RHIhub This Week - October 9, 2024
Upcoming Webinar
Hospital Price Transparency: What Hospitals Need to Know – Part 2Join us Tuesday, October 15th at 11:00 a.m. Central for the next RHIhub webinar to hear speakers from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) discuss the latest hospital price transparency policies and regulations effective July 1, 2024 through January 30, 2025. |
We want to hear from you! Please fill out our annual survey and share your feedback on how to serve you better. This survey closes on October 29, 2024.
|
Recently Added to the Online Library |
Oct 8, 2024 -- Order from the Federal Communications Commission waiving certain program rules for the Rural Health Care Program providers impacted by Hurricane Helene. Highlights changes to deadlines for appeals and waivers, information requests, the Health Care Connect Fund Program annual report, and invoices as well as document retention rules. Source: Universal Service Administrative Co. National Disaster Recovery Framework Public Comment Period Oct 7, 2024 -- Request for public comments on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Disaster Recovery Framework. Notes that the framework shapes the federal government's approach to disaster recovery assistance, with implications for state, local, and territorial governments, Tribal Nations, and nongovernmental partners. Comments are due by October 23, 2024. Source: Federal Emergency Management Agency Rural Arkansas Hospital Stops Maternity Services Oct 3, 2024 -- Discusses the reasons for closures of labor and delivery departments across rural Arkansas and the impact on pregnant women. Highlights doulas as potential options for filling gaps in care. Source: THV 11 VA Establishes Analytics Team to Improve Acute Care for Rural Veterans Oct 2, 2024 -- Announces the Emergency Medicine Analytics Team through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Health Administration Office of Rural Health in an effort to improve healthcare for rural veterans. The team will focus on access to acute services and the quality of emergency care with attention to evaluation, innovation, and dissemination of effective practices. Notes the high costs to the VA for veterans that receive emergency care at non-VA emergency departments. Source: Vanderbilt University Medical Center Federal RegisterHHS: Request for Information (RFI): To Inform the Development of the 2026-2030 National HIV/AIDS Strategy and the National Strategic Plans for Sexually Transmitted Infections, Vaccines, and Viral HepatitisOct 7, 2024 -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy (OIDP) is seeking feedback on the development of four strategic plans for the United States for 2026-2030: 1) National HIV/AIDS Strategy; 2) Sexually Transmitted Infections National Strategic Plan; 3) Vaccines National Strategic Plan; and 4) Viral Hepatitis National Strategic Plan. The strategic plans will serve as national roadmaps for a broad range of constituents to help prevent, diagnose, treat, and cure disease; improve health outcomes; reduce health disparities and inequities; and advance research and technology. Comments are due by December 6, 2024. Source: Federal Register NHTSA, DOT: National Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council; Solicitation of Applications Oct 7, 2024 -- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is accepting applications from qualified candidates to be considered for appointment as members of the National Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council (NEMSAC). NEMSAC serves as a nationally recognized council of emergency medical services (EMS) representatives and consumers to provide advice and recommendations regarding EMS to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Applications are due by November 1, 2024. Source: Federal Register |
Funding to improve farmworker communities' understanding of the Worker Protection Standard (WPS), agricultural pesticide safety, and related rights through training, the development of trainings and materials, and outreach. Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. Territories Application Deadline: Dec 19, 2024 Sponsor: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Native American Congressional Internship A summer internship for Native American and Alaska Native students who wish to learn more about the federal government and issues affecting tribal and federal relationships. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Application Deadline: Jan 24, 2025 Sponsor: Morris K Udall and Stewart L Udall Foundation Indian Health Service Loan Repayment Program Loan repayment for undergraduate and graduate health professional educational loans in return for full-time clinical service in Indian Health Service programs. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Application Deadline: Aug 15, 2025 Sponsors: Indian Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Business and Industry Loan Guarantees Loan guarantees to improve, develop, or finance business, industry, and employment and improve the economic and environmental climate in rural communities. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Applications accepted on an ongoing basis Sponsors: U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA Rural Development USDA Community Facilities Guaranteed Loan Program Loans from eligible private lenders, guaranteed by USDA, to help build essential community facilities in rural areas. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Applications accepted on an ongoing basis Sponsors: U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA Rural Development |
