Rural Spotlight

Opportunity for Participation: Safety Program for Telemedicine – Improving Antibiotic Use

January 25, 2024

Opportunity for Participation: Safety Program for Telemedicine – Improving Antibiotic Use

Have you adapted your antibiotic prescribing approach for Telemedicine? Please consider joining the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHQR) Safety Program for Telemedicine: Improving Antibiotic Use.

This no-cost, cutting-edge program, to improve patient safety and antibiotic use in telemedicine is designed for:

  • Primary care
  • Urgent care
  • Direct to consumer practitioners

Benefits of participation:

  • Learn evidence-based strategies from nationally renowned experts in telemedicine diagnosis and antibiotic prescribing
  • Ear CEU/CME and ABIM MOC points
  • Improve efficiency and patient satisfaction with antibiotic prescribing in your practice with scripting for live and patient portal interactions
  • Perform better on antibiotic-related quality measures (HEDIS, MIPS)
  • Practices participating in a prior similar program saw a 9% decrease in antibiotic prescribing overall and a 15% decrease for acute respiratory infections

Learn More

AHRQ Safety Program for Telemedicine

Join an information webinar to learn more:

Still have questions? Please send an email to safetyprogram4telemedicine@norc.org

Health Professional Loan Repayment Program (HPLRP)

January 25, 2024

Health Professional Loan Repayment Program (HPLRP)

The Health Professional Loan Repayment Program (HPLRP) awards funding for educational loan repayment to eligible health care, mental health and public health professionals in exchange for service in Missouri areas with a shortage in the field.

HPLRP can award up to:

  • $65,000 for licensed health care and mental health practitioners with a doctoral degree
  • $35,000 for licensed health care and mental health practitioners with a bachelor’s or master’s degree
  • $20,000 for public health professionals with a bachelor’s degree or higher
  • $10,000 for licensed health care and mental health providers with an associate degree

Learn More

Applications accepted January 1 – March 1, 2024

For more information, please contact the Office of Rural Health and Primary Care (ORHPC):

Phone: (573) 751-6441

Email: Dhss.LoanRepayment@health.mo.gov

Webpage: Health.mo.gov/living/families/primarycare/hplrp/ 

HRSA Continuation Contracts for National Health Service Corps Loans – February 27

January 25, 2024

HRSA Continuation Contracts for National Health Service Corps Loans – February 27

Clinicians currently serving in the National Health Service Corps can receive additional funds to repay their health professions training loans in exchange for extending their service by one year.

The Health Resource and Services Administration’s (HRSA’s) Bureau of Health Workforce announced FY24 continuous award amounts of:

  • $20,000 per year for full-time clinicians
    • Full-time clinical practice:
      • No less than 40 hours per week
      • A minimum of 45 weeks a year
  • $10,000 per year for those working part-time
    • Half-time clinical practice:
      • A minimum of 20 hours per week (not to exceed 39 hours per week)
      • A minimum of 45 weeks per year

With a continuation contract, you can extend your service by one year in exchange for an additional loan repayment award.

Prepare to Apply

When to Apply

  • If your contract end dates are between April 1, 2024 – July 31, 2024
    • Application cycle starts January 23, 2024 and ends February 27, 2024
  • If your contract end dates are between August 1, 2024 – September 29, 2024
    • Application cycle starts April 19, 2024 – May 24, 2024

Learn More

HRSA Targeted Technical Assistance for Rural Hospitals – Apply by February 7

January 25, 2024

HRSA Targeted Technical Assistance for Rural Hospitals – Apply by February 7

The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) supported Targeted Technical Assistance for Rural Hospitals (TTAP) program is accepting applications for two years of technical assistance. Hospitals seeking to enhance their financial and operational capacity are encouraged to apply.

TTAP is a federally funded initiative that offers comprehensive technical assistance to rural hospitals to address financial and operational challenges and maintain essential health services for their communities.

TTAP is not a grant program for hospitals. Participating hospitals will receive:

  • technical assistance at no cost
  • all applicants are eligible to participate in webinars and training events
    • focused on best practices for financial and operational improvement
    • held throughout the grant period

Eligible rural hospitals, including Critical Access Hospitals and Inpatient Prospective Payment System facilities, can apply to participate in TTAP. Hospitals that demonstrate the greatest need for TA and readiness to engage in in-depth technical assistance are priority.

To Apply:

  • complete a brief application via the program website
    • the application will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete
    • no need to complete in one sitting
    • online applications accepted on a rolling basis
      • application deadline announced for each new project year

Technical assistance for this project is provided by the Center for Public Health Practice and Research at the Georgia Southern University and will begin March 2024.

