Category: HRSA

Open for Comment: Input to CMS on Burden of Information Collection Requirements – Comment by February 26

February 2, 2024

Open for Comment: Input to CMS on Burden of Information Collection Requirements – Comment by February 26

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is announcing an opportunity for the public to comment on the information collection requirements in two key areas for rural stakeholders:

  1. CMS Plan Benefit Package and Formulary 2025
    • Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plan organizations are required to submit plan benefit packages for all Medicare beneficiaries residing in their service area
      • Includes information on:
        • Premiums
        • Formularies
        • Cost sharing
        • Prior authorizations
        • Supplemental benefits
    • Allows beneficiaries to access and compare Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug plans
  1. Satisfaction of Nursing Homes, Hospitals, and Outpatient Clinicians Working with the CMS Network of Quality Improvement and Innovation Contractors Program
    • Seeking input on revisions to its data collection requirements for several health care provider-focused quality improvement surveys
      • Changes are to inform CMS on evaluation of technical assistance provided to nursing homes and outpatient clinicians in community settings

Submit Comment Here

HRSA Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program – Apply by March 7

February 2, 2024

HRSA Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program – Apply by March 7

This program provides funds to repay a portion of their outstanding qualifying educational loans.

Eligible Applicants

  • If employed in an eligible public or private Critical Shortage Facility
  • Registered Nurses
  • Advanced Practice Registered Nurses
  • If employed at an eligible school of nursing
  • Nurse Faculty

Have Questions?

Join this two-hour webinar, on Tuesday, February 13, 2:30 for answers and assistance in completing the application.

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