Category: HRSA

Upcoming Webinar: HRSA Loan Guarantee Program

January 31, 2024

Upcoming Webinar: HRSA Loan Guarantee Program

Many health centers face challenges and/or delays in obtaining affordable loans for their capital projects because of credit or collateral shortfalls. A loan guarantee from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Health Center Facility Loan Guarantee Program (LGP) can enhance a health center’s credit profile and cover up to 80% of the principal amount of loans made by non-federal lenders.

Join Capital Link’s webinar on February 6 for an overview of the HRSA LGP and get a preview of an upcoming HRSA Loan Guarantee Program Learning Collaborative, starting at the end of February 2024.

Please contact Chloe Bahnan cbahnan@caplink.org, if you have questions.

When: Tuesday, February 6, 2:00 -3:00 p.m. ET

Register Here

Click Here to Apply

Call for Questions – Physician Fee Schedule Webinar

January 30, 2024

Call for Questions – Physician Fee Schedule Webinar

The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) has coordinated with the Rural Health Information (RHI) Hub and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to hold a webinar on February 27, at 3 pm ET, to discuss the CY 2024 Physician Fee Schedule final rule.

This webinar will focus heavily on the community Health Integration Services and the Behavioral Health billing codes for Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT)/Mental Health Counselors (MHC). CMS will also review telehealth policies outlined in the PFS final rule.

FORHP is working to gather questions from rural stakeholders as CMS is developing the webinar in response to questions that are received.

Additional Information

Please submit questions by close of business, Thursday, February 1.

Submit Questions to Jemima Drake: jdrake@hrsa.gov

Registration for this webinar will be available soon.

HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson, Joined by Representative Lauren Underwood, Launches New National Maternal Health Initiative

January 26, 2024

HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson, Joined by Representative Lauren Underwood, Launches New National Maternal Health Initiative

On Thursday, January 25, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Administrator Carole Johnson, joined by Representative Lauren Underwood (D-IL), co-chair of the Black Maternal Health Caucus, launched a year-long Enhancing Maternal Health Initiative. The initiative will strengthen, expand, and accelerate HRSA’s maternal health work to address maternal mortality and maternal health disparities in partnership with mothers, grantees, community organizations, and state and local health officials across the country.

The kick-off event at the Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington, DC, included:

  • HRSA maternal health grantees form 11 states
  • District of Columbia
  • Key national organizations
  • Experts, providers, and individuals with lived experience
    • Attendees shared personal perspectives on maternal health care and support
    • Innovative ways HRSA grantees are making an impact on maternal health
    • How maternal mental health is addressed.

HRSA’s Enhancing Maternal Health initiative aims to:

  • Achieve measurable progress in maximizing the impact of HRSA grants and programs to address maternal mortality and improve maternal health
  • Foster new partnerships and collaborations among HRSA grantees in high need, high opportunity jurisdictions to address maternal mortality and improve maternal health
  • Strengthen HRSA’s internal capacity to maximize the impact of HRSA’s maternal health grants, programs and resources

This initiative focuses on parts of the country where:

  • HRSA has significant investments
  • There are significant opportunities for new partnerships and collaborations
  • There is high need
    • Arizona
    • Alabama
    • Georgia
    • Illinois
    • Kentucky
    • Maryland
    • Michigan
    • Missouri
    • Montana
    • North Carolina
    • Oregon
    • District of Columbia

HRSA brings grantees from across the states of focus to foster cross-program and cross-state relationships, to drive progress in maternal health and end the maternal mortality crisis.

Learn More about the HRSA Maternal Health work

You’re Invited! – Advancing Community Paramedicine in Kansas: Policy Options & Considerations, January 30

January 26, 2024

You’re Invited! – Advancing Community Paramedicine in Kansas: Policy Options & Considerations, January 30

This event will focus on policy considerations and opportunities related to community paramedicine.

Community paramedicine is an emerging model of care that allows and enables paramedics, EMTs and other clinicians to deliver non-emergent public health, primary and preventive services to populations in the community.

These services extend beyond the roles of traditional transportation and emergency care and generally seek to increase access to care, improve patient outcomes, and avoid duplication of existing services.

The event will feature an expert panel, including individuals with experience implementing and delivering community paramedicine services, national policy experts in the field of mobile integrated health, and Kansas policymakers.

Attend in-person or virtually!

Where: Kansas Health Institute, 212 SW 8th Avenue, Topeka, KS

When: Tuesday, January 30, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

Register for to attend In-Person

Register to Attend Virtually

HRSA Continuation Contracts for National Health Service Corps Loans – February 27

January 25, 2024

HRSA Continuation Contracts for National Health Service Corps Loans – February 27

Clinicians currently serving in the National Health Service Corps can receive additional funds to repay their health professions training loans in exchange for extending their service by one year.

The Health Resource and Services Administration’s (HRSA’s) Bureau of Health Workforce announced FY24 continuous award amounts of:

  • $20,000 per year for full-time clinicians
    • Full-time clinical practice:
      • No less than 40 hours per week
      • A minimum of 45 weeks a year
  • $10,000 per year for those working part-time
    • Half-time clinical practice:
      • A minimum of 20 hours per week (not to exceed 39 hours per week)
      • A minimum of 45 weeks per year

With a continuation contract, you can extend your service by one year in exchange for an additional loan repayment award.

