RHIhub This Week - December 30, 2024
Top 10 Rural Monitor Articles of 2024Articles on workforce, postpartum care, economic development, road safety, and more made it onto the year's most-read list. |
Rural Home Health ServicesOur updated topic guide provides an overview of home health services in rural areas, including information on the type and availability of home health services for rural populations. Shares information on federal policies and how they impact home health services, as well as the challenges rural home health agencies experience when providing services, and more! |
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Dec 30, 2024 -- Describes the findings of new research on hospital obstetric units published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Notes that, between 2010 and 2022, a greater proportion of rural hospitals lacked obstetric services compared to urban hospitals. Discusses the wide-ranging health implications for rural mothers and babies, and provides an overview of proposed federal legislation to address the issue. Source: The Daily Yonder Not All Expectant Moms Can Reach a Doctor's Office. This Kentucky Clinic Travels to Them. Dec 24, 2024 -- Profiles a mobile clinic offering maternal healthcare to women who struggle with access in rural Eastern Kentucky, noting the maternal health disparities in the area. Discusses the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant funding the program and sustainability plans. Source: Kentucky Lantern Choctaw Nation Found a Better Way to Deliver Harm Reduction. It's Working. Dec 22, 2024 -- Features harm reduction efforts by the Choctaw Nation in rural Oklahoma, funded through an Indian Health Service Community Opioid Intervention Pilot Project grant. Describes the implementation of a multi-pronged approach including street-level naloxone distribution and training, expanded availability of medication-assisted treatment, and support for culturally-relevant recovery services. Source: Native News Online In Rural America, Heart Disease Is Increasingly Claiming Younger Lives Dec 21, 2024 -- Describes rising numbers of cardiovascular disease-related deaths among rural working-age adults. Explores a variety of factors contributing to rural-urban cardiovascular disparities, including elevated rates of opioid use and limited health care access in many rural communities. Discusses efforts by a research network to develop rural-specific solutions to increase access to cardiovascular care. Source: NBC News Enticing Rural Residents to Practice Where They Train 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 Gaps in Mental Health Training, Rural Access to Care Compound Az's Maternal Mortality Crisis Dec 19, 2024 -- Reports on trends in maternal health and mortality in Arizona and drivers of poor outcomes such as limited mental health training for providers, mental health workforce shortages, and stigma. Discusses rural-specific challenges in accessing care like transportation, labor and delivery service access, broadband, and low provider reimbursement rates for care. Source: Tuscon Sentinel Federal RegisterPublic Inspection: HHS: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Security Rule to Strengthen the Cybersecurity of Electronic Protected Health InformationDec 30, 2024 -- Pre-publication notice of proposed rulemaking from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) seeking comments on a proposal to modify the Security Standards for the Protection of Electronic Protected Health Information ("Security Rule") under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 (HITECH Act). Proposals are intended to increase the cybersecurity for electronic protected health information (ePHI) by revising the Security Rule to address changes in the environment in which health care is provided; significant increases in breaches and cyberattacks; common deficiencies the Office for Civil Rights has observed in investigations into Security Rule compliance by covered entities and their business associates; other cybersecurity guidelines, best practices, methodologies, procedures, and processes; and court decisions that affect enforcement of the Security Rule. Comments are due within 60 days of the publication of this notice, which is scheduled for January 6, 2025. Source: Federal Register AHRQ: Request for Information Regarding the Impact of Ageism in Healthcare Dec 27, 2024 -- The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is seeking information about the impact of ageism in healthcare and methods and strategies to address ageism in healthcare delivery. Information collected will inform future research priorities and studies, policies, and initiatives to improve the quality and outcomes of care for older adults. Includes specific questions of interest to AHRQ, including how ageism varies across diverse population groups, such as older adults living in rural or socioeconomically disadvantaged areas. Comments are due by March 15, 2025. Source: Federal Register AHRQ: Supplemental Evidence and Data Request on Impact of Healthcare Worker Safety and Wellness: A Systematic Review Dec 19, 2024 -- The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is seeking scientific information submissions to inform its review on Impact of Healthcare Worker Safety and Wellness: A Systematic Review. Includes background information and key questions related to the review. The full research protocol is available for review on the AHRQ website. Submissions are due by January 21, 2025. Source: Federal Register |
