Category: HRSA

Creating an Emergency Plan for Regular Telehealth Visits

January 7, 2025

Creating an Emergency Plan for Regular Telehealth Visits

Planning can go a long way to prepare you for an emergency situation during a telemedicine or telehealth appointment and set expectations with your patients.

With telehealth, you’re seeing patients outside of the safety and control of your office. An emergency situation may arise from a wide range of causes, including a mental health crisis, stroke/heart attack, overdose, etc.

Click Here to learn how to plan for an emergency situation during a telehealth appointment.

Click Here to Read Patient Safety and Emergency Management from the American Psychiatric Association

Federal legislation continues to expand and extend telehealth services. Click Here to read more

Telehealth for Emergency Preparedness Best Practice Guide

January 7, 2025

Telehealth for Emergency Preparedness Best Practice Guide

Telehealth is important to providing medical care during an emergency, such as a pandemic or natural disaster. Providers can use telehealth to perform quick assessments, triage patients, and deliver patient care. Integrating telehealth into emergency preparedness plans is essential.

This best practice guide provides detailed information and resources on using telehealth for emergency preparedness.

Click Here to View the Best Practice Guide

Telehealth Policy Update

January 7, 2025

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 and Rural Health Clinics to serve as distant site providers through March 31, 2025,
  • Delaying in-person requirements for tele-mental health services through April 1, 2025, and
  • Allowing audio-only telehealth through March 31, 2025.

Other recent updates include Medicare telehealth policies in the Calendar Year 2025 Physician Fee Schedule and a temporary extension for prescribing controlled substances via telehealth.

Click Here to see legislation

Click Here to see Calendar Year 2025 Physician Fee Schedule

Click Here to see temporary extension for prescribing controlled substances via telehealth

Federal Grant Bootcamp, February 3-7

January 6, 2025

Federal Grant Bootcamp, February 3-7

The Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA’s) Minority Colleges, Universities, and Community Colleges (MCU-CC) Technical Assistance (TA) initiative is hosting a Federal Grants Bootcamp to help community-based organizations (CBOs) understand, apply for, and manage federal funding.

Why You Should Attend:

The Federal Grants Bootcamp provides a foundational overview of the federal grants process and completion of the five-day Bootcamp unlocks opportunities for additional TA (all offered virtually) including:

  • Mentor-protégé communities of practice (CoPs);
  • Monthly Chat ‘n Chew sessions;
  • Regional Roundtable conferences; and
  • Access to HRSA’s on-demand resource library

This five-day Bootcamp is free and focuses on the unique needs of community-based organizations. Current and prospective HRSA grantees from community-based organizations are encouraged to register and attend. The event is also open to other MCU-CCs as well.

Cost: Free

When: February 3 – 7, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

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.