The government agreed on an Omnibus package to extend the government's funding and avert what would have been the third shutdown in 2018. The Omnibus contained many provisions relevant to health care including an increase in funding for the NIH and the opioid crisis. The...
The Iowa Senate unanimously approved a bill yesterday to expand telemedicine throughout the state. Representatives of rural districts were particularly eager for this legislation to pass as they see the immediate relief it can bring their home communities, especially when in need of specialty care. Governor Reynolds...
HHS Secretary Alex Azar provided comment to the National Association of Community Health Centers that Medicare's regulation to cut reimbursement for 340B drugs exemplifies transparency and fairness in drug pricing. He said, "The program was intended to offer affordable medicines to providers focused on low-income...
Hospitals are establishing new career education programs in areas where the nursing shortage has threatened their facility's staffing capabilities. "To grow the prospective hiring pool, hospitals are implementing partnerships with local colleges to provide hands-on training to nursing students and creating internal pools to fill temporary...
Kaiser Health News has profiled how Medicaid payments have aided rural hospitals in staying afloat despite tough financial times and high expense of maternal care. "Medicaid covers nearly 24 percent of rural, nonelderly residents and offers some financial stability to rural facilities by reducing uncompensated care costs at hospitals...
A new report from the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center published in JAMA examines the impact of obstetric care closures on birth outcomes in rural areas. The study identified rural counties as either urban-adjacent or non-adjacent. Those families living in counties that were not...
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced a new program aimed at providing veterans in rural America access to telehealth services to address post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The VA Offices of Rural Health and Quality Enhancement Research Institute are collaborating this new Telemedicine Outreach for PTSD (TOP)...
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma and White House Office of American Innovation Director Jared Kushner announced an initiative to improve patients' access to their own medical records and data. The two advisors discussed initiatives for interoperability and a push for...
"On February 28, 2018, HRSA recognized seven awardees for their work in developing and implementing innovative strategies; adopting evidence-based/promising practice models; influencing health policy; leading sustainable advancements in increasing access to health care; and improving health care quality within rural communities. The champions also exhibited...
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has extended the attestation deadline for Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) from February 28, 2018, to March 16, 2018, at 11:59pm PST. [button link="https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/EHRIncentivePrograms/index.html?redirect=/ehrincentiveprograms" text="Read More"]...