Funding for "bricks and mortar" projects that assist low‐income, elderly, and disabled veterans with home repair needs, support homeless veterans, help veterans become homeowners, and/or secure affordable rental housing in rural areas of the United States. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Application Deadline: Jan 21, 2025 Sponsors: Housing Assistance Council, The Home Depot Foundation Rural Health Network Development Planning Program Grants to promote the planning and development of integrated rural healthcare networks in order to achieve efficiencies; expand access to, coordinate, and improve the quality of essential healthcare services; and strengthen the rural healthcare system as a whole. Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. territories Application Deadline: Feb 19, 2025 Sponsors: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Tribal Self-Governance Program Negotiation Cooperative Agreement Cooperative agreements that provide negotiation resources to tribes interested in participating in the Tribal Self-Governance Program (TSGP), which gives tribes the authority to manage and tailor healthcare programs in a manner that best fits the needs of their communities. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Application Deadline: Feb 19, 2025 Sponsors: Indian Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Tribal Self-Governance Program Planning Cooperative Agreement Cooperative agreements that provide planning resources to tribes interested in participating in the Tribal Self-Governance Program (TSGP), which gives tribes the authority to manage and tailor healthcare programs in a manner that best fits the needs of their communities. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Application Deadline: Feb 19, 2025 Sponsors: Indian Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program Grants to expand the number of fellows at accredited Addiction Medicine Fellowship and Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship programs trained as addiction medicine specialists who work in underserved, community-based settings that integrate primary care with mental health disorders and substance use disorder prevention and treatment services. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Application Deadline: Feb 28, 2025 Sponsors: Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Indian Health Service Health Professions Scholarship Program Scholarships for American Indian and Alaska Native undergraduate- and graduate-level students enrolled in specific health professions degree programs. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Application Deadline: Feb 28, 2025 Sponsors: Indian Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Indian Health Service Pre-Graduate Scholarship Program Scholarships for American Indian and Alaska Native students to enroll in courses leading to a bachelor's degree in pre-medicine, pre-dentistry, pre-nursing, and other subjects needed by the Indian health programs. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Application Deadline: Feb 28, 2025 Sponsors: Indian Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Indian Health Service Preparatory Scholarship Scholarships for American Indian and Alaska Native students who are enrolled in pre-professional programs. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Application Deadline: Feb 28, 2025 Sponsors: Indian Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Ohiyesa Premedical Program A year-long educational program designed to engage and support Native American tribal and/or community college students interested in pursuing a healthcare career, with a program focus on the physician pathway. The program includes quarterly virtual group meetings, individual meetings with faculty sponsors and mentors, and a 3 week on-site summer program in Boston at the Brigham and Women's Hospital. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Application Deadline: Feb 28, 2025 Sponsors: Brigham Health, Front Line Indigenous Partnership, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Rural Community Hospital Demonstration A demonstration program designed to test the feasibility and advisability of cost-based reimbursement for small rural hospitals that are too large to be Critical Access Hospitals. Geographic coverage: The 20 least densely populated States, according to data for 2020 from the U.S. Census Bureau. Application Deadline: Mar 1, 2025 Sponsor: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program Grants to private nonprofit organizations and consumer cooperatives that provide supportive services for very low-income veterans and their families residing in or transitioning to permanent housing. Priority will be given to rural and tribal communities and U.S. territories. Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. Territories Application Deadline: Mar 3, 2025 Sponsor: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Rural Communities Opioid Response Program - Overdose Response Grants to establish and/or expand substance use disorder (SUD) prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery services in targeted rural service areas. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Application Deadline: Mar 10, 2025 Sponsors: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Tribal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program Grants Funding to develop, implement, and/or expand evidence-based home visiting services in tribal communities. