Rural Spotlight

Newly Released: CMS Framework for Health Equity

November 14, 2024

Newly Released: CMS Framework for Health Equity

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Office of Minority Health released the CMS Framework for Health Equity to address health disparities as a foundational element across all work, in every program, and across every community.

Using five priority areas, CMS will use this framework to design, implement, and operationalize policies and programs to support health for all people served by CMS programs, eliminating avoidable differences in health outcomes experienced by people who are disadvantaged or underserved, and providing the care and support that CMS enrollees need to thrive.

Click Here to Read More

CMS Releases CY 2025 Physician Fee Schedule with Telehealth Policy Updates and Key Modifications

November 14, 2024

CMS Releases CY 2025 Physician Fee Schedule with Telehealth Policy Updates and Key Modifications

On November 1, 2024, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Final Calendar Year (CY) 2025 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS), outlining important Medicare policy updates for the coming year.

As in previous years, the PFS contains multiple proposals affecting telehealth policy. Many temporary federal telehealth waivers in Medicare are set to expire this year, and their extension would require congressional action. However, CMS has made adjustments within its authority to mitigate the effects of these expirations if Congress does not act to extend statutory flexibilities further.

For those interested in further detail, CCHP has released a fact sheet with specific page references to the unpublished version of the PFS, outlining telehealth-specific proposals and updates in depth.

Click Here for Fact Sheet

Click Here to Read Final Calendar Year 2025 Physician Fee Schedule

CART Outpatient Version 1.25.0 Release

November 14, 2024

CART Outpatient Version 1.25.0 Release

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced the release of the CMS Abstraction and Report Tool (CART) and is now available on the QualityNet website: https://qualitynet.cms.gov/

This release contains updates to CART Outpatient 1.25.0 to support the Sex Data Element changes as listed in Specifications Manual 17.0a. This CART version must be used for encounter dates 07-01-24 through 9-30-24.

Details of the new Sex Data Elements are listed below:

  • Sex assigned at birth – Required
  • Sexual Orientation – Voluntary
  • Gender Identity – Voluntary

Note: CART for Q4 2024 encounters and future will be available in January 2025 in HQR

The CART 1.25.0 download, as well as installation instructions, edits, and online help are located on the QualityNet website.

  • Select the Hospitals – Outpatient card on the home page of QualityNet,
  • The CART-Outpatient version 1.25.0 can be accessed under the CART Overview page,
  • Edits and Online help Guide are at the bottom of the Download Cart page under resources,
  • Known issues for CART-Outpatient are located on the QualityNet Home page under the Help menu.
    • Select the known Issues link and navigate to hospital Quality Reporting System Known Issues PDF

Click Here to Go to QualityNet website

Click Here to Download CART Version 1.25.0

Who to contact with questions:

HRSA Health Center Performance Improvement Toolkit

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

Upcoming Webinar: Access to Maternity Care in Rural U.S. Communities, November 14

November 8, 2024

Upcoming Webinar: Access to Maternity Care in Rural U.S. Communities, November 14

Consider joining this webinar where the leadership of the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center Maternity Care Team will provide a timely update on critical issues impacting maternal health in rural U.S. communities.

The presentation will describe disparities in maternal health outcomes for rural populations, the growing scarcity of obstetric care, and the far-reaching consequences of obstetric unit closures.

Additionally, the presentation will delve into the reasons behind these closures and examine policy solutions aimed at improving access to maternal health care and advancing health equity.

Registration is free and required. Attendance of the live webinar is limited to 500 persons. If you are unable to attend, you will be able to access the recording, archived on the Gateway website.

Cost: Free

When: Thursday, November 14, 10:00 a.m.

Click Here to Register

Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program Hardship Exception Application Deadline for CAHs is November 30, 2024

November 8, 2024

Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program Hardship Exception Application Deadline for CAHs is November 30, 2024

For the calendar year 2023 reporting period, eligible hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) were required to use 2015 Edition Cures Update certified electronic health record technology (CERHT) to meet the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program requirements.

