Rural Health
News by Topic: Hospitals
May 23, 2024 - Notice of final rule from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) amending its medical regulations to conform with section 101 of the Joseph Maxwell Cleland and Robert Joseph Dole Memorial Veterans Benefits and Health Care Improvement (Cleland-Dole) Act of 2022, which expanded the provision of hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care to World War II (WWII) veterans. The VA is also amending its medical regulations to remove existing references to Mexican border period and World War I (WWI) veterans since there are no longer any living veterans of these eras. This rule is effective May 23, 2024.
Source: Federal Register
May 21, 2024 - Highlights a Tennessee Critical Access Hospital's strategies for remaining open despite national trends toward closure. Discusses reimbursement, workforce, community vitality, and swing beds. Caption available in video player.
Source: WVLT 8
May 20, 2024 - Offers highlights from the Bipartisan Policy Center's 3 day trip to 20 sites in Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota to learn more about rural hospitals, digital health initiatives, and behavioral health services. Discusses rural resilience, collaborations, and use of technology. Notes challenges related to funding, emergency medical services, workforce, and access to care. Includes description of coming reports from the organization.
Source: Bipartisan Policy Center
CMS: Medicare Program: Alternative Payment Model Updates and the Increasing Organ Transplant Access Model
Federal Register
May 17, 2024 - Notice of proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) describing a new mandatory Medicare payment model, the Increasing Organ Transplant Access Model (IOTA Model). The IOTA Model would test whether performance-based incentive payments paid to or owed by participating kidney transplant hospitals increase access to kidney transplants for patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) while preserving or enhancing the quality of care and reducing Medicare expenditures. This proposed rule also describes standard provisions for CMS Innovation Center (CMMI) models relating to beneficiary protections, cooperation in model evaluation and monitoring, audits and records retention, rights in data and intellectual property, monitoring and compliance, and more. These standard provisions would apply to any CMMI model whose first performance period begins on or after January 1, 2025, and in whole or in part to any CMMI model whose first performance period began before January 1, 2025. Comments are due by July 16, 2024.
Source: Federal Register
May 16, 2024 - The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust will provide more than $30 million in grants to health systems in Minnesota and Nevada to support ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) programs. ECMO provides cardiac and respiratory support for those whose heart or lungs cannot provide adequate oxygen, gas exchange, or blood supply.
Source: HealthLeaders
May 16, 2024 - The Senate Finance Committee heard from hospital leaders and healthcare experts, with the goal of finding ways to help rural hospitals find funding to stay open. Senator Ron Wyden and others said the issue is complicated and requires a multi-pronged approach. Discussion included the need for maternity care in rural hospitals.
Source: Oregon Capital Chronicle
May 15, 2024 - Senators Jerry Moran of Kansas and Tina Smith of Minnesota introduced the Rural Emergency Hospital Improvement Act, which would expand access to federal resources for rural hospitals. The legislation would increase opportunities for Critical Access Hospitals and rural hospitals to convert to Rural Emergency Hospital status.
Source: Office of Senator Jerry Moran
May 7, 2024 - Provides an overview of new legislation aimed at improving healthcare access, with a focus on rural and underserved areas. Details six bills addressing a range of issues including telehealth access, rural hospital stabilization, and healthcare workforce shortages.
Source: House Committee on Ways and Means
May 6, 2024 - Highlights a Native-managed healthcare system part of the Navajo Nation in Arizona, discussing their expanded facility and services coming later this year. Discusses the impact of healthcare on local infrastructure, recruiting healthcare workforce, and rural community resilience.
Source: Cronkite News