Reports on the economic value of broadband infrastructure for rural areas. Provides a variety of data on broadband and economic growth in rural communities and compares rural and urban gaps in broadband access. Features a broadband development case study for Beltrami County, Minnesota, which includes discussion of broadband's value for telehealth and other aspects of healthcare delivery and availability. Sponsoring organization: Center on Rural Innovation Date: 09/2024 Costs of Treat-and-Release Emergency Department Visits in the United States, 2021 Explores the cost of treat-and-release emergency department (ED) visits in the United States in 2021. Describes findings from an analysis of the 2021 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Nationwide Emergency Department Sample. Presents data on the aggregate costs, average cost, and number of ED visits by patient and hospital characteristics, including patient age; sex; primary expected payer; community-level income; and metropolitan, micropolitan, or rural status. Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Date: 09/2024 Diagnostic Excellence in U.S. Rural Healthcare: A Call to Action Issue brief exploring challenges to diagnostic quality in rural healthcare. Provides an overview of the topic of diagnostic errors in rural settings, and provides suggestions related to resource and workforce limitations, access to care, care coordination and other service delivery models, and social determinants of health. Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Date: 09/2024 Examining Use of Telehealth in Jails: Linking Women to Community OUD Services Evaluates the Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network's (JCOIN) use of telehealth for opioid use disorder (OUD) assessment and linkage to medications to treat opioid use disorder (MOUD) services at community re-entry for 600 women incarcerated in Kentucky jails. Examines participants' access to treatment, participants' and providers' perceptions of telehealth, and other aspects of program implementation. Discusses barriers to care in a predominantly rural population. Author(s): Michele Staton, Mary Levi, Erin Winston, et al. Location: BMC Women's Health, 24, 549 Date: 10/2024 Health Care Transparency: CMS Needs More Information on Hospital Pricing Data Completeness and Accuracy Provides an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) hospital price transparency requirements before and after 2024 updates to the requirements. Describes users' experiences with hospital pricing data before the 2024 updates. Examines CMS's enforcement of hospital price transparency requirements and offers recommendations to CMS regarding the sufficiency and accuracy of the data reported. Table 3 compares CMS enforcement actions by hospitals' rural or urban designation between 2021 and 2023. Additional links: Full Report Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office Date: 10/2024 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Maternal Health Chartbook 2010–2019 Analyzes data from the National Inpatient Sample from between 2010 and 2019 to highlight trends in maternal health related to diabetes, hypertension, mental health disorders, substance use disorders, and severe maternal morbidity. Includes data by expected payer, patient characteristics, and geography. Includes large metropolitan, medium/small metropolitan, and nonmetropolitan comparisons throughout. Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Date: 10/2024 The Impact of Internet Connectivity When Conducting a Virtual Clinical Trial with Participants Living in Rural Areas Evaluates the effectiveness of virtual randomized clinical trials for research involving rural family caregivers. Analyzes notes across 1,003 visits with research participants in Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin to identify internet reliability issues and impact on the research. Discusses internet access a social determinant of health. Author(s): Diane E. Holland, Catherine E. Vanderboom, Jay Mandrekar, et al. Location: Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, 42, 101366 Date: 12/2024 Indian Health Service: Director's Year 2 Accomplishments Report - 2024 Provides an overview of the Indian Health Service's initiatives and accomplishments during fiscal year 2024. Discusses investments, access to healthcare, civil rights, partnerships and collaboration with tribes, and more. Sponsoring organization: Indian Health Service Date: 10/2024 Rural Hospital Service Lines: Changes Over Time and Impacts on Profitability Analyzes associations between changes in service lines and profitability at rural hospitals, utilizing 2010-2021 Medicare cost report data. Includes data on