Read this in your browser October 23, 2026What's NewAdvancing Rural Cancer Control: A Portfolio Analysis of Research Funded by the National Cancer Institute, 2016-2024. The National Cancer Institute has been working over several years – and in collaboration with the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy – to better understand and address rural cancer care. A result of the work is this analysis of 128 grants awarded to fund rural cancer control research to identify characteristics of the projects and identify opportunities for future research. Some of their findings:
- Colorectal and breast cancers were most frequently studied
- Common research topics were quality of care, quality of life/mental health, and screening
- Most studies used a randomized control trial, meaning they sought to determine if a specific drug, treatment, or intervention actually works
- Most were qualitative, meaning that instead of gathering and analyzing numerical data, researchers collect and analyze non-numerical data such as words, text, interviews, observations, audio, and images.
Opportunities for future research include understudied topics such as financial toxicity (heavy financial burden, economic distress, and out-of-pocket costs that patients and their families experience as a result of a cancer diagnosis and its treatment), less commonly researched sites (e.g. cervical cancer), and the end-of-life phase on the cancer control continuum. Register to attend the HRSA Virtual Job Fair on Wednesday, November 18 from 6:00 – 9:00 pm Eastern. This free online event allows health care professionals to connect with representatives from rural health care facilities that are recruiting for open positions. Learn about job opportunities, hear details about benefits packages, and explore ways to serve communities in need. To prepare, update your profile on the Health Workforce Connector to include your experience, education, training, certifications, and employment preferences. HRSA/AHRQ Learning Opportunity: Practical Tools for Safer Antibiotic Prescribing in Telemedicine – Tuesday, October 27 at 1:00 pm Eastern. Join HRSA’s Health Centers program and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) for a joint webinar on resources to strengthen virtual care and support safer antibiotic use. AHRQ will share findings from its Safety Program for Telemedicine: Improving Antibiotic Use, which reduced inappropriate prescribing, along with a practical toolkit. BPHC will highlight HRSA’s Optimizing Virtual Care (OVC) Toolkit, built from the experiences of 29 health centers working to expand access, improve care coordination, and strengthen virtual care quality. Participants can use this session to learn what worked in practice, become familiar with both toolkits, and identify resources and lessons to share with health centers and partners. Anyone may attend. CMS Posts New State-by-State Information on Rural Health Transformation. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) made two new additions to their resource page for the Rural Health Transformation program:
- Planned State Initiatives for Budget Period 1 (called State Focus Area Slides on the Medicaid.gov RHTP Resources page) gives an overview of initiatives organized across eight focus areas – population health, workforce, payment and service models, health system innovation, accessible care, technology, disease prevention and care, and health promotion – identifying which states have planned activities for subcategories such as remote patient monitoring for maternal health and implementation of Medicaid Value-Based Payment Models.
- State Programmatic Snapshots (State Snapshots) provides an overview of each state's Rural Health Transformation Program initiatives and focus areas, as well as policy action commitments outlined in states' applications.
Funding and OpportunitiesHRSA National Health Service Corps Students to Service Loan Repayment Program – November 19. Final-year students training to become a physician, dentist, physician assistant/associate, nurse practitioner, or certified nurse midwife can receive up to $120,000 in student loan repayment. An additional $40,000 supplement is available to physician and nurse midwife students committing to providing OB/GYN services in high-need areas. Watch the Application Webinar to learn about the application requirements and process. Applications are due Thursday, November 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET. CMS Medicare Physician Bonuses in Health Professional Shortage Areas – Ongoing. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) pays a 10 percent quarterly bonus through Medicare to certain health care providers who furnish services in HRSA-designated Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). An eligible provider is a:
- Physician who furnishes Medicare-covered medical services in a primary medical care HPSA
- Psychiatrist who furnishes Medicare-covered services in a mental health HPSA
Policy UpdatesSend questions to ruralpolicy@hrsa.gov. IRS Proposes Marketplace Premium Tax Credit Changes – Comment by November 30. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) proposes regulations implementing statutory changes to premium tax credits, which help eligible individuals and families pay for Marketplace health coverage. The changes would require full repayment of excess advance tax credits beginning in 2026, narrow eligibility for certain lawfully present immigrants beginning in 2027 and establish additional eligibility verification requirements beginning in 2028. People who lose Medicaid solely because they fail to meet work or other community engagement requirements would not receive premium tax credits while they remain ineligible for Medicaid for that reason. The Department of Health and Human Services is expected to issue a separate proposed rule regarding changes to Exchange procedures and operations necessary to implement the verification requirements. CMS Proposes Medicare Advantage Provider Directory Standards and Part D Changes – Comment by December 15. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a proposed rule to implement provisions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, addressing Medicare Advantage provider directory accuracy, Part D generic drug copayments, and pharmacy benefit manager accountability. Beginning in 2028, Medicare Advantage plans would verify provider directory information at least every 90 days, with annual verification for specified hospitals and facilities; flag information they cannot verify; and remove providers within five business days after determining they no longer participate in the network. Patients receiving otherwise covered services from an out-of-network provider incorrectly listed as in-network when the appointment was scheduled would pay no more than in-network cost sharing, and provider contracts would require documentation of when appointments were made. Plans would also conduct annual directory accuracy reviews, with accuracy scores publicly displayed beginning in 2029. CMS Helps Providers Prepare for Electronic Prior Authorization Changes Beginning January 1, 2027. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) offers a website to help providers prepare to submit and track prior authorization requests electronically through their electronic health record (EHR) systems. Beginning January 1, 2027, new requirements will require Medicare Advantage plans, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs and managed care plans, and qualified health plans on the federally facilitated Marketplaces to support standardized electronic connections, with exact compliance dates varying by plan type. These connections, called Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), will enable providers to check whether a medical item or service requires prior authorization, identify required documentation, submit requests, and receive approvals, specific reasons for denials, or requests for additional information. The website links to relevant regulations and policies, including the 2024 Interoperability and Prior Authorization Final Rule, which establishes these requirements. CMS encourages providers to contact their EHR vendors now to confirm readiness, identify necessary upgrades, test connections with payers, and train staff. The website includes workflow examples, testing resources, FAQs, and links to related reporting policies. These EHR connections will help hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals participating in the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program attest to the electronic prior authorization measure, which assesses whether providers use these APIs to submit prior authorization requests electronically. This measure is optional for calendar year 2027 and will be mandatory beginning in 2028.
