Rural Health
News by Topic: Healthcare facilities
Mar 16, 2026 - Notice from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) seeking comments on proposed revisions to an information collection request titled "Bureau of Health Workforce Health Workforce Connector OMB No. 0906-0031-Revision." The Health Workforce Connector (HWC) provides a central platform to connect participants, including but not limited to those in the National Health Service Corps (NHSC), Nurse Corps Scholarship and Loan Repayment Programs (Nurse Corps), Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery (STAR) Loan Repayment Program, Pediatric Specialty (PS) Loan Repayment Program, Nursing Training, and Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) programs with facilities that are approved for their programs. Comments are due by April 15, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Mar 12, 2026 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) making technical corrections to the November 5, 2025, final rule. This correction is effective March 12, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Mar 12, 2026 - Describes state-level legislation in Mississippi creating a pilot program that changes certificate of needs (CON) laws. The program would loosen CON regulations for small communities with extra exemptions for the Mississippi Delta. Discusses the potential impact on rural hospitals.
Source: Mississippi Today
Mar 10, 2026 - Highlights a pilot program in a rural Missouri community offering a coordinated response to health and social needs for Medicaid patients. The program allows hospitals and other organizations to refer patients to service providers and track whether their needs are getting addressed. Describes how the program was started, the federal waiver that allows the program to run, and the technology used for it. Discusses sustainability challenges common for rural service providers.
Source: The Beacon: Missouri
Mar 10, 2026 - Announcement from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of the approval of the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities, dba QUAD A, for continued recognition as a national accrediting organization for Rural Health Clinics that wish to participate in the Medicare or Medicaid programs. This approval is applicable from March 23, 2026, through March 23, 2032.
Source: Federal Register
Mar 10, 2026 - Describes a hospital renovation project in rural Iowa. Includes discussion of how U.S. Department of Agriculture Community Facilities Direct Loans and Guaranteed Loans will be used for the project.
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Mar 10, 2026 - Highlights the increased cost of healthcare for rural Vermont residents due to Medicare reimbursement policy for Critical Access Hospitals. Notes that policymakers are investigating solutions that equitably distribute cost while supporting CAHs that may be negatively impacted by budget changes.
Mar 9, 2026 - Summarizes comments from a HIMSS26 Healthcare Cybersecurity Forum discussing cybersecurity for rural hospitals. Covers topics including regional collaboration, communicating with facility administration, and cybersecurity workforce.
Source: Healthcare IT News
Mar 9, 2026 - Announcement from the USDA Rural Business-Cooperative Service, Rural Housing Service, and Rural Utilities Service of guarantee fee rates, guarantee percent for guaranteed loans, the periodic retention fee, and fees for the issuance of the loan note guarantee prior to construction completion for FY 2026 for the following loans programs: 1) Community Facilities, 2) Water and Waste Disposal (WWD), 3) Business and Industry, and 4) Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). These fees are effective on October 1, 2025.
Source: Federal Register
Mar 6, 2026 - Profiles a labor and delivery department in a rural North Carolina Critical Access Hospital. Maternity services were re-started in 2020 using family physicians after closing the department in 1991. Describes maternity care access across North Carolina, challenges with sustaining the service for rural communities, and how they can be a model to other rural communities.
Source: North Carolina Health News