Prepare to Apply

When to Apply

  • If your contract end dates are between April 1, 2024 – July 31, 2024
    • Application cycle starts January 23, 2024 and ends February 27, 2024
  • If your contract end dates are between August 1, 2024 – September 29, 2024
    • Application cycle starts April 19, 2024 – May 24, 2024

Learn More

HRSA Targeted Technical Assistance for Rural Hospitals – Apply by February 7

January 25, 2024

HRSA Targeted Technical Assistance for Rural Hospitals – Apply by February 7

The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) supported Targeted Technical Assistance for Rural Hospitals (TTAP) program is accepting applications for two years of technical assistance. Hospitals seeking to enhance their financial and operational capacity are encouraged to apply.

TTAP is a federally funded initiative that offers comprehensive technical assistance to rural hospitals to address financial and operational challenges and maintain essential health services for their communities.

TTAP is not a grant program for hospitals. Participating hospitals will receive:

  • technical assistance at no cost
  • all applicants are eligible to participate in webinars and training events
    • focused on best practices for financial and operational improvement
    • held throughout the grant period

Eligible rural hospitals, including Critical Access Hospitals and Inpatient Prospective Payment System facilities, can apply to participate in TTAP. Hospitals that demonstrate the greatest need for TA and readiness to engage in in-depth technical assistance are priority.

To Apply:

  • complete a brief application via the program website
    • the application will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete
    • no need to complete in one sitting
    • online applications accepted on a rolling basis
      • application deadline announced for each new project year

Technical assistance for this project is provided by the Center for Public Health Practice and Research at the Georgia Southern University and will begin March 2024.

Applications are now accepted through February 7.

TTAP Programming

Apply Now

National Maternal Health Awareness Day

January 23, 2024

National Maternal Health Awareness Day

Today is National Maternal Health Awareness Day and January is National Birth Defects Prevention Month. Learn best practices for providing maternal health services through telehealth, including developing a strategy, billing practices and more.

Learn More

Upcoming Virtual Conference – 2024 Rural Hospital and Clinic Virtual Performance Improvement Conference

January 22, 2024

Upcoming Virtual Conference – 2024  Rural Hospital and Clinic Virtual Performance Improvement Conference

On January 31, join the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) and Wintergreen for the second annual Hospital Performance Improvement Virtual Conference.

Conference Content and Presenters:

  • Harsh Realities of Rural Operations – Jonathan Pantenburg, Wintergreen
    • Encompasses strategies related to:
      • Staffing and provider shortages
      • Revenue cycle
      • Growth
      • Reimbursement
      • Stiffening competition
  • Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP): Updates and Priorities – Meredith Anderson
  • Eliminate the Ego in Rural Recruitment – Nicole Barbano, Hunter Ambrose Intl
    • Uncover the impact of ego on rural healthcare recruitment and learn to build agile, ego-free strategies with enhanced accountability
  • Benefits: Strategic Asset, Not Cost – Rob Bloom, Wintergreen
    • Learn how to rethink benefit programs to address a healthcare organization’s most important asset, greatest vulnerability and biggest expense: It’s people
  • Capitalize on the RHC Value Chain – Kristen Ogden, The Compliance Team
    • As payers seek value-based, outcomes-based models, RHCs are positioned for growth and increased relevance – but only if their operations and team are exceptional
  • Harness Technology to Drive Revenue, Compliance and Safety – Bryan Knowles, VersaBadge
    • Learn how to leverage technology to improve:
    • Reimbursement
    • Compliance
    • Safety and performance using practical, cost-effective tools designed specifically for CAHs and RHCs
  • How to Modernize Rural Healthcare – Alan Richman, InnoVative Capital
    • This presentation demystifies perceived barriers for rural hospitals to fund projects that drive strategic, operational and technology-based innovation
  • Wait…We Can Get Paid for That? – Jonathan Pantenburg, Wintergreen
    • Will review the five novel reimbursement opportunities stimulated by:
    • Recent industry changes
    • Market dynamics and/or regulatory updates that can be implemented by your hospital or clinic in Calendar Year (CY) 2024

When: Wednesday, January 31, 11:00 AM ET

Cost: No Cost

Register Here

Request for Public Input on Maternal Mental Health – Comment by January 31

,January 19, 2024

Request for Public Input on Maternal Mental Health – Comment by January 31

The Task Force on Maternal Mental Health is a federal committee led by the HHS Office of Women’s Health and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

They are seeking public feedback on a set of questions concerning the effectiveness and limitations of prevention and treatment efforts for maternal mental health conditions and substance use disorders.

The Task Force also seeks comment on whether underserved populations, including rural, are represented in the research and guidelines for screening and treatment.

How to submit a response:

  • All submissions must be submitted in the Docket ID HHS – for “Solicitation for Public Comments o Questions from the Task Force on Maternal Mental Health”
  • Comments are encouraged from the public and will be accepted through January 31, 2024
    • The https://www.regulations.gov electronic filing system will accept electronic comments until midnight eastern time at the end of January 31, 2024
    • Comments, received by mail/courier, will be considered if they are postmarked on or before that date,
      • or the delivery service acceptance receipt date is on or before that date
      • written comments, received via mail, are uploaded into https://www.regulations.gov
    • Same limitations as for those directly submitted electronically into https://www.regulations.gov
  • 5,000 character limit for text box
    • Maximum number (10) of attached files
    • Maximum size (10 MB) of each file

Read Full Notice

Submit a Formal Comment