Applications are now accepted through February 7.

TTAP Programming

Apply Now

National Maternal Health Awareness Day

January 23, 2024

National Maternal Health Awareness Day

Today is National Maternal Health Awareness Day and January is National Birth Defects Prevention Month. Learn best practices for providing maternal health services through telehealth, including developing a strategy, billing practices and more.

Learn More

Telehealth Community Stories

January 23, 2024

Telehealth Community Stories

Telehealth.HHS.gov released a new section highlighting how providers and patients can use virtual visits to improve access to health care. Learn more about how telehealth is being used in various settings.

Read More

NRHA Webinar – What is NRHA’s Rural Hospital Board Certification Program, February 1

January 23, 2024

NRHA Webinar – What is NRHA’s Rural Hospital Board Certification Program, February 1

Are you looking to enhance your skills, expand your knowledge and grow your network as a Rural Hospital Board Member: If so, the National Rural Health Association’s (NRHA’s) Rural Hospital Board Certification Program might be the perfect fit for you.

Join NRHA for a webinar about this unique, multi-faceted course designed to equip rural hospital Board members with the knowledge they need and a network of like-minded individuals to help them support their facility in providing quality care in rural settings.

Hear from participants, ask questions, and learn more about the Program.

Please contact Sydney Grant with any inquiries at sgrant@nrhasc.com

NRHA Board Certification Program

When: Thursday, February 1, 1:00 p.m. EST

Register Here

Rural Emergency Hospital Education and Fireside Chat with an REH CEO, February 8

January 23, 2024

Rural Emergency Hospital Education and Fireside Chat with an REH CEO, February 8

During this session, the Rural Health Redesign Center (RHRC) will provide attendees with an overview of the REH provider type and the no-cost technical assistance for hospitals considering a conversion, available through the Rural Emergency Hospital Technical Assistance Center.

This session will include a Fireside Chat where attendees will have the opportunity to hear directly from a CEO that worked with the Technical Assistance Center throughout their assessment and conversion journey.

When: Thursday, February 8, 1:00 p.m. CST

Cost: No Cost

Register Here

Upcoming Webinar – Next in the Engage series: Secrets of the 5 Star Physician, February 16

January 23, 2024

Upcoming Webinar – Next in the Engage series: Secrets of the 5 Star Physician, February 16

The next webinar in the Engage Series, Secrets of the 5 Star Physician with experts Brian Lee and Dr. Michael Klein, is coming up on February 16.

You will Learn how to:

  • Educate providers to become actively engaged improving the patient experience
  • Gain a buy-in and adopt the 5 Star HABITS model of creating TRUST through kindness and communication
  • Embrace new patient driven best practices and processes that lead to a consistent 5 star patient and family experience
  • Phase in the 5 Star Physician HABIT Checklist as the model for current and future providers to deliver a 5 Star patient experience every time
  • Gain a Buy-in for Ten Patient Focused Policies

Who Should Attend:

  • Physician Leaders
  • Physicians
  • Advanced Care Practitioners
  • Practice Leaders
  • CEOs
  • CNOs Quality professionals & Patient Experience Champions
  • Anyone engaged with Provider services and support

When: Friday, February 16, 10:00 A.M. CT

Cost: No Cost

To register in advance, please click Here

NRHA Webinar – Bridging Gaps in Rural Health with the Telehealth Center of Excellence Framework for Mississippi Hospitals and Beyond, March 6

January 22, 2024

NRHA Webinar – Bridging Gaps in Rural Health with the Telehealth Center of Excellence Framework for Mississippi Hospitals and Beyond, March 6

Rural health is the perfect environment to benefit from the renaissance in digital health. Join the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) for an insightful webinar as the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) takes center stage, sharing a telehealth framework for revolutionizing healthcare access in rural Mississippi, particularly in the Delta Region, which is extensible to rural communities around the nation.

Vast geographies and lack of provider resourcing historically have disadvantaged rural health systems, yet today, telehealth-enabled clinical workforces, like those available through Equum Medical, are providing dynamic resourcing that allows real-time allocation of healthcare professionals and resources based on patient needs, demand fluctuations, and service availability.

This webinar will consolidate experience and insights to address the unique healthcare challenges faced by rural hospitals and help you discover how advanced telehealth technologies and dynamic virtual workforce solutions combine to reshape healthcare delivery, ensuring comprehensive and timely services for rural communities

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from UMMC, one of only two federally designated Centers of Excellence in Telehealth by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and Equum Medical.

When: Wednesday, March 6, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. CST

Cost: No Cost

Register Here