CAHs may apply for a Hardship Exception if complying with this requirement results in significant hardship. CAHs may submit their application electronically or contact the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality Service Center (CCSQ) Service Center at (866) 288-8912 to complete a verbal application.

Click Here to Learn More

Click Here to see Requirements for Previous Years

Click Here to Apply

Medicare Finalizes New Standards for Hospital Obstetric Care

November 8, 2024

Medicare Finalizes New Standards for Hospital Obstetric Care

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Medicare Outpatient Hospital Prospective Payment System (OPPS) Final Rule for Calendar Year 2025.

In addition to annual updates in outpatient hospital Medicare payment rates, this rule finalizes new standards for hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) with obstetric (OB) units regarding maternal quality assessment and performance improvement, the organization, staffing, and delivery of OB care, and staff training on evidence-based maternal health practices.

For hospitals and CAHs with emergency services, it adds standards on facility readiness in caring for emergency services’ patients, including pregnant, birthing, and postpartum women.

The rule also finalizes new transfer policies for hospitals that mirror the current CAH and Rural Emergency Hospital standards. These Conditions of Participation (CoPs) will be phased in over two years.

Click Here to Read Final Rule

Policy Update: Medicare Finalizes Changes to Medicare Home Health Program, Effective January 1, 2025

November 8, 2024

Policy Update: Medicare Finalizes Changes to Medicare Home Health Program, Effective January 1, 2025

On November 1, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the Calendar Year (CY) 2025 Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) Rate Update final rule, which updates the Medicare payment policies and rates for home health agencies (HHAs).

CMS projects an increase in aggregate payments by 0.5 percent, and finalizes a permanent prospective adjustment of 1.975% to the CY 2025 home health payment rate.

CMS finalized a new standard for acceptance to service policy in the Home Health Conditions of Participation (HH CoPs) and their proposal with modification to require ongoing respiratory illness reporting for Long-Term Care (LTC) facilities. The rule is effective January 1, 2025.

Click Here to see 2025 Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate Update final rule

Rural Health Research: Medical Debt in Collections Among Counties by Rural-Urban Location and Racial-ethnic Composition

November 8, 2024

Rural Health Research: Medical Debt in Collections Among Counties by Rural-Urban Location and Racial-ethnic Composition

Medical debt, or medical costs owed for health care services, is a pressing issue across the U.S., with implications for health and well-being for those facing debt burden. While recognition of medical debt as a social problem is growing, details about who is most at risk of holding this debt remain less clear.

This policy brief addresses this gap by examining the differences in the proportion of people with medical debt in collections and median amount of medical debt by rural-urban communities of color.

Key Findings:

  • Rural counties have a higher proportion of people with medical debt in collections than urban counties (15.7% vs 14.8%), and this difference is associated with lower average household incomes in rural counties in general.
  • The county-level median amount of medical debt in collections held by rural residents is $62 higher compared to their urban counterparts, even after accounting for income differences.
  • The proportion of people with and amount of medical debt in collections are both higher in rural and urban communities of color than in rural and urban communities overall.

Click Here to Read Brief

NARHC Webinar: Regulatory Changes for Rural Health Clinics in 2025, November 18

November 8, 2024

NARHC Webinar: Regulatory Changes for Rural Health Clinics in 2025, November 18

The nonprofit National Association of Rural Health Clinics (NARHC) is hosting a free, FORHP-supported webinar with information about changes for RHCs in the federal regulation that determines how much physicians and other providers are paid for treating Medicare beneficiaries.

Experts will discuss changes that include:

  • Removal of RHC productivity standards
  • New billing processes for care coordination
  • Streamlining required lab services
  • Extending telehealth flexibilities

Advance registration is required.

Cost: Free

When: Monday, November 18, 1:00 p.m. CT

Click Here to Register