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Rural Health
News by Topic: Legislation and regulations

Jan 21, 2025 - Notice from the Indian Health Service amending the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Statement of Organization, Functions, and Delegations of Authority to reflect the reorganization of the IHS Office of Information Technology (GAG) and the Office Management Services (GAL).
Source: Federal Register
Jan 17, 2025 - Notice of final rule from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) authorizing the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare practitioners acting within the scope of their VA employment to prescribe controlled substances via telemedicine to a VA patient with whom they have not conducted an in-person medical evaluation. VA practitioners can prescribe controlled substances to VA patients if another VA practitioner has previously conducted an in-person medical evaluation of the VA patient at any time, subject to certain conditions. This final rule is effective February 18, 2025.
Source: Federal Register
Jan 17, 2025 - Notice of final rule from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) amending their regulations to increase access to buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorders (OUD) through a telemedicine encounter. This rule expands the circumstances under which individual providers are authorized to prescribe buprenorphine for OUD via telemedicine, including an audio-only telemedicine encounter. This final rule is effective February 18, 2025.
Source: Federal Register
Jan 17, 2025 - Notice of proposed rulemaking from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) proposing regulatory changes aimed at expanding patient access to controlled substance medications via telemedicine while mitigating the risks of diversion associated with such expansion. Proposed changes would establish a Special Registration framework and authorize three types of Special Registration that would allow more comprehensive prescribing, including prescribing of Schedule II and narcotic and non-narcotic controlled substances in limited circumstances, by properly registered physicians and mid-level practitioners and dispensing by online telemedicine platforms that constitute covered online telemedicine platforms. Comments are due by March 18, 2025.
Source: Federal Register
Jan 15, 2025 - Notice from the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) withdrawing the October 28, 2024, notice of proposed rulemaking regarding coverage of certain preventive services under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which requires non-grandfathered group health plans and non-grandfathered group or individual health insurance coverage to cover certain contraceptive services without cost sharing. This withdrawal is effective January 15, 2025.
Source: Federal Register
Jan 15, 2025 - Notice of final rule from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) setting parameters for risk adjustment and user fees for state and federal-based exchanges for 2026. This rule also addresses requirements related to modifications to the calculation of the Basic Health Program (BHP) payment; changes to the approach for conducting Essential Community Provider (ECP) certification reviews; a policy to publicly share aggregated, summary-level Quality Improvement Strategy (QIS) information on an annual basis; revisions to the medical loss ratio (MLR) reporting and rebate requirements; and more.
Source: Federal Register
Jan 15, 2025 - Notice of final rule from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) terminating its rulemaking on occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare setting. This rule explains that OSHA has concluded that the most effective and efficient use of agency resources to protect healthcare workers from occupational exposure to COVID-19, as well as a host of other infectious diseases, is to focus its resources on the completion of an Infectious Diseases rulemaking for healthcare rather than a disease-specific standard. The termination of the rulemaking is effective January 15, 2025.
Source: Federal Register
Jan 14, 2025 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking comments on the following information collections: 1) Conditions of Participation for Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICFs-IID) and 2) Data Use Agreement (DUA) Limited Data Set (LDS) Forms Research Identifiable Files (RIF) Forms. Comments are due by March 17, 2025.
Source: Federal Register
Jan 13, 2025 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) making technical and typographic corrections to the November 27, 2024, final rule. This correcting amendment is effective January 8, 2025, and is applicable beginning January 1, 2025.
Source: Federal Register
Jan 13, 2025 - Announcement from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of receipt of an application for continued recognition of The Joint Commission as a national accrediting organization for hospices that wish to participate in the Medicare or Medicaid programs. Comments are due by February 12, 2025.
Source: Federal Register