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Letter of Intent (Optional): Jan 18, 2025 Application Deadline: Mar 17, 2025 Sponsor: Administration for Children and Families Nursing Workforce Diversity Program Funding to assist students from disadvantaged backgrounds in becoming registered nurses using evidence-based strategies to support nursing students from enrollment through graduation. The purpose is to expand and support a workforce to provide quality, culturally-aligned care to rural and underserved communities in need. Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. Territories Application Deadline: Mar 18, 2025 Sponsors: Bureau of Health Workforce, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Postdoctoral Training in General, Pediatric, and Public Health Dentistry Grants to plan, develop, operate, or participate in, postdoctoral training programs in community-based organizations in the fields of general dentistry, pediatric dentistry, and dental public health. Programs should prepare postdoctoral trained dentists to improve access to and delivery of oral healthcare delivery to underserved, health disparity, and rural populations. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Application Deadline: Mar 18, 2025 Sponsors: Bureau of Health Workforce, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Delta Health Systems Implementation Program Funding to improve healthcare delivery in rural areas by implementing projects that will improve the financial sustainability of rural healthcare organizations and allow for increased access to care in rural communities of the Delta region. Geographic coverage: 252 counties and parishes within the 8 state Delta region Application Deadline: Mar 20, 2025 Sponsors: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Primary Care Training and Enhancement—Residency Training in Street Medicine (PCTE-RTSM) Funding to enhance training in street medicine for residents enrolled in accredited primary care residency programs. Priority will be given to applicants that train residents in rural areas, including for tribes or tribal organizations in rural areas. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Application Deadline: Mar 20, 2025 Sponsors: Bureau of Health Workforce, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program Grants to support transportation project development in rural and tribal communities that may lead to future applications to U.S. Department of Transportation credit and grant programs. Funding can support legal, technical, and financial advisors to help advance infrastructure projects. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Application Deadline: Apr 3, 2025 Sponsor: U.S. Department of Transportation |
Report highlights the rate of suicide among veterans and the VA's role in suicide prevention. Discusses the causes of veteran suicide and the steps the VA is taking for suicide prevention. Breaks down rates of suicide by gender, contact with the VHA, and rurality, among other factors. The 2024 report is split into two parts. The second part is added as and additional link. Additional links: Data Appendix, Part 2: Report Findings Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Date: 12/2024 December 2024 MedPAC Meeting Transcript Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) December 2024 meeting. Covers payment adequacy and updates for physician and other health professional services, hospital inpatient and outpatient services, Rural Emergency Hospitals (REHs), skilled nursing facility services, inpatient rehabilitation facility services, home health services, hospice services, and outpatient dialysis services. Additional links: Assessing Payment Adequacy and Updating Payments: Hospital Inpatient and Outpatient Services; and Mandated Report on Rural Emergency Hospitals - Presentation Slides, Assessing Payment Adequacy and Updating Payments: Skilled Nursing Facility Services - Presentation Slides Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission Date: 12/2024 Dental Clinic Deserts in the US: Spatial Accessibility Analysis Provides a spatial analysis of 205,762 active U.S. dentists and examines access to dental clinics cross the country. Includes maps that show county-level dental shortages as well as demographic breakdowns of residents, such as race/ethnicity, poverty, insurance status, rurality, and more. Author(s): Shahinoor Rahman, Jeffrey C. Blossom, Ichiro Kawachi, Renuka Tipirneni, Hawazin W. Elani Location: JAMA Health Forum, 7(12) Date: 12/2024 Disparities and Gaps in Breast Cancer Screening for Women Aged 40 to 49 Years Analyzes disparities in breast cancer screening among women aged 40 to 49 years, utilizing National Health Interview Survey data for the years 2019 and 2021. See included Figure and Table for rural-urban comparisons. Author(s): Tianshu Gu, Jing Yuan, Shelley White-Means, Minghui Li Location: JAMA Network Open, 7(12), e2451827 Date: 12/2024 The Effects of Message Framing on US Police Chiefs' Support for Interventions for Opioid Use Disorder: A Randomized Survey Experiment Examines how U.S. police chiefs frame cultural messages surrounding opioid use disorder interventions and the focus on public health and harm reduction versus public safety. Analyzes data from 276 police chiefs related to overdose prevention centers, syringe service programs (SSPs), Good Samaritan laws, Narcan distribution, collaboration for public health and safety, and acceptance of officers in recovery. Includes demographic breakdowns of police chiefs, such as region, urbanicity, and population per officer. Author(s): Brandon del Pozo, Saba Rouhani, Amelia Bailey, et al. Location: Health & Justice, 12, 50 Date: 12/2024 An Enticing Offer: How Some Rural Communities Are Winning the Competition for New Clinicians Discusses workforce shortages in rural communities, changing workforce demographics, and challenges to recruiting and retaining physicians in rural areas. Features strategies adopted by rural communities and providers to recruit and retain physicians, including leveraging relationships to promote retention and the promotion of rural fellowship and residency programs. Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund Date: 12/2024 Estimating the Effects of the Medicare $2 Drug List on Part D Enrollees Discusses the Medicare $2 Drug List (M2DL) Model, which would allow Medicare Part D enrollees to purchase monthly drugs for $2 or less. Provides projected financial impact of the model, such as out of pocket (OOP) costs for individual drugs as well as OOP changes for enrollees, with breakdowns by demographic variables, including urban, rural-micropolitan, rural-other, or unclassified location. Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation Date: 12/2024 H5N1 Focus Groups with Dairy Workers: June - September 2024 Offers findings from three listening sessions of dairy workers' attitudes, knowledge, and practices regarding H5N1 avian influenza and perceptions of barriers in healthcare access for infectious respiratory diseases. Includes recommendations to employers of dairy workers for sharing health information, personal protective equipment access, and reducing barriers to healthcare. Sponsoring organization: National Center for Farmworker Health Date: 11/2024 Healthy Border 2030: Collaborative Action to Improve the Health and Wellbeing of the United States - Mexico Border Population Reports on the prevailing public health issues occurring in U.S.-Mexico border populations. Assesses health data and provides strategic recommendations to promote health, prevent disease, and support population health at the binational, state, and local levels. Sponsoring organization: United States-México Border Health Commission Date: 12/2024 How Community Health Centers Respond to Rural Hospital Closures Describes how community health centers work to fill gaps in healthcare services and impact the economy when a local rural hospital closes. Sponsoring organization: National Association of Community Health Centers Date: 12/2024 Indian Health Service Fact Sheet: HIV in Indian Country Fact sheet on HIV disparities in diagnosis, awareness of HIV status, receipt of care, and more among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people. Discusses the Indian Health Service's National HIV/HCV/STI Program, which focuses on reducing HIV, hepatitis C, and other sexually transmitted infections in AI/AN communities. Sponsoring organization: Indian Health Service Date: 12/2024 Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS): 2024 Opt-in and Voluntary Reporting Election Process Guide Discusses the eligibility of clinicians, groups, and Alternative Payment Model (APM) participants that exceed some low-volume threshold criteria to opt-in to the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and the APM Performance Pathway (APP) for the 2024 performance period. Compares opting in and voluntarily reporting MIPS data and provides an overview of the election process. Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Date: 12/2024 October 2024 MedPAC Meeting Transcript Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) October 2024 meeting. Covers an analysis of Medicare beneficiaries in nursing homes, findings from MedPAC's annual beneficiary and provider focus groups, supplemental benefits in Medicare Advantage, a work plan for a mandated final report on the impact of recent changes to the home health prospective payment system, and initial estimates of home health care use among Medicare Advantage enrollees. Includes rural references throughout. Additional links: Medicare Beneficiaries in Nursing Homes - Presentation Slides Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission Date: 10/2024 The Pennsylvania Rural Health Model (PARHM): Fourth Annual Evaluation Report Evaluates the fourth performance year of the Pennsylvania Rural Health Model (PARHM), an initiative designed to test if global budgets can help rural hospitals improve their financial viability, provide flexibility to meet locally defined community health needs, and reduce overall healthcare spending. Provides an overview of the model and describes the implementation experience of participating hospitals and payers. Presents a descriptive quantitative assessment of financial performance, spending and utilization, access to care, and quality of care outcomes from 2016, the model's baseline, through 2022. Includes three case studies discussing three themes: experiences with global budget reconciliation, behavioral health transformation, and interactions and alignment between PARHM and other value-based care programs. Additional links: Appendix, Findings at a Glance Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, NORC at the University of Chicago Date: 12/2024 Perceptions of Substance Use Disorder in Rural Areas: How the Brain Disease Model Impacts Public Stigma Presents a study on substance use disorder (SUD) stigma in rural communities by comparing the results from a 2020 study to a survey conducted in 2023. Explores rural perceptions in SUD as a legitimate illness and discusses perceptions of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and