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Rural Health Information Hub

Healthcare Access in Rural Communities – News

News stories from the past 60 days.

Mar 27, 2024 - Pre-publication notice of final rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) making changes to simplify the eligibility and enrollment processes in Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the Basic Health Program. This rule aligns enrollment and renewal requirements for most individuals in Medicaid; creates timeliness requirements for redeterminations of eligibility; makes transitions between programs easier; eliminates access barriers for children enrolled in CHIP by prohibiting premium lock-out periods, benefit limitations, and waiting periods; and modernizes recordkeeping requirements to ensure proper documentation of eligibility determinations. These regulations are effective 60 days after the publication of this notice, which is scheduled for April 2, 2024.
Source: Federal Register
Mar 21, 2024 - A charitable donation to a community health center system will increase access to ultrasound technology in Montana and Wyoming as well as train healthcare workforce on new sonography technology. Discusses workforce shortages and the impact of new technology on health outcomes in rural and frontier areas.
Source: Cowboy State Daily
Mar 20, 2024 - Profiles a rural Oregon hospital expanding services to include specialty care. Notes the importance placed on healthcare access for people looking to move to a community.
Source: KPTV
Mar 7, 2024 - Reports on financial struggles for rural hospitals across the country leading to department and facility closures and many more at risk of closure. Highlights common rural health disparities and notes the impact of closures on rural communities. Discusses the impact of various policies on rural hospitals including Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement as well as the Rural Emergency Hospital designation.
Source: KFF Health News
Mar 1, 2024 - Discusses rural hospital closures in Oklahoma. Notes the impact of Medicare reimbursements, Medicaid expansion, and the Rural Emergency Hospital designation on rural hospital stability.
Source: News on 6
Feb 6, 2024 - The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is seeking comments on an information collection request titled "Pediatric Mental Health Care Access Program National Impact Study, OMB No. 0915–xxxx—[New]." The information collection will be used to examine Pediatric Mental Health Care Access (PMHCA) Program impacts on children/adolescents and their families/caregivers, including changes in children's and adolescents' and their families'/caregivers' access to behavioral health care; their subsequent receipt and utilization of behavioral health care, including culturally and linguistically appropriate care; related behavioral health impacts; and monetary and societal cost-benefits. Comments are due by April 8, 2024.
Source: Federal Register
Feb 2, 2024 - Highlights the installation of new 3D mammography machines in rural South Dakota, bringing access to breast cancer screenings that previously required rural residents to drive long distances to access.
Source: Sanford Health News
Jan 30, 2024 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) seeking comments on all aspects of data related to the MA program, including data not currently collected. CMS is especially interested in data-related recommendations related to beneficiary access to care, including provider directories and networks; prior authorization and utilization management, including denials of care and beneficiary experience with appeals processes as well as use and reliance on algorithms; cost and utilization of different supplemental benefits; all aspects of MA marketing and consumer decision-making; care quality and outcomes, including value-based care arrangements and health equity; and special populations such as individuals dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, individuals with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and other enrollees with complex conditions. Comments are due by May 29, 2024.
Source: Federal Register

Last Updated: 3/27/2024