Rural Health
News by Topic: Healthcare needs and services
Apr 10, 2024 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) making technical corrections to the August 7, 2023, final rule. This notice is effective April 10, 2024, and is applicable October 1, 2023.
Source: Federal Register
Apr 10, 2024 - Announces proposed bipartisan legislation modifying regulations for Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in mountainous areas. Legislation would allow ambulatory services with enhanced Medicare payments as well as protecting CAH designation when a new facility is constructed within 15 miles.
Source: Office of Senator Joe Manchin
Apr 10, 2024 - Highlights efforts to reduce maternal mortality in Kentucky by identifying contributing factors and implement best practices in those areas through the Kentucky Maternal Morbidity and Mortality (KyMMM) Task Force. Notes that rural residents and other groups have disparate rates of mortality. In addition to this program, the Perinatal Community Health Worker Program has been established to connect pregnant and postpartum people with culturally relevant services. Offers contact information to learn more about the programs or to explore joining the KyMMM Task Force.
Source: UK Now
Apr 10, 2024 - Discusses the need for mental health services in schools and how states around the country have used Medicaid reimbursement to fund those services. Notes recent policy changes that have made this possible and highlights challenges that remain in using Medicaid reimbursement, particularly for rural school districts.
Source: The Commonwealth Fund
Apr 9, 2024 - Describes the needs of older adults in rural communities, discussing access to support services, healthcare, and social engagement.
Source: The Daily Yonder
Apr 9, 2024 - Highlights a mental telehealth service in Nebraska that increases access to care in rural areas. Patients are able to receive a behavioral health assessment in their local hospital, which can be quicker and more convenient when services are multiple hours away.
Source: KOLN
Apr 8, 2024 - Describes the impact of a new federal grant on telehealth access in rural Alabama. Notes that substance use disorder and mental health disorder healthcare in particular is expected to increase.
Source: Alabama Daily News
Apr 8, 2024 - Highlights a new mobile medical unit expanding mental healthcare access for veterans in Montana and Wyoming. The unit is the first offering transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy, a treatment typically given daily for multiple days. Receiving treatment through the mobile unit reduces transportation barriers for rural and frontier veterans.
Source: VA News
CMS: Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request
Federal Register
Apr 5, 2024 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking comments on the following information collections: 1) Outcome and Assessment Information Set OASIS-E1; 2) Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D, and Medicare Fee-For-Service Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Survey; 3) Application for Part A (Hospital Insurance) and Part B (Medical Insurance) for People with End-Stage Renal Disease; and 4) End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Annual Home Dialysis within Nursing Home Survey Form. Comments are due by June 4, 2024.
Source: Federal Register
Apr 5, 2024 - Discusses challenges with offering ambulance services in rural Minnesota including reimbursement and funding models, a volunteer workforce, and large service areas.
Source: MPR News