RHIhub This Week

July 10, 2024

RHIhub This Week

RHIhub This Week keeps you informed of the latest rural news, funding opportunities, publications and events.

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New Resource! Rural Chronic Disease Management Toolkit

July 2, 2024

New Resource! Rural Chronic Disease Management Toolkit

The Rural Health Information Hub (RHIhub) has a new toolkit, developed in collaboration with the NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis.

The Rural Chronic Disease Management Toolkit compiles evidence-based and promising models and resources to support the implementation of chronic disease management programs in rural communities across the United States.

The modules in this toolkit contain resources and information focused on:

  • Developing
  • Implementing
  • Evaluating
  • and Sustaining

rural programs for the management of chronic disease.

Click Here to Access the Rural Chronic Disease Management Toolkit

Click Here to Access the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Toolkit

RHIhub This Week – The Rural Monitor

June 26, 2024

RHIhub This Week – The Rural Monitor

The Rural Monitor is a publication of the Rural Health Information Hub (RHIhub) that keeps you informed of the latest rural news, funding opportunities, publications and events.

Click Here to read the Rural Monitor

Call for Nominations

June 26, 2024

Call for Nominations

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a call for nominations for a CMS Technical Expert Panel (TEP) for the expansion of both the Maternal Morbidity Structural Measure (MMSM) and the Birthing-Friendly Hospital Designation.

Ideal TEP nominees include:

  • Clinical experts
  • Obstetrical/gynecologic department chairs
  • Hospital administrators
  • Perinatal quality improvement experts
  • Health equity and birth justice experts
  • Statistical and performance measurement experts
  • Consumer/patient/family caregiver experts

Nominations accepted until July 12.

Learn More

CMS Preparing to Close Program that Addressed Medicare Funding Issues

June 26, 2024

CMS Preparing to Close Program that Addressed Medicare Funding Issues

On June 17, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that payments under the Accelerated and Advance Payments (AAP) Program for the Change Healthcare/Optum Payment Disruption (CHOPD) will conclude on July 12, 2024.

  • CHOPD accelerated payments have been issued to over 4,200 Part A providers, such as hospitals, totaling more than $2.555 billion.
  • CMS also issued 4,722 CHOPD advance payments, totaling more that $717.18 million, to Part B suppliers, including doctors, non-physician practitioners, and durable medical equipment suppliers.
  • Providers of services and suppliers are now successfully billing Medicare
    • to date, CMS has already recovered over 96% of the CHOPD payments.
  • After July 12, 2024, CMS will no longer accept new applications for CHOPD accelerated or advance payments.

CMS will continue to monitor for other effects of the cyberattack on Medicare providers of services and suppliers and will continue to engage industry partners to address any remaining issues or concerns.

CMS encourages all providers of services and suppliers, technology vendors, and other members of the health care ecosystem to double down on cybersecurity, with urgency.

Please visit the HPH Cyber Performance Goals website at https://hphcyber.hhs.gov/performance-goals.html for more details on steps to stay protected.

New Toolkit from RHIhub: Chronic Disease Management

June 24, 2024

New Toolkit from RHIhub: Chronic Disease Management

This toolkit was developed in collaboration with NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis as part of a growing collection of resources available at the Rural Health Information Hub (RHIhub).

It compiles evidence-based and promising models and resources to support chronic disease management programs in rural communities across the United States and covers several common chronic conditions including:

  • Diabetes
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
  • Heart disease
  • Arthritis
  • Chronic kidney disease
  • Cancer
  • Obesity
  • Chronic pain

Click Here to access Rural Chronic Disease Management Toolkit

Updated RHIhub Topic Guide – Rural Hospice and Palliative Care

June 21, 2024

Updated RHIhub Topic Guide – Rural Hospice and Palliative Care

This recently updated RHIhub topic guide shares information and resources describing how hospice services operate in rural communities and describes related factors and influences that impact hospice operations.

Also included is a description of the challenges of operating a rural hospice organization, including:

  • Workforce and reimbursement issues
  • Potential strategies and solutions to address related issues

Click Here to Access Rural Hospice and Palliative Care

CDC Webinar: What Rural Clinicians Should Know about Influenza A (H5N1), June 18

June 10, 2024

CDC Webinar: What Rural Clinicians Should Know about Influenza A (H5N1), June 18

Consider joining this webinar to hear experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) discuss clinical features of influenza A (H5N1), recommendations and considerations for influenza testing and treatment, and strategies for culturally competent patient evaluations for possible exposure to influenza A.

Cost: Free

When: Tuesday, June 18, 2:00 p.m.

Register Here