December 5, 2023
Calendar Year 2024 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule Summary
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Learning Network released a summary of the CY24 PFS final rule with information on key changes.
The Medicare Telehealth Services section includes information on:
Read More
December 5, 2023
Center for Rural Health Releases Communication Toolkit
The Center for Rural Health (CRH), housed within the University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences, recently updated its Communication Toolkit. The toolkit is designed to help Critical Access Hospitals, Rural Health Clinics, public health departments and other healthcare organizations in navigating the realm of communications. It has sections on communicating with a target audience, working with the media, and how to successfully use tools, such as social media and website analytics, to share information with the public.
Helpful items in the toolkit:
The toolkit is free and open to the public and may be helpful for:
Access Communication Toolkit Here
December 4, 2023
Application Assistance for Rural Residency Funding – Apply by February 12
Learn more about what’s needed to apply for the newest funding opportunity for establishing rural residencies, the Rural Residency Planning and Development Program (RRPD) – HRSA-24-022. The FORHP-supported RRPD provides start-up funding for new residency programs to address physician workforce shortages in:
Eligible applicants are rural hospitals and graduate medical education consortiums that may include:
A maximum of 15 awardees will receive up to $750,000 for a three-year grant period to develop new and sustainable programs approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, especially programs specifically designed for underserved areas and populations.
Research has shown that physicians from a rural background and those trained in rural settings are more likely to continue practicing in rural areas after completing their residencies.
December 4, 2023
Updates to Requirements for Buprenorphine Prescribing
As announced by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in January 2023, clinicians no longer need a federal waiver to prescribe buprenorphine for treatment of opioid use disorder. Clinicians are still required to register with the federal Drug Enforcement Agency to prescribe controlled medication.
On June 27, the DEA began to require that registration applicants – both new and renewing – affirm they have completed a new, one-time, eight hour training. Exceptions for the new training requirement are practitioners who are board certified in addiction psychiatry, and those who graduated from a medical, dental, physician assistant, or advanced practice nursing school in the U.S. within five years of June 27, 2023.
Watch this 11-minute video that explains the changes
Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) still have the opportunity to apply for a $3,000 payment on behalf of each provider who trained between January 1, 2019 and December 29, 2022 (when Congress eliminated the waiver requirement). Approximately $889,000 in program funding remains available for RHCs and will be paid on a first-come, first-served basis until funds are exhausted.
Please contact DATA2000WaiverPayments@hrsa.gov for additional information.
December 4, 2023
Trends in the Prevalence of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
A review of data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System showed the prevalence of COPD has remained stable overall, but with disparities based on rural residence. Specifically, between the years 2011 and 2021, prevalence increased for adults 75 years and older, for those living in rural areas, and for those who smoked.
Researchers suggest the COPD National Action Plan provides a comprehensive framework for COPD prevention, treatment, and management strategies. These can be tailored to address risk factors specific to various populations. In rural areas, for example, there are higher rates of smoking, history of asthma, and exposure to lung irritants, but limited access to pulmonologists.
The Rural Health Information hub (RHIhub) recently updated the Rural Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Toolkit, with models for effective COPD programs, issues to consider when implementing, and resources for funding and sustainability.
December 1, 2023
New Funding Opportunity – Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) – HRSA-24-018
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) released a New Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to educate and train the health and supportive care workforces to care for older adults by collaborating with community partners.
The Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) – HRSA-24-018 aims to have applicants maximize patient and family engagement to address care gaps and improve health outcomes for older adults by integrating geriatrics with primary care and other appropriate specialties using the Age-Friendly Health Systems Framework.
Eligible Applicants
HRSA anticipates awarding approximately $43 million to approximately 43 recipients through this funding opportunity
Contact Information for questions:
Jennifer Solomon, GWEP@hrsa.gov, (301) 443-0024
November 22, 2023
HRSA IEA Regions 5 & 7 Grants 101 Workshop, December 7
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs (IEA), Regions 5 and 7 invite you to this free Grants 101 Workshop in Quincy, Illinois, on December 7 from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
This workshop is being offered in person only; there will not be a virtual option. This workshop is free with limited space.
Topics at a Glance:
Who Should Attend:
Please note that lunch will NOT and it is on your own. Lunch will be from 12 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
For questions, please contact Kim Shiu at KShiu@hrsa.gov
November 17, 2023
Funding Opportunity – Supporting Healthy Start Performance Project – HRSA-24-038
The purpose of the Supporting Health Start Performance Project (SHSPP) is to provide training and technical assistance (TA) to support grant recipients in improving their service delivery, meeting outcome measures, and building program ability to work with community partners to improve health and social service systems to reduce maternal and infant health disparities. These grant recipients include those funded under the following programs:
To carry out these activities, the SHSPP recipient will serve as the Healthy Start Technical Assistance and Support Center (TASC). As the TASC, the SHSPP will aid in strengthening the implementation of HS grant recipient activities by providing ongoing training and TA to grant recipients. The HS, HSE, and Catalyst programs have an increased emphasis on addressing social determinants of health (SDOH) to improve disparities in maternal and infant health outcomes. Training and TA strategies provided by the SHSPP are expected to acknowledge and respond to SDOH affecting HS grant recipients across the country.
Eligible Applicants
You can apply if your organization is in the United States and is:
Applications are due by December 29, 2023
For Questions Related to this Funding Opportunity Contact:
Kristal Dail, MPH, kdail@hrsa.gov, (301) 287-0236
November 17, 2023
HRSA Maternal & Child Health EnRICH Webinar – The National Survey of Children’s Health: New Data, Opportunities, and Directions
Measuring and tracking key indicators of health and well-being among children is critical to ensuring the nation is prepared to meet their health and developmental needs as well as to ensure the long-term health of the country. The National Survey of Children’s Health is the largest national survey of children in the US, providing point in time as well as trend estimates on a wide range of indicators related to health status and health services needs of US children, and the family and community factors that can impact those needs.
In 2022, the National Survey of Children’s Health finalized content for “Healthy and Ready to Learn” – the first standardized, multidimensional population level measure of school readiness among children ages 3-5 in the US. This measure, in concert with additional content newly added or under development and the implementation of state oversamples allows the NSCH to remain on the cutting edge of children’s health surveillance and research.
Learning Objectives
When: Tuesday, December 5, 1:00 – 2:00 pm EST
November 14, 2023
New Funding Opportunity – Rural Residency Planning and Development (RRPD) Program – HRSA-24-022
The Rural Residency Planning and Development (RRPD) Program provides start-up funding to new rural residency programs, including rural track programs, to address physician workforce shortages in rural communities in:
The purpose of the Rural Residency Planning and Development (RRPD) Program program is to improve and expand access to health care in rural areas by developing new, sustainable rural residency programs, including rural track programs (RTPs) to address the physician workforce shortages and challenges faced by rural communities.
For the purposes of this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO), rural residency programs are accredited physician residency programs that train residents in rural training sites for greater than 50 percent of their total time in residency, and focus on producing physicians who will practice in rural communities. This includes programs that meet ACGME RTP Designation, including both new programs and permanent complement increases for new rural training site(s) for existing programs.
There are two pathways for this program:
General Primary Care and High Need Specialty Pathway – supports the development of new rural residency training programs that focus on training to meet significant rural health needs.
Eligible specialties:
Maternal Health and Obstetrics Pathway – supports the development of new rural residency programs with a focus on training to provide high quality, evidence-based maternity care and obstetrical services in rural areas.
Eligible specialties:
Eligible Applicants Include:
Application closes February 12, 2024
