December 28, 2023
Resources for Billing for Telehealth
Reimbursements for telehealth continue to evolve. Find resources on billing and reimbursement for:
- Medicare
- Medicaid
- Private insurers
Additional Resources
Rural Spotlight
December 28, 2023
Washington University Currently Recruiting Study Participants
Washington University, in St. Louis, is currently recruiting study participants to take part in a 60 – 90-minute interview. Participants will be compensated with a $200 e-gift card upon completing the interview.
Purpose:
- To examine the implementation of evidence-based interventions for increasing engagement in substance use treatment and HIV care for patients in the state of Missouri.
- This study will provide critical insights into understanding the delivery of medication treatments for opioid use disorders, HIV prevention, and other resources.
Recruiting for the following groups:
- Health Center Staff and Providers (MD, DO, PA, APRN)
- Must be working at an FQHC, RHC, or facility eligible for HRSA funding
- Must be working in a rural county of Missouri
- People with lived experience with Opioid Use Disorder
- Either actively using or not
- Must be currently living or working in a rural county of Missouri
- Community Advocates
- Must have work or volunteer experiences as an advocate for those receiving support or treatment for substance use disorder
- Examples include but are not limited to:
- Mobile outreach,
- Harm Reduction,
- Leading a peer support group,
- Community organizing
- Public speaking
- Examples include but are not limited to:
- Must have work or volunteer experiences as an advocate for those receiving support or treatment for substance use disorder
- Regional Leaders
- Must have work or volunteer experience in a leadership capacity seeking to address issues related to substance use disorder within your community
- Examples include but are not limited to serving in public office, as a faith leader, or as program director/executive director
- Must have work or volunteer experience in a leadership capacity seeking to address issues related to substance use disorder within your community
If interested, please complete the eligibility screener here
*The Institute of Public Health at Washington University in St. Louis and the National Institutes of Health are funding this research study, grant #R21DA057136. If you have any questions about this study, you may contact Phillip Marotta directly at phillip.marottaWwustl.edu or you may contact the Human Research Protection Office at 1 800 438-0445 or hrpo@wustl.edu.
December 15, 2023
Now Available – IRF and LTCH Provider Preview Reports
The Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Provider Preview Reports have been updated and are now available. These reports contain provider performance scores for quality measures, which will be published on Care Compare and Provider Data Catalog (PDC) during the March 2024 refresh.
The data contained within the Preview Reports are based on quality assessment data submitted by LTCHs from:
- Quarter 3, 2022 through Quarter 2, 2023, and
- LTCH Change in Mobility measure, Quarter 3, 2021 through Quarter 2, 2023.
Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) measures reflect data from:
- Quarter 2, 2022 through Quarter 1, 2023 for the Clostridium Difficile Infection (CDI),
- Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI), and Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI) measures, Quarter 4, 2022 through Quarter 1, 2023 for the Healthcare Personnel (HCP) Influenza measure, and
- Quarter 2, 2023 for the COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage among Healthcare Personnel (HCP) measure.
The data for the claims-based measures will display data from Quarter 4, 2020 through Quarter 3, 2022 for this refresh.
Providers have until January 16, 2024, to review their performance data. Only updates/corrections to the underlying assessment data before the final data submission deadline will be reflected in the publicly reported data on Care Compare.
If a provider updates assessment data after the final data submission deadline, the updated data will only be reflected in the Facility-Level Quality Measure (QM) report and Patient-Level QM report. Updates submitted after the final data submission deadline will not be reflected in the Provider Preview Reports or on the Care Compare website. However, providers can request Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) review of their data during the preview period if they believe the quality measure scores that are displayed within their Preview Reports are inaccurate.
For more information, please visit the CMS LTCH QRP Public Reporting website.
For more information, please visit the CMS IRF QRP Public Reporting website.
December 14, 2023
Applications are being accepted to receive two years of technical assistance through the Targeted Technical Assistance Program. This is a Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) supported program for rural hospitals struggling to maintain health care services.
Over a two-year period, selected hospitals are supported through a systematic and evidence-based process for identifying, prioritizing and implementing short-term, mid-range and long-term strategies for positioning their organizations for financial sustainability. During their tenure in the program, hospitals receive comprehensive technical assistance in financial and operational assessment, financial sustainability planning, strategy implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
Technical assistance for this project is provided by the Center for Public Health Practice and Research at the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health, Georgia Southern University, and will begin March 2024. Applications must be received by January 31, 2023.
December 14, 2023
Now Available – White House Social Determinants of Health Playbook
The social and economic conditions of the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes. The following resources build on the Administration’s work to advance health equity by acknowledging that peoples’ social and economic conditions play an important role in their health and well-being.
- PRESS RELEASE: The Biden-Harris Administration Takes Action to Improve Health and Wellbeing by Addressing Social Determinants of Health
- White House Playbook to Address Social Determinants of Health
- Call to Action to Address Health Related Social Needs
- Medicaid and CHIP Health-Related Social Needs Framework
December 14, 2023
2024 NRHA Rural Health Award Nominations Now Open
Nominations are now open for NRHA’s 2024 Rural Health Awards. Each year NRHA honors outstanding individuals and organizations in the field of rural health who have dedicated their time and talents to improving the health and well-being of others.
Previous Rural Health Award recipients have stretched the boundaries of possibility by forging innovative programs and services, making rural life healthier and more compassionate.
- Consider nominating your favorite rural health individual, program or organization so that they may be honored nationally for their contributions to rural health.
