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Rural Health
News by Topic: Policy

Jul 22, 2024 - Quarterly listing of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) manual instructions, substantive and interpretive regulations, and Federal Register notices published from April through June 2024, including contact information for general questions or additional information about specific sections.
Source: Federal Register
Jul 22, 2024 - Notice of proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) revising the Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Medicare Ambulatory Surgical Center (ACS) payment system for calendar year 2025. This proposed rule would also update and refine the requirements for the Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting (OQR) Program, Rural Emergency Hospital Quality Reporting (REHQR) Program, ASC Quality Reporting (ASCQR) Program, and Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program and proposes Conditions of Participation (CoPs) for hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) for obstetrical services. Among other things, this rule would request information on options being considered for future changes to the Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating methodology and further information related to a Tribal Technical Advisory Group request to apply the Indian Health Service encounter rate to all outpatient tribal clinics. This proposed rule would also provide exceptions to the Medicaid clinic services benefit four walls requirement for Indian Health Service and Tribal clinics, and, at state option, for behavioral health clinics and clinics located in rural areas. Comments are due by September 9, 2024.
Source: Federal Register
Jul 20, 2024 - Discusses factors contributing to mental healthcare provider shortages in rural Colorado and solutions for addressing the shortage including telemedicine, interventions for farmers and farmworkers, and other policy measures. Highlights the role of stigma as a barrier to care.
Source: Colorado Politics
Jul 19, 2024 - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will hold a virtual public meeting of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) on August 28-29, 2024. The meeting will include panels on the U.S. government's global HIV response; the science impact of "Undetectable = Untransmittable", or U = U; and Affordable Care Act risk adjustment model to expand access and uptake of PrEP. The full agenda of be posted on the PACHA website prior to the meeting. To provide public comment, pre-registration is required by August 21, 2024.
Source: Federal Register
Jul 18, 2024 - Announces a virtual public meeting of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Classifications and Public Health Data Standards, ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance (C&M) Committee to be held on September 10-11, 2024. The agenda includes a discussion of ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS topics, a list of which is provided in the notice.
Source: Federal Register
Jul 18, 2024 - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the charter renewal of the Safety and Occupational Health Study Section (SOHSS). The charter renewal is effective for a two-year period, through June 30, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Jul 18, 2024 - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is seeking nominations for membership on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The role of the ACIP is to provide advice to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that will lead to a reduction in the incidence of vaccine preventable diseases in the United States, and an increase in the safe use of vaccines and related biological products. Nominees will be selected based on expertise in the fields of immunization practices; immunization practices and public health, use of vaccines and other immunobiological agents in clinical practice or preventive medicine, clinical or laboratory vaccine research, assessment of vaccine efficacy and safety, or have knowledge about consumer perspectives and/or social and community aspects of immunization programs. Nominations are due by August 15, 2024.
Source: Federal Register
Jul 17, 2024 - Provides an overview of the mental health workforce shortage in Texas, with data on various provider types. Notes that shortages are particularly acute in rural counties, some of which have no providers. Reviews efforts by state lawmakers to address the issue, including loan repayment programs and increased Medicaid reimbursement for mental health services.
Source: The Texas Tribune
Jul 17, 2024 - Advisory notice from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to alert certain clinicians who are Qualifying APM participants (QPs) and have earned an Alternative Payment Model (APM) Incentive Payment that CMS does not have the current information needed to disburse the payment. Provides information to QPs on how to update their Medicare billing information so that CMS can disburse payments. All information should be sent to CMS by September 1, 2024.
Source: Federal Register
Jul 17, 2024 - Describes the role of dental therapists, a provider type licensed to provide basic preventative care under the supervision of a dentist, in expanding oral healthcare access in rural and underserved communities. Highlights the work of dental therapists in tribal communities in Alaska and Washington, where oral health needs are significant and dentists are in short supply.
Source: Stateline