing out Mental Health Awareness Month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a new resource for planning suicide prevention campaigns. The playbook includes:

  • Key Audience:
    • Tools for identifying specific populations at higher risk and their networks of influence.
  • Campaign Development:
    • Steps to design effective strategies, craft meaningful messages, and promote behavior change.
  • Behavior Models:
    • Insights into frameworks like the Health Belief Model and Social Cognitive Theory.
  • Messaging Best Practices:
    • Strategies to emphasize hope and resilience and use culturally relevant language.
  • Evaluation:
    • Tools to measure campaign impact and improve future efforts.

The latest data from the CDC show that rural residents are at a higher risk of suicide than urban residents and that rates of suicide almost doubled between 2000-2020 in rural areas.

Click Here to Read More

RHC & FQHC Care Coordination Services: HCPS Code G0511 Deadline Extended to September 30

June 17, 2025

RHC & FQHC Care Coordination Services: HCPS Code G0511 Deadline Extended to September 30

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) extended the deadline for Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) to report individual CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) and HCPCS (Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System) base and add-on codes for care coordination services instead of reporting HCPCS G0511 to September 30, 2025.

The additional time, extended from July 1, 2025, allows for RHCs and FQHCs to update billing systems following the policy change issued in the CY 2025 Physician Fee Schedule final rule.

Click Here to Learn More

More information on the CY 2025 payment rates for care coordination is available here and here.