Winners will be honored during a special ceremony during NRHA’s Annual Rural Health Conference in New Orleans next spring.
Submissions open December 6 and close February 20.
Click Here to nominate an individual
Click Here to nominate an organization or program
December 14, 2023
Virtual Conference: Medical Leadership in Disaster Preparedness and Response, February 7-8, 2024
Are you currently responsible for the medical direction of a health care entity in the event of a disaster? Are you interested in serving in that role in the future? The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) Technical Resources, Assistance Center, and Information Exchange (TRACIE) is hosting the Medical Leadership in Disaster Preparedness and Response Virtual Conference February 7-8, 2024.
This two half-day virtual, interactive conference will feature individuals who have a medical direction role during disasters for their health care facility, public health department, emergency medical services agency, health care coalition, or other entity discussing the spectrum of their medical leadership responsibilities and some of the specific challenges of the role.
All participants are encouraged to attend the entire virtual conference, but participants must register for each day they would like to attend
What to Expect:
Day 1 – February 7 12:30 – 5:00 PM ET
- Providing a framework for disaster medicine leadership
- How we can measure our effectiveness
- The intersection of clinical care and emergency management
- Preparing future leaders for the role
View Agenda
Day 2 – February 8 12:30-5:00 PM ET
- Medical Operations Coordination Centers
- Crisis Standards of Care
- Disaster medicine in rural areas
- Equitable disaster planning and access to care
- The role of public/private partnerships
Register Now as space is limited
December 12, 2023
Training for Non-Licensed Employees (Online) – Computerized Provider Order Entry Online Training (CPOE)
Computerized provider order entry (CPOE) refers to the process of providers entering and sending treatment instructions – including medication, laboratory and radiology orders – via a computer application rather than paper, fax, or telephone.
According to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, medication errors are among the most common medical errors, harming at least 1.5 million people each year. Adverse Drug Events or ADEs, account for more than 3.5 million physician office visits and 1 million ED visits annually. According to the National Library of Medicine’s article “Medication Dispensing Errors and Prevention, each year, in the United States alone, 7,000 to 9,000 people die as a result of medication error. Understanding the margin of error that can occur, hopefully we can reduce ADEs through education and training. It is believed that preventable medication errors impact more than 7 million patients and cost almost $21 billion annually across all care settings and are found to be under reported.
Non-licensed employees do not receive the same level of formal training as Registered Nurses (RNs), Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), or Certified Medical Assistants (CMAs). If your providers delegate prescriptions, diagnostic tests, and other clinical orders to a non-licensed member of your workforce, there can be an increased risk of an order entry error.
Quality controls help elevate the care at your healthcare organization from adequate to excellent. When patients are referred to your facility, you can promote your quality assurance programs that put a premium on patient and worker safety and optimize the effectiveness of treatment.
Time Commitment:
- Medical assistants with experience entering physician orders, typically complete the course within 10 – 12 weeks
- The course can be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- A qualified, certified instructor is available upon request to address questions during the training experience
- Organizations enrolling 3 or more employees at the same time will receive monthly Employee Progress Reports
Topics Covered:
- Introduction to Certified Provider Order Entry Professional
- Diagnostic Laboratory Services
- Radiology & Other Diagnostic Tests
- Introduction to Pharmacologic Principles
- Abbreviations and Systems of Measure
- Drug Classifications
- Age Related Medication Issues
Enrollees will need:
- High-speed internet access
- Access to email
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Excel
- Adobe Reader
Download Information Packet
Cost: $295
Click Here to Register Online
December 12, 2023
Registration Now Open – 2024 NOSORH Rural Health Grant Writing Institute
The National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) cordially invites you to a unique learning experience where you can enhance your grant writing skills, turn rurality to your advantage, learn to connect with funders, and more!
This virtual learning series is tailor-made for beginners aiming to develop the skills needed to research and draft winning program proposals from various funders.
Participants will benefit from:
- Tools, templates, and tips to help apply what they learn to their everyday work and build a personal grant writing portfolio.
- Opportunity for one-on-one support, peer review, and discussion with other new and experienced grant writers.
Curriculum includes:
- Getting Started on Writing a Proposal
- Developing a Strong Evaluation
- How to Use Data to Make the Case for Rural
- Finding Funding and other Resources to Support Your Proposal
Time Commitment: March 4 – April 29, 2024; Virtual learning sessions will take place Mondays from 3:00 – 4:30 pm ET
Technology Requirements:
- Participants will use iSpring, an online Learning Management System (LMS), to:
- Access handouts
- Presentation materials
- Recorded sessions and
- Communicate with the course instructor.
- Live sessions will be conducted through Zoom
- Recordings of the presentations will be available for playback within 24 hours of the event.
- Only those registered for the NOSORH Rural Health Grant Writing Basic Institute will be provided a personal iSpring login and can join the sessions and view class materials. Failure to comply may result in access restriction. Participants will be sent an email invitation by February 26th.
Registration Deadline: February 16, 2024
Cost: $750
Register Here
December 11, 2023
Rural Horizons Spotlight is Now Available Online
The latest issue of NRHA’s Rural Horizons, the association’s quarterly magazine, is now available online featuring three new articles on topics including how students choose rural health.
For three rural medical and public health students who recently spoke with NRHA about their career choice, finding their “reason to care” was a huge deciding factor in pursuing small town practice – but they also believe exposure can help more students become interested in rural medicine, and rural living has a lot to offer the younger generation.
Rural Horizons features articles carefully selected to engage and inform everyone working to improve rural health care. You can subscribe by becoming an NRHA member.