service lines including Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), traditional clinics, CT scans, MRI scans, delivery rooms, nurseries, anesthesiology, electrocardiology, and more. Author(s): Brian E. Whitacre, Claudia A. Rhodes, Alison F. Davis Location: Journal of Healthcare Management, 69(5), 350-367 Date: 10/2024 Rural-Urban and Regional Variations in Aspects of Caregiving, Support Services and Caregiver Health in the USA: Evidence from a National Survey Examines geographical differences in caregiving intensity, burden, health, and support based on U.S. region and rural versus urban location. Utilizes data from 3,551 informal caregivers part of the National Study of Caregiving and provides rural versus urban breakdowns of demographic information, active daily living (ADL) needs, caregiving characteristics, and more. Author(s): Steven A Cohen, Neelam H Ahmed, Kerri A Ellis, et al. Location: BMJ Open, 14(10) Date: 10/2024 State of Geographic Access to Cancer Treatment Trials in the United States: Are Studies Located Where Patients Live? Examines disparities in geographic access to cancer clinical trials through an analysis of trial availability at the county level and drive time to reach available trials. Includes data on demographics and other characteristics of high and low access counties, including metropolitan-nonmetropolitan comparisons. Provides color-coded maps showing access at the county and state levels. Author(s): M. Kelsey Kirkwood, Caroline Schenkel, Dominique C. Hinshaw, et al. Location: JCO Oncology Practice Date: 10/2024 Training a Rural Oral Health Workforce: Effects of Rural Background on Dentist Practice Choice Assesses outcomes from 2012-2021 of the Regional Initiatives in Dental Education (RIDE) program, an educational track of the University of Washington School of Dentistry that aims to produce graduates who practice in rural areas of the Pacific Northwest. Features demographics and statistics with breakdowns by rural or nonrural upbringing. Author(s): Anna R. Forsyth, Arsen A. Melkonyan, Kristopher Kerns, et al. Location: Journal of Dental Education, 1-9 Date: 09/2024 Transitioning to Rural Practice Together: A Rural Fellowship Model (In 6 Ps) Examines the effectiveness of the Mountain Area Health Education Center's Rural Fellowship program, a 12-month residency program supporting placement and professional development of family medicine physicians and pharmacists in rural communities in western North Carolina. Provides an overview of the Rural Fellowship program and the 6 Ps framework, and evaluates short and long-term retention and program experiences among eight Rural Fellowship participants. Author(s): Benjamin Gilmer, Chase Harless, Lauren White Gibson, et al. Location: Rural and Remote Health, 24(4), 8791 Date: 10/2024 Trends in Severe Maternal Morbidity Complications by Patient Characteristics, 2016–2021 Examines severe maternal morbidity (SMM) in U.S. women by patient characteristics and type of SMM complication. Utilizes 2016-2021 National Inpatient Sample (NIS) data to analyze yearly trends, with breakdowns for patient age, race/ethnicity, insurance status, income, and residence by large metro, medium/small metro, or nonmetro. Discusses impacts of COVID-19 on SMM trends. Sponsoring organizations: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Date: 09/2024 An Updated Model of Rural Hospital Financial Distress Discusses a potential model to predict financial distress in rural hospitals, including negative cash flow margin, negative equity, or closure of facility. Tests 2,311 rural hospitals from 2013 to 2019 with the model and discusses its potential to predict financial distress and create accurate assessments. Author(s): Tyler L. Malone, George H. Pink, George M. Holmes Location: Journal of Rural Health Date: 10/2024 What to Know About Medicare Coverage of Telehealth Discusses telehealth use by Medicare patients before, during, and after declaration of the COVID-19 public health emergency. Notes temporary telehealth provisions set to expire December 31, 2024, telehealth provisions made permanent, and trends in use since 2020. Includes rural and urban comparisons of telehealth use since 2020. Discusses payment models for Medicare and Medicare Advantage, current policies related to telehealth, fraud, and the cost of coverage through Medicare. Sponsoring organization: KFF Date: 10/2024 |
Deadline: Nov 15, 2024 7th Generation, Southern Plains Tribal Health Board Event Dates: Apr 1 - 3, 2025 Durant, OK Conference Website Call for Proposals: 2025 International Rural Nursing Conference Deadline: Nov 15, 2024 Rural Nurse Organization, University of Texas at Arlington Center for Rural Health and Nursing Event Dates: May 27 - 30, 2025 Arlington, TX Conference Website Call for Presentations: 2025 27th Annual Indiana Rural Health Conference Deadline: Nov 30, 2024 Indiana Rural Health Association Event Dates: Jun 10 - 11, 2025 French Lick, IN Conference Website |
|
Tell Us How RHIhub Has Impacted YouEmail kristine@ruralhealthinfo.org about how RHIhub has impacted you. Your stories may be used in testimony, budget documents, and presentations concerning the Rural Health Information Hub. |