CMS Issues Final Rule for 2020 Payment Models: What You Need to Know
By Mary Kay Thalken RN MBA – CMS released their long-awaited final rule for hospitals that fall under certain payment models in Fiscal Year 2020, and it’s a doozy.
Read Morerural healthcare
HHS Awards $9M to Develop New Models to Improve Obstetrics Care in Rural Communities
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Health Resources and Services Administration, awarded nearly $9 million to launch the Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies (RMOMS) program.
Bridging the Digital Divide: Expanding Internet and Rural Healthcare Access
By Scott Sullivan – Internet access has been mainstream for about 25 years now. Since the days when almost every American household received an AOL installation disc in the mail, it seems the Internet has grown into a digital behemoth connecting every person across every nation.
Robin Hood To Rescue Of Rural Hospitals? New Math Promised On Medicare Payments
By Sarah Jane Tribble – As rural hospital closures roil the country, some states are banking on a Trump administration proposal to change the way hospital payments are calculated to rescue them.
Putting our Rethinking Rural Health Strategy into Action
By Seema Verma – Approximately 60 million Americans or roughly 1 in 5 live in rural areas, with nearly every state having a rural county. The Trump Administration recognizes the significant obstacles faced by patients and providers in rural areas.
The 340B Saga Continues
By David Harlow – Recently, a federal court found the administration’s 340B program rates to be fatally flawed; the HHS Secretary “patently violated” the governing law.
After Bitter Closure, Rural Texas Hospital Defies The Norm And Reopens
By Charlotte Huff – Five months ago, the 6,500 residents of Crockett, TX, witnessed a bit of a resurrection — at least in rural hospital terms. A little more than a year after the local hospital shut its doors, the 25-bed facility reopened its emergency department, inpatient beds and some related services, albeit on a smaller scale.
CMS Announces Agency’s First Rural Health Strategy
CMS released the agency’s first Rural Health Strategy intended to provide a proactive approach on healthcare issues to ensure that the nearly one in five individuals who live in rural America have access to high quality, affordable healthcare.
Community Health Centers Caught In ‘Washington’s Political Dysfunction’
By Steven Findlay – As lawmakers faced another deadline recently for passing legislation to keep the federal government open, one of the outstanding issues is long-term funding for a key health care safety-net program.