SUD treatment and recovery. Author(s): Erin E. Miller, Sarah Schweitzer, Patricia Ahmed, et al. Location: BMC Public Health, 24, 3531 Date: 12/2024 Primary Care Collaborative 2024 Evidence Report: An Evaluation of Primary Care in Medicare Accountable Care Organizations Examines the role of primary care in Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP), and includes 3 case studies of MSSP ACOs that are primary care centric. Explores how the performance of ACOs may be affected by serving beneficiaries with high economic and social need. Mentions rural throughout. Sponsoring organizations: Primary Care Collaborative, Robert Graham Center, Simple Healthcare Date: 11/2024 The Role of Relaxed Telehealth Policy on Health Equity in Telehealth Utilization and Outcomes During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency: A Living Systematic Review Outlines the findings from living systematic reviews to describe the evidence measuring the association between telehealth use during the COVID-19 pandemic and health equity. Research questions include comparisons between telehealth use in rural and urban areas. Sponsoring organization: Rural Telehealth Research Center Date: 12/2024 Rural-Urban Disparities and Trends in Cancer Screening: An Analysis of Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Data (2018-2022) Examines trends in up-to-date cancer screening in rural and urban populations, utilizing 2018, 2020, and 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data. Identifies geographic disparities in screening by cancer type, with data on breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers. Author(s): Gabriel A Benavidez, Ami E Sedani, Tisha M Felder, Matthew Asare, Charles R Rogers Location: JNCI Cancer Spectrum, 8(6), pkae113 Date: 11/2024 Rural-Urban Medicaid and CHIP Enrollee Comparisons Using the 2019 T-MSIS Analytic File Compares urban and rural residents enrolled in fee-for-service or managed care Medicaid, using data from the 2019 Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) Analytic Files (TAF). Features demographics and statistics on Medicaid enrollment, with breakdowns by levels of rurality. Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program Date: 12/2024 Sobering Statistics: Acceleration of Alcohol-Attributable Deaths Across the United States During the COVID-19 Pandemic Provides information on alcohol use and drinking guidelines. Includes data on alcohol-attributable deaths in the U.S. per 100,00 people from 2006-2022, with breakdowns by state, race/ethnicity, sex, age, and large metro, small/medium metro, or nonmetro location. Sponsoring organization: State Health Access Data Assistance Center Date: 12/2024 Telehealth Access Points (TAPs) Best Practices Guide Outlines how communities can create Telehealth Access Points (TAPs), public spaces where individuals can access telehealth appointments. Highlights equipment needed, sanitization procedures, scheduling tools, building community partnerships, and more. Includes links to information about different TAP models and additional resources. Sponsoring organization: National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers Date: 12/2024 Trends in Medicaid and CHIP Telehealth, 2019-2021 Part II: Medicaid and CHIP Telehealth Utilization Trends by Enrollee and Provider Rurality Explores trends in the use of telehealth among Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollees before and during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE). Compares trends between rural and urban enrollees, enrollees that reside in primary care Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), and by providers' rural or urban location. Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation Date: 12/2024 Understanding MAT Access in the Context of Unused MAT Capacity in the United States: When Increasing Rural MAT Capacity is Not Enough Examines the factors related to buprenorphine prescriptions to treat opioid use disorder (OUD) and the impacts of the federal DATA waiver to increase provider capacity. Utilizes multiple data sources to describe medication-assisted treatment (MAT) capacity, access, barriers, availability of MAT, and service area need in rural areas. Author(s): Carolyn Carpenedo Mun, Rachel Zambrano, Eileen Tallman, et al. Location: Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 19, 47 Date: 12/2024 Utilization of Inpatient and Emergency Services by Rural and Urban Medicaid Enrollees Analyzes differences in healthcare utilization among rural versus urban Medicaid enrollees. Utilizes 2019 Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) Analytic Files data to examine inpatient and emergency department (ED) use by Rural Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) codes of metropolitan, large rural, small rural, and isolated rural Medicaid populations as well as Frontier and Remote Area (FAR) codes. Includes additional demographic breakdowns by age, race/ethnicity, and sex. Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program Date: 12/2024 Vaccine Message Testing Evaluation Summary Report Reports on an evaluation of educational print and audio materials related to COVID-19 vaccinations for farmworkers. Discusses evaluation participants' health information gathering and evaluation practices, the importance of content in native languages, and the workplace conditions contributing to health and safety. Sponsoring organization: National Center for Farmworker Health Date: 11/2024 |
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