The South Carolina Rural Health Research Center released their new report on Medicaid Managed Care and rural America. "Nearly all states use managed care organizations (MCOs) to control costs and improve delivery of care for Medicaid beneficiaries. Making beneficiary enrollment in managed care mandatory, rather than...
The Federal Communications Commission announced a cut in funding for the USAC Rural Health Care Program which provides funding to rural hospitals for improvement of telehealth programs. The FCC sought comment on this program a few months ago along with the announcement they would be...
A profile in the Sioux City Journal follows a Western Iowa woman's story as she navigated the difficulty of finding emergent OB care after the critical access hospital in her community had stopped providing OB services. This closure left mothers and families in the community with...
HRSA released the following information in their update on the government's response to the opioid crisis: COMING SOON! The rural communities opioid response funding opportunity! The Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) plans to award up to 75 grants to...
Adrian Smith (R-NE-3) introduced a bill removing the 96-hour rule on Critical Access Hospitals. The bill has since been referred the House Committee on Ways and Means. The Critical Access Hospital Coalition will continue to monitor the status of this legislation. [button link="https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/5507" text=Read More"]...
"In rural communities across the United States, citizens depend on front-line healthcare services from 1,300 Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Twenty-three percent of Americans live in rural areas; these facilities are often an area’s sole care provider. Sadly, today many CAHs face closure as proposed federal...
A draft of the House Farm Bill was released late last week. The Farm Bill contains many changes, including a provision allowing the Secretary of Agriculture to declare a 'rural health emergency' and allocate funding for such a crisis. The bill includes cuts in spending,...
The physician shortage has impacted hospitals across the United States, but rural communities and hospitals are feeling the shortage more than their urban counterparts. "Despite concerted efforts to increase the rural workforce, the long-standing shortage of physicians and other medical personnel is expected to worsen as...
Nebraska's health care workforce is not growing as needed to meet the state's demands, per a new report. The problems are particularly pronounced in the state's rural areas. "Fifty-eight of Nebraska’s 93 counties are designated shortage areas for family physicians." Click here to read more about Nebraska's...
Acting Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie released a statement today telling Congress to pass the permanent Veterans Choice program fix. "It’s time to fix the Choice Program – as well as the department’s other non-VA care efforts – once and for all by merging them into a...