Rural Spotlight

CMS Seeks Comments: Proposed Changes to the Overall Hospital Star Rating System, Comment by September 15

August 15, 2025

CMS Seeks Comments: Proposed Changes to the Overall Hospital Star Rating System, Comment by September 15

Published in the CY2026 Medicare Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) Proposed Rule, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requests feedback on their proposal to update how they calculate the Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating, which summarizes a variety of quality measures across five areas into a single star rating for each hospital.

The five areas of quality are Safety of Care, Mortality, Readmission, Patient Experience, and Timely and Effective Care. CMS proposed to emphasize the contribution of the Safety of Care measure group in hospitals; ratings by limiting the total number of stars that hospitals with the lowest Safety of Care scores can earn.

They also propose that this change, if finalized, would only apply to hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals with at least 3 Safety of Care measures. CMS estimates that about 830 rural hospitals with star ratings had at least 3 Safety of Care measures in 2024.

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Targeted Technical assistance for Rural Hospitals Program, Apply by September 30

August 15, 2025

Targeted Technical assistance for Rural Hospitals Program, Apply by September 30

Applications are being accepted to receive two years of technical assistance through this FORHP-supported program for rural hospitals interested in addressing financial and operational challenges and maintaining essential health services for their communities.

Technical assistance for this project is provided by the Center for Public Health practice and Research sat the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health, Georgia Southern University, and will begin November 2025.

Applications will continue to be accepted on a rolling basis year-round.

Click Here to Learn More and Apply

Request for Comments: Newborn Screening, Comment by September 15

August 15, 2025

Request for Comments: Newborn Screening, Comment by September 15

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is considering recommending the Secretary of Health and Human Services add Metachromatic Leukodystrophy (MLD) and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) to the Recommended Uniform Screening Panel (RUSP).

HRSA is providing notice and requesting comments from the public on these potential recommendations. The notices can be found here:

HRSA is particularly interested in comments that address the potential benefit of early screening for these conditions within the newborn period, the ability of state newborn screening programs to screen for them, and the availability of effective treatments.

Submit comments by September 15, 2025

See evidence reviews for MLD and DMD for additional information:

Rural Hospital Stabilization Program, Apply by August 20

August 15, 2025

Rural Hospital Stabilization Program, Apply by August 20

The Rural Hospital Stabilization Program (RHSP) is funded by HRSA’s Federal Office of Rural Health Policy and administered by the National Rural Health Resource Center.

RHSP aids rural hospitals, at no cost to them, to help them improve their financial stability by enhancing or expanding health care services that meet community needs.

Hospitals participating in the cohort-style program work to identify clinical areas where the expansion or addition of services would help to ensure that care is available locally, and develop those service lines to bolster patient volume, optimize service utilization, and improve cash flow.

Apply by August 20

Click Here to Learn More and Apply

MHA Webinar: Building Your Health Care Workforce with Registered Youth Apprenticeship, October 14

August 15, 2025

MHA Webinar: Building Your Health Care Workforce with Registered Youth Apprenticeship, October 14

This virtual event will feature active Registered Youth Apprenticeship programs in health care and emphasize:

  • How to start a program,
  • Identify best practices, and
  • Discuss ongoing program maintenance.

Cost:  Complimentary for MHA Members

When: Tuesday, October 14, 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Click Here to Register

Policy Update: FY 2026 Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System Final Rule

August 12, 2025

Policy Update: FY 2026 Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System Final Rule

On July 31, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule that updates Medicare payment policies and rates for inpatient and long-term care hospitals under the Medicare hospital inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System (LTCH PPS) for fiscal year (FY) 2026.

The increase in IPPS operating payment rates for general acute care hospitals that successfully participate in the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) program and are meaningful electronic health record (HER) users under the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program is 2.6 percent.

This rule also finalizes changes to

These regulations are effective October 1, 2025.

Click Here to Learn More

2025 National Shortage Designation Update

August 12, 2025

2025 National Shortage Designation Update

Health Professional Shortage Areas, also known as HPSAs, can be geographic areas, populations, or facilities that have a shortage of primary, dental, or mental health care providers.

The designations are to determine eligibility for programs like the National Health Service Corps, Nurse Corps, and other programs; they’re also used by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and other Health & Human Services programs to determine where resources and support are needed.

HRSA’s Bureau of Health Workforce intends to update the designations and publish new HPSAs on September 23, 2025.

To Learn More:

HRSA Announces New 340B Rebate Model Pilot Program, Apply by September 2

August 12, 2025

HRSA Announces New 340B Rebate Model Pilot Program, Apply by September 2

On July 31, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced a 340B Rebate Model Pilot Program for drugs on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Selected Drug List for the year 2026 from qualifying manufacturers meeting specific criteria.

The Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA’s)Office of Pharmacy Affairs, which currently oversees the 340B Drug Pricing Program, is inviting selected drug manufacturers to apply for participation in the pilot program for a minimum of one year. HRSA is implementing the program to better understand the merits and shortcomings of the rebate model from the perspective of affected stakeholders, and to help shape future 340B rebate models that align with 340B statue and the Administration’s goals.

Organizations may submit Rebate Model Pilot plan and/or provide comments by September 2, 2025, by visiting the 340B Program Notice: Application Process for the 340B Rebate Model Pilot Program Federal Register Notice.

Click Here to Learn More

Webinar: Hospital Closures are Rising – Build a Back Office that Bends, Not Breaks, August 26

August 12, 2025

Webinar: Hospital Closures are Rising – Build a Back Office that Bends, Not Breaks, August 26

With over 100 rural hospitals closed in the past decade – and hundreds more at risk – hospital closures are no longer rare events. When one hospital shuts down, nearby systems absorb the fallout: patient volume spikes, provider onboarding slows and already stretched administrative teams are pushed to the brink. For executives charged with revenue integrity and workforce readiness, the question is straightforward: Will our back office keep up when the next facility goes dark?

Join Becker’s Healthcare on August 26 to examine real-world playbooks for financial and operational resilience. Two healthcare insiders from Medallion will share lessons learned from organizations that absorbed sudden volume spikes without derailing onboarding, credentialing or reimbursement.

Learning Objectives:

  • Understand the full lifecycle impact of hospital closures and who absorbs the operational fallout.
  • Identify why legacy systems and manual workflows can’t withstand today’s complexity.
  • Discover how to speed up credentialing, onboarding and compliance when every minute matters.
  • Explore tactical strategies for scaling without burning out your administrative or clinical teams.

Cost: Free

When: Tuesday, August 26, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

Webinar: Responsible AI in Primary Care: Driving Quality, Trust and Transformation, August 26

August 12, 2025

Webinar: Responsible AI in Primary Care: Driving Quality, Trust and Transformation, August 26

AI is transforming primary care – but success hinges on how it’s deployed. Health systems leading the way on AI adoption aren’t just investing in smarter algorithms; they’re embedding AI into clinical workflows while preserving trust, safety and the patient-clinician relationship.

In this panel, hear from leaders on what responsible AI looks like in action and what it takes to get clinicians on board. This will be a practical conversation grounded in real-world use cases, governance strategies and measurable results.

Join to Explore:

  • How systems are reducing clinician burden and surfacing key insights at the point of care,
  • Strategies to embed AI into workflows without disrupting the human connection,
  • Governance approaches that ensure responsible, scalable AI deployment across primary care.

 Cost: Free

When: Tuesday, August 26, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register