August 13, 2020 What's New CMS: Community Health Access and Rural Transformation Model. Called CHART for short, this new model from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) aims to change the way the federal government pays for health care in rural areas through two separate tracks: 1) For the Community Transformation Track, CMS will select 15 Lead Organizations to create Transformation Plans that coordinate care across communities defined as rural by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy. CMS anticipates the Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Community Transformation Track will be available in September 2020. 2) For the Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Transformation Track, CMS will select up to 20 rural-focused ACOs to receive financial incentives for value-based payment (based on patient outcomes) rather than fee-for-service (based on type and quantity of treatment). CMS expects to release a Request for Applicants for the ACO Transformation Track in spring of 2021. See the Events section below for a CMS webinar providing an overview of the CHART Model. CMS Report to Congress: Reducing Telehealth Barriers for Pediatric Medicaid Populations. The report from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) outlines state-level policy that can reduce barriers to using telehealth for treating substance use disorders (SUDs) among pediatric Medicaid populations. Medicaid coverage and state laws regarding telehealth vary by state, so this report highlights how delivering care to children with SUD differs between telehealth and in-person visits in terms of costs and quality of care. While the field is still emerging, there are promising practices that could improve access to care where options for SUD treatment is limited. HHS Coronavirus Data Hub. The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) launched a website in July with data on the COVID-19 response at federal, state, and local levels. The hub includes estimated and reported hospital capacity by state, with numbers updated daily. Federal Office of Rural Health Policy FAQs for COVID-19. A set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) from our grantees and stakeholders, updated regularly. COVID-19 FAQs and Funding for HRSA Programs. Find all funding and frequently asked questions for programs administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). CDC COVID-19 Updates. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides daily updates and guidance, including a section specific to rural health care, and a Toolkit for Tribal Communities. New this week: tracking data to protect pregnant women and their babies. GHPC's Collection of Rural Health Strategies for COVID-19. With support from the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP), the Georgia Health Policy Center (GHPC) provides reports, guidance, and innovative strategies gleaned from their technical assistance and peer learning sessions with FORHP grantees. Confirmed COVID-19 Cases, Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Counties. The RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis provides up-to-date data and maps on rural and urban confirmed cases throughout the United States. An animated map shows the progression of cases beginning January 21. Rural Response to Coronavirus Disease 2019. The Rural Health Information Hub posted a guide to help you learn about activities underway to address COVID-19. Now including Rural Healthcare Surge Readiness a tool with resources for healthcare systems preparing for and responding to a COVID-19 surge in patients. Funding and Opportunities NIHB Mini-Grants for COVID-19 Tribal School Readiness – August 28. The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) will make 13 awards of up to $2000 each to help tribal schools prepare for safe operation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Funding may be used for materials and equipment, facilities and infrastructure, and other costs related to readiness for opening schools. ONC Tech Advancement for Health Information Exchanges (HIE) – September 1. The Office for the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) will make up to five awards from a total investment of $2.5 million for the STAR HIE Program – Strengthening the Technical Advancement of Public Health via Health Information Exchange. Eligible applicants are Health Information Exchange organizations proposing activities that would improve data reporting to meet two objectives of the program: 1) build innovative HIE services that benefit public health agencies at local, state, and regional levels; and 2) improve the HIE services available to support communities disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. NIHB/CDC Strengthening Tribal Public Health Systems – September 4. With support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) will provide funding and technical assistance to build capacity for public health in Tribes. Eligible participants include official health entities of federally-recognized Tribal governments, Tribal organizations, and inter-Tribal consortia. USDA Rural Placement Innovation Challenge – September 10. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will make five awards from a total investment of $1 million to assist with community planning efforts that support local economies and quality of life. Possible uses for funds include increasing broadband access, preserving cultural and historical structures, and supporting the development of transportation, housing, and recreational spaces. Eligible applicants are public and private entities that can provide technical assistance to cities or towns with up to 50,000 residents. ACF Early Head Start - Child Care Partnership Grants – September 21. The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) will make 60 awards with total funding of approximately $103 million to provide comprehensive, high-quality services to low-income infants and toddlers. Eligible applicants include current Head Start Centers and other organizations capable of providing child and family services. AAFP Health Equity Fellowship – October 1. The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) offers one year fellowships that feature curriculum, faculty, and events tailored to address a topic of significant relevance to family medicine. Tracks include rural health, academic medicine, and traditional family medicine. Applicants practicing in rural areas and/or from populations under-represented in medicine will receive preference. Policy Updates Visit the FORHP Policy page to see all recent updates and send questions to ruralpolicy@hrsa.gov. CMS Finalizes FY2021 Payment Rule for Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities. Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized payment policy updates for Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities (IRF). The final rule includes a 2.8 percent payment increase ($260 million total) which rural areas will experience as an average increase of 3.0 percent. CMS is amending the regulations to remove the post-admission physician evaluation requirement and to allow non-physician practitioners to perform certain requirements that currently a rehabilitation physician must perform. The rule also allows for a transition period that applies a 5 percent cap on wage index decreases as CMS adopts the most recent Office of Management and Budget (OMB) statistical area delineations with 34 urban counties becoming rural, 47 rural counties becoming urban, and several urban counties shifting between existing and new urban statistical areas. Learning Events and Technical Assistance National CMS/CDC Nursing Home COVID-19 Training – Thursdays at 4:00 pm ET. Through the Quality Improvement Organization Program, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) host a weekly webinar series (every Thursday, 4-5 pm ET) to provide training for infection control processes in nursing homes. Trainings are scheduled every week until January 7. HHS Telemedicine Hack – Wednesdays at 12:00 pm ET through September 23. The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) is partnering with the ECHO Institute at the University of Mexico, and the Public Health Foundation's TRAIN Learning Network to deliver a 10-week peer-to-peer learning community called Telemedicine Hack to provide knowledge and skills for video-based telemedicine. All ambulatory providers (e.g., primary care, surgical, rural/urban, dental, mental health, solo practitioners) are invited to participate. IHS: Suicide Screening in AI/AN Populations – Thursday, August 13 at 12:00 pm ET. The Indian Health Service (IHS) will examine evidence-based tools for suicide screening with cultural considerations for American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations. AAIP: American Indians Accessing Health Professions – Friday, August 14 at 4:00 pm ET. The Association of American Indian Physicians (AAIP) and the UC Davis School of Medicine hold this conference through Saturday the 15th to give indigenous students from undergraduate, community, and tribal colleges exposure to different careers in the health professions. HRSA: Virtual Forum on IPV, Human Trafficking, Domestic Violence in AI/AN Communities – Monday, August 17 at 11:00 am ET. This virtual forum will examine the impact of intimate partner violence (IPV), human trafficking, and domestic violence on American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities. The two-day event is hosted by Region 10 of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Ethical Challenges of COVID-19 in Rural Areas – Tuesday, August 18 at 11:00 am ET. For their series, Pandemic Policies and Practices, the University of Pittsburgh will discuss ethical concerns and challenges for small towns and rural areas. CMS Overview of New CHART Model for Rural Health – Tuesday, August 18 at 1:00 pm ET. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will host a 90-minute webinar about the CHART Model (see details under What's New above). Participants may submit questions for live Q&A towards the end of the webinar. RCORP: Latinx Cultural Competence to Reduce Disparities – Tuesday, August 18 at 2:00 pm ET. In an hour-long session, the technical assistance component of the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) will discuss cultural barriers to substance use disorder treatment. HHS: Healthy People 2030 Launch – Tuesday, August 18 at 1:00 pm ET. The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) will explain new goals and objectives for the 10-year plan for improving health and well-being in the United States. RHIhub Toolkit for Rural SDOH – Wednesday, August 19 at 1:00 pm ET. The Rural Health Information Hub (RHIhub) will discuss their newly-released toolkit with evidence-based models for addressing social determinants of health (SDOH). Aspen Institute: Immigrants and Rural Economies in the Pandemic - Wednesday, August 19 at 2:30 pm ET. Experts will discuss policy that can help the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 crisis on immigrants in rural communities. HHS: Data to Build Social Connections for Youth – Thursday, August 20 at 2:30 pm ET. Social science experts at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) will share strategies for using data to build social capital for vulnerable youth. CMS COVID-19 Lessons from the Front Lines – Friday, August 21 at 12:30 pm ET. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) holds this 90-minute call twice a month. Find a schedule for all stakeholder calls, including those for home health and hospice facilities, nursing homes, and others – online at the CMS Coronavirus Partner Toolkit. Save the Date: OMH on COVID-19 Response in Minority Communities – Thursday, September 17. The HHS Office of Minority Health (OMH) will host a virtual symposium to highlight state, Tribal, territorial, and community-based efforts to address COVID-19 among racial and ethnic minority populations. Resource of the Week Native America Calling. The Anchorage, Alaska-based Koahonic Broadcast Corporation calls Native America Calling "your national electronic talking circle". The live call-in program links listeners through public radio stations and the Internet to hold an ongoing national conversation about issues specific to Native communities. Recent topics included a discussion on the Indian Health Service's expansion of telehealth, a technology that's been used in Federal-Tribal relations since 1971. Rural Monitor: Healthcare's Unique Position in Response to Human Trafficking. This in-depth article in The Rural Monitor features a rural hospital CEO, a State Office of Rural Health director, a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, and a Safe Harbor Regional Navigator sharing their experiences combating human trafficking. Approaching Deadlines American College of Epidemiology Lilienfeld Award – August 15 HHS Strengthening Economic Supports for Working Families – August 17 DRA Delta Leadership Institute Executive Academy – August 18 HUD Rehabilitation and Modification of Veteran's Homes – August 18 CDC Stakeholder Engagement on Chronic Pain Management – August 21 CARES Act Funds for Adult Education and Workforce Preparation – August 24 DOT Funding Public Transportation on Indian Reservations – August 24 IHS Tribal Management Grant Program – August 24 HUD Healthy Homes Production Grant Program for Tribal Housing – August 24 USDA Assistance for Persistent Poverty Agriculture Producers and Communities – August 24 USDA Delta Health Care Services Grant Program – August 24 OMH Reducing Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minority Populations – August 26 USDA Assistance for Socially-Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers – August 26 NIH Community Interventions to Address COVID-19 Pandemic – August 28 NIHB Mini-Grants for COVID-19 Tribal School Readiness – August 28 USDA Coronavirus Food Assistance Program – August 28 AHA Rural Hospital Leadership Team Award – August 31 Comments Requested: CDC on ACEs and Opioid Misuse in Tribal Communities – August 31 Comments Requested: CMS Proposed Rule for Home Health Providers – August 31 CMS Hardship Exception for Hospital Interoperability – September 1 for Medicare-eligible hospitals; November 30 for CAHs ONC Tech Advancement for Health Information Exchanges (HIE) – September 1 Senior Corps Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) – September 1 NRHA Rural Health Fellows Program – September 3 Comments Requested: End Stage Renal Disease Proposed Rule –September 4 NHIB/CDC Strengthening Tribal Public Health Systems – September 4 NIH Researching Long-Term Effects of Disasters on Disparity Populations – September 7 ACL Innovation Challenge: Technology for Social Isolation – September 8 USDA Capacity Building for 1890 Land-Grant Institutions – September 10 USDA Rural Placement Innovation Challenge – September 10 AHRQ Innovation Challenge for Rural Postpartum Mental Health – September 15 BIA Native American Business Development Institute Grant – September 15 DOJ: COVID-19 Violence Against Women Assistance to Tribes – September 16 Request for Information: Health Professional Shortage Area Scoring Criteria – September 18 HRSA Request for Information: Maternity Health Professional Target Area Criteria – September 18 ACF Early Head Start - Child Care Partnership Grants – September 21 HUD Rural Capacity Building for Affordable Housing – September 28 Pandemic-Related Payment Deferrals: USDA Guaranteed Loans for Rural Development – September 30 AAFP Health Equity Fellowship – October 1 IHS Tribal Injury Prevention Program – October 1 Comments Requested: Proposed Changes to Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment System – October 5 Comments Requested: Proposed Updates to the CY2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule – October 5 NIH Health Services Research on Minority Health and Health Disparities – October 5 HRSA Healthy Tomorrows Partnership for Children – October 6 RWJF 2021 Culture of Health Prize – October 15 FCC High Speed Broadband/Rural Opportunity Fund – October 22 IHS Tribal Self-Governance Program Negotiation – October 28 NIH Digital Interventions to COVID-19 Secondary Effects – December 30 Ongoing Opportunities AHRQ Research to Improve Patient Transitions through HIT – December 2022 ASA Rural Access to Anesthesia Care Scholarship CDC Training Pediatric Medical Providers to Recognize ACEs Dept of Commerce: Economic Development Assistance Programs DRA Technical Assistance for Delta Region Community Health Systems Development EPA Drinking Water State Revolving Fund HUD Hospital Mortgage Insurance Program IHS Tribal Forensic Healthcare Training NARHC Certified Rural Health Clinic Professional Course NIH Pilot and Feasibility Studies for Drug/Alcohol Prevention Trials – January 7, 2021 NIH Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health – May 2022 NIH Research – Alcohol and Other Substance Use – Dates Through August 2022 NIH Research on Minority Health/Health Disparities – September 8, 2022 NIH Research on Palliative Care in Home/Community Settings – September 8, 2022 NIH Research to Improve Health Care Quality and Outcomes Through HIT NIH Strategies for Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in HIT Nominations for Federal Advisory Commission on HIV, Viral Hepatitis, and Sexually Transmitted Diseases Nominations for National Advisory Committee on Migrant Health Opportunity Zones for Economic Development Rural Graduate Medical Education Planning and Development RWJF Investigator-Initiated Research to Build a Culture of Health RWJF Pioneering Ideas Brief Proposals SBA Guaranteed Loans for Small Business USDA Community Facilities Program USDA Community Food Projects Technical Assistance USDA Drinking Water and Waste Disposal for Rural and Native Alaskan Villages USDA Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants USDA Guaranteed Loans for Rural Rental Housing – through 2021 USDA Intermediary Relending Program USDA Rural Business Development Grants USDA Rural Energy Savings Program USDA Summer Food Program USDA Technical Assistance for Healthy Food Financing Initiative USDA Telecommunications Infrastructure Loans USDA Funding for Rural Water and Waste Disposal Projects | 
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