Rural Health
News by Topic: Specialty care
Jan 14, 2025 - Request for input regarding barriers to participation in population-based total cost of care (PB-TCOC) models from the Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC). Topics of interest include business decisions impacting participation for different organization types, streamlining models, and incentivizing participation for both primary and specialty care. Asks for feedback regarding types of organizations best positioned to serve rural and other communities. Comments can be emailed to PTAC@HHS.gov by February 7, 2025.
Source: Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
Jan 3, 2025 - Announces a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) funded project to establish new rural obstetric training graduate medical education opportunities in Maine. The goal of the program is to increase access to specialty care for pregnant patients in rural communities.
Source: Daily Bulldog
Dec 19, 2024 - Reports on physician shortages in rural communities and efforts to reduce those shortages through practice incentives. Discusses remaining barriers including funding for rural residencies, the amount of time necessary to launch a rural residency, and patient density for specialists.
Source: Medscape Medical News
Dec 18, 2024 - Describes a telehealth program for critically ill patients implemented in 2 hospitals in rural Mississippi. Notes that 53 of Mississippi's 82 counties are more than 40 minutes away from specialty care. Discusses challenges with implementation, the increase in revenue for the 2 facilities, and planned use of AI for patient care and financial analysis.
Source: SmartBrief
Dec 16, 2024 - Highlights the way telehealth can improve access to healthcare for rural residents, discussing access to specialty care, services for children, economic barriers, services for women, travel difficulties for working adults and older adults, and equity.
Source: Tech Times
Dec 16, 2024 - Highlights a hospital in rural South Carolina using telehealth and new technology to offer specialized care to local residents after 2 nearby hospitals closed.
Source: SCETV
HRSA: Public Comment Request: Request for Information Regarding HRSA Sickle Cell Disease Programs
Federal Register
Dec 6, 2024 - Notice from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Maternal and Child Health Bureau Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) Programs regarding strategies that HRSA should consider or prioritize to meet the needs of individuals with sickle cell disease and their families within the United States. Includes questions to which HRSA is seeking responses. Comments are due by January 6, 2025.
Source: Federal Register
CMS: Medicare Program; Alternative Payment Model Updates and the Increasing Organ Transplant Access (IOTA) Model
Federal Register
Dec 4, 2024 - Notice of a final 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 upside risk payments or downside risk 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 the Radiation Oncology Model, the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Treatment Choices Model, and mandatory Innovation Center models, including the IOTA Model, whose first performance period begins on or after January 1, 2025. Includes comments regarding rural-specific concerns. This rule is effective January 3, 2025.
Source: Federal Register