In a Land of Plenty, Food Desert Prevalent Across Western Kansas

Oct 11, 2021 - Reports on the lack of access to food, particularly healthy, fresh produce, in rural Western Kansas. Focuses on the economic impacts of grocery stores in rural communities and the challenges facing those communities as residents drive long distances to shop at larger stores. Highlights the loss of food access as rural grocery stores lose business, which affects rural elders and people living with disabilities who may not be able to easily travel for groceries.

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Report: Rural Areas Wait Longer for Ambulances

Sep 25, 2021 - News broadcast covering rural ambulance challenges, including long distances, limited funding, and coordinated service issues, which lead to long wait and transportation times, and in some places inability to respond to 911 calls. Highlights payment, reimbursement, and policy issues specific to state-level EMS services.

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OPM, IRS, EBSA, HHS: Requirements Related to Air Ambulance Services, Agent and Broker Disclosures, and Provider Enforcement Federal Register

Sep 16, 2021 - Notice of proposed rule from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) implementing certain provisions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. Proposed changes include requiring plans, issuers, and providers of air ambulance services to submit to HHS certain data regarding air ambulance services and implementing penalties for failure to submit data, among other things. Comments are due by October 18, 2021.

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In Rural Colorado, Ambulance Services are Stretched Thin - A Pandemic Adds More Challenges

Sep 8, 2021 - Reports on the challenges facing rural ambulance services that serve large sections of Eastern Colorado and the increase of COVID-19 patient calls. Discusses limited resources for both ambulance services and rural emergency departments, requiring transportation several hours to urban hospitals.

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CMS: Medicare Program; National Expansion Implementation for All Remaining States and Territories of the Prior Authorization Model for Repetitive, Scheduled Non-Emergent Ambulance Transports Federal Register

Aug 27, 2021 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announcing the implementation dates for all remaining states and territories for the national expansion of the Prior Authorization Model for Repetitive, Scheduled Non-Emergent Ambulance Transports. This model tests whether prior authorization for repetitive, scheduled non-emergent ambulance transports helps reduce expenditures while maintaining or improving access to and quality of care.

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