November 18, 2024

HRSA Announces Complete Lists of Health Professional Shortage Areas

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) new lists, maintained and updated by HRSA’s Data Warehouse, were announced in the Federal Register last week. The lists identify all geographic areas, population groups, and facilities designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). Designations that are currently proposed for withdrawal will remain in this status until a second notice is published in the Federal Register.

Click Here to See New Lists

November 8, 2024

HRSA Health Center Performance Improvement Toolkit

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has introduced a new Health Center Performance Improvement Toolkit.

The toolkit can be used to conduct self-assessments to understand the focus areas and potential activities needed to achieve your performance improvement goals.

The resources aim to:

• Foster innovation
• Enhance patient care
• Improve health outcomes for underserved populations

Click Here to access the toolkit

October 22, 2024

Reminder: Hospitals and CAH Respiratory Illness Reporting Requirements Begin November 1, 2024

In the CY2025 Medicare Inpatient Hospital Prospective Payment System Final Rule (starting on page 898), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) added requirements for hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) to electronically report information related to flu, COVID-19 and RSV via the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN).

CDC has posted instructions for Reporting Requirements, Frequency, and Pathway as well as templates, training slides, and additional resources.

Reporters may use either the weekly reporting pathway OR the daily reporting pathway to satisfy requirements for Hospital Respiratory Data for CMS CoP; reporters do NOT need to provide data into both pathways to meet the requirement.

Got questions? Please read the linked sources above or reach out to your CMS Regional Representative.

Click Here to Access NHSN Respiratory Data (HRD) Reporting

October 17, 2024

Telehealth Resources for Patients and Providers

The Department for Health and Human Services (HHS) has the following telehealth resources for patients and providers:

• Telehealth for emergency preparedness
  • Telehealth is important for 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.
  • This best practice guide provides detailed information and resources on using telehealth for emergency preparedness.
• Preparing patients for Telehealth
  • The transition to telehealth is an adjustment for patients as well as health care providers. By preparing your patients for remote medical care, you help ensure their comfort and maintain quality care.
• Telehealth for special needs children (Patient Resource)
  • Telehealth can be used to support children and families with unique health care needs.
• Telehealth Events
  • Find upcoming webinars, conference, and other events around telehealth.

October 17, 2024

Pricing Transparency Tools Available

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has developed and maintains tools to support hospitals in meeting some of the machine-readable file (MRF) requirements for Hospital Price Transparency.

• Online Validator
  • Tests machine readable files against the required CMS template layouts and data specifications (45 CFR 180.50(c)(2)).
  • The online validator runs in a user’s web browser, and it is recommended for nontechnical users.
• Command Line (CLI) Validator
  • Tests machine readable files against the required CMS template layouts and data specifications (45 CFR 180.50(c)(2)).
  • The CLI is a downloaded tool that runs locally in the user’s terminal, and it is recommended for technically proficient users validating multiple files simultaneously or integrating the validator into a software pipeline.
• MRF Naming Wizard
  • Assists users in generating the MRF file name in accordance with the naming convention requirements (45 CFR 180.50(d)(5)).
• TXT File Generator
  • Assists users in generating a TXT file with the required attributes of information to improve accessibility to MRFs (45 CFR 180.50(d)(6)(i)).

October 10, 2024

Preventing and Responding to Intimate partner Violence

Download the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Implementation Framework that has activities and resources for HRSA-supported settings of care to prevent and respond to Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) in the communities they serve.

The Framework has five building blocks to:

• Train and support the health care workforce
• Engage with partners and their communities
• Deliver care that is responsive to trauma and diverse cultures
• Coordinate and carry out steps to prevent and respond to IPV
• Use data to drive decision-making

HRSA recognizes each organization is unique and has a range of experience in implementing IPV prevention and response initiatives. Organizations can pick the building blocks and activities that best align with their resources and needs.

Click Here to Access the Implementation Framework