Learning Events and Technical AssistanceLunch & Learn: Building Social Connection to Reduce Loneliness in Rural Adults – Thursday, November 12 at 1:00 pm Eastern. With support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Health and Safety Education Program, experts from the University of Missouri will discuss (a) the research behind relationships and health, (b) how relationships impact our health, and (c) how we can use this information to improve relationships and build community capacity for social connection.
Approaching DeadlinesU.S. Department of Justice Rural Violent Crime Reduction Initiative – October 30 Request for Information: NTIA’s 2027 Internet Use Survey – Comment by November 9 Community Development Financial Institutions Fund New Markets Tax Credit Program (NMTC) – November 10 SAMHSA Requests Feedback on Survey of Mental Health Treatment Facilities – Comment by December 7 DOJ 2026 Mentoring for Youth Impacted by Opioid and Other Substance Use – November 16 National Health Service Corps Students to Service Loan Repayment Program – November 19 CDC Request for Information: Data Intermediaries to Strengthen Public Health – Comment by November 20 CMS Temporarily Pauses New Agent and Broker Registrations for Marketplaces – Comment by November 21 CMS Seeks Input on Medicare Part D Pharmacy Contracting Standards – Comment by November 23 IRS Proposes Marketplace Premium Tax Credit Changes – Comment by November 30 Medicare Open Enrollment Runs October 15 – December 7 SAMHSA Requests Feedback on Survey of Mental Health Treatment Facilities – Comment by December 7 CMS Proposes Medicare Advantage Provider Directory Standards and Part D Changes – Comment by December 15 USDA Tribal Colleges Research Grants Program – December 31 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: Physical Therapy Telehealth Research Study for Older Veterans – Recruiting Through the End of 2026 CMS Helps Providers Prepare for Electronic Prior Authorization Changes – Beginning January 1, 2027 NIH Advancing Healthcare for Older Adults from Populations that Experience Health Disparities (R01 - Clinical Trial Optional) – January 8 AmeriCorps State and National Grants – January 13, 2027
Forecasted OpportunitiesCMS Student Loan Repayment for Nursing Home Staff – Coming Soon
Ongoing Opportunities - Updated September 2026 Bold indicates HRSA- and/or FORHP-funded opportunities. Administration for Children & Families: Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program AHRQ TeamSTEPPS Training to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency – Rural Emergency Medical Communications Demonstration Project Delta Region Community Health Systems Development Program General Services Administration: Federal Surplus Property Available for Public Use HRSA Needs Rural Reviewers for Grant Applications HRSA National Health Service Corps Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Training HRSA Look-Alike Initial Designation for the Health Center Program Indian Health Service/Department of Defense: Medical Supplies and Equipment for Tribes (Project TRANSAM) Indian Health Service Loan Repayment Program – August 15, 2027 Licensure Portability: The Multi-Discipline Licensure Resource Project National Rural Health Association: USDA Rural Hospital Technical Assistance National Rural Health Resource Center: Rural Hospital Stabilization Program ProviderBridge: Mobilizing Health Care Workforce via Telehealth Rural Healthcare Provider Transition Project Rural Graduate Medical Education Planning and Development Small Business Administration Rural Businesses Small Business Administration Guaranteed Loans for Small Business Targeted Technical Assistance for Rural Hospitals Program USDA: National School Lunch Afterschool Snack Program USDA: Summer Food Service Program USDA Rural Development: America’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative USDA Rural Development: Circuit Rider Program – Technical Assistance for Rural Water Systems USDA Rural Development: Community Facilities Programs USDA Rural Development: Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants USDA Rural Development: Grants for Rural and Native Alaskan Villages USDA Rural Development: Intermediary Relending Program – Ongoing with deadlines every quarter USDA Rural Development: Multifamily Housing Loan Guarantees USDA Rural Development: Rural Business Investment Program USDA Rural Development: Rural Energy Savings Program USDA Rural Development: SEARCH – Special Evaluation Assistance for Rural Communities and Households (for Water/Waste Projects) USDA Rural Development: Telecommunications Infrastructure Loans and Loan Guarantees U.S. Department of Transportation: Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success (ROUTES) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Drinking Water State Revolving Fund U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act Program U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Real Water Technical Assistance (RealWaterTA) University of Vermont Center on Rural Addiction Contingency Management Certificate Course |
