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Rural Health Information Hub
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
News by Topic: Policy

Nov 25, 2024 - Notice from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) seeking comments on an information collection titled "SF-271 Outlay Report and Request for Reimbursement for Construction Programs," which is used by grant awardees to report on their construction grant award. Comments are due by January 24, 2025.
Source: Federal Register
Nov 22, 2024 - Notice from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) making corrections to a date listed in the November 12, 2024, final rule.
Source: Federal Register
Nov 22, 2024 - Notice from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) seeking comments on updates to the Uniform Data System (UDS) for performance year 2025. Updates include changes to patient-level reporting and tables on selected diagnoses and services rendered, quality of care measures, and health outcomes and disparities. Comments are due by January 21, 2025.
Source: Federal Register
Nov 22, 2024 - Notice from the Indian Health Service (IHS) announcing the decision to expand the geographic boundaries of the Purchased/Referred Care Delivery Area (PRCDA) for the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians of Michigan and Indiana (Pokagon Band) to include the counties of Kalamazoo, Kent, and Ottawa in Michigan. The expanded boundaries will include the current PRCDA for the Pokagon Band, which includes Allegan, Berrien, Cass, Kalamazoo, Kent, Ottawa, and Van Buren counties in Michigan, and Elkhart, Kosciusko, La Porte, Marshall, St. Joseph, and Starke counties in Indiana. This expansion is effective November 22, 2024.
Source: Federal Register
Nov 22, 2024 - Summarizes the Biden-Harris Administration's investments in rural healthcare. Details funding for workforce development, technical assistance to improve healthcare facilities' economic viability, and access to primary care, maternal, HIV, mental health, and substance use disorder services.
Source: Health Resources and Services Administration
Nov 22, 2024 - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will hold a hybrid public meeting of the Advisory Committee on U.S. Outlying Areas and Freely Associated States on December 10-12, 2024. The agenda will include, among other things, a briefing on the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) efforts to assist covered Veterans, family members, caregivers, and survivors; a briefing on the Veterans Health Administration initiatives and updates; the role of the VBA regional offices; prescription drug information; travel funding; and telehealth.
Source: Federal Register
Nov 21, 2024 - The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will hold a meeting of the National Infrastructure Advisory Council on December 11, 2024 from 1:00 pm Eastern. This meeting will be partially closed to the public, with the closure time of the meeting yet to be determined. Members of the public who register to participate virtually will be informed what portion of the meeting will be closed. Agenda items for the open portion of the meeting includes Disaster Response and Resiliency Report, the Promoting Infrastructural Health Report, and the Expanding Workforce Report.
Source: Federal Register
Nov 21, 2024 - Notice of final rule from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) adopting proposed modifications to the definition of rural areas to integrate the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service (ERS) 2023 Road Ruggedness Scale (RRS). The updated definition of rural will include geographic areas that are either nonmetropolitan counties, outlying metropolitan counties with no population from an urban area of 50,000 or more people, census tracts with rural-urban commuting area (RUCA) codes 4-10 in metropolitan counties, census tracts of at least 400 square miles in an area with a population density of 35 or less per square mile with RUCA codes 2-3 in metropolitan counties, or census tracts with RRS 5 and RUCA codes 2-3 that are at least 20 square miles in metropolitan counties. Lists the number of tracts newly defined as rural in 10 states. Changes go into effect November 21, 2024 and apply to FORHP's Notice of Funding Opportunity for fiscal year 2025 and future years.
Source: Federal Register
Nov 21, 2024 - Announces proposed legislation to reauthorize the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program, which funds Critical Access Hospitals.
Source: Office of Congresswoman Terri Sewell
Nov 21, 2024 - Notice from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS) amending the amount of loan funding available for the Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant Program. The maximum amount per award available for Second, Third, and Fourth Quarter application periods has been reduced from $2 million to $1 million.
Source: Federal Register
Related funding: Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant Program (REDL and REDG)