| Read this in your browser April 17, 2025 What's New FORHP Rural Hospital Technical Assistance Finder. The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) funds organizations providing free technical assistance (TA) to rural hospitals – e.g., financial consultation, quality improvement, and/or support for new or expanded services. FORHP added two new hospital TA programs last year – Rural Hospital Stabilization Pilot Program and Appalachian Region Healthcare Support Program – and created a centralized tool allowing you to search by facility type, geographic location, and specific TA needs. Rural Health Research Research in this section is provided by the HRSA/FORHP-supported Rural Health Research Gateway. Sign up to receive alerts when new publications become available. Are HCC Risk Scores a Reliable Health Status Indicator Across Rural and Urban Areas? This brief from the ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center examines differences in Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hierarchical Condition Category (HCC) risk scores between rural and urban Medicare Fee-for-Service beneficiaries across four common chronic conditions: hypertension, diabetes, depression, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. HCC coding is a risk assessment tool developed by CMS to estimate future health care costs. Policy Updates for Rural Health Send questions to ruralpolicy@hrsa.gov. CMS-Driven Partnership for Quality Measurement Seeks Rural Experts for Multiple Committees – Nominate by May 15. The Partnership for Quality Measurement (PQM) seeks expertise for the Endorsement & Maintenance committee and for Pre-Rulemaking Measure Review. Members of the PQM can be patients, patient advocates, clinicians, quality measure experts, or any other interested party providing feedback on quality measures being considered for programs implemented by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Learn more about responsibilities and time commitments and nominate yourself or someone else by May 15. CMS Seeks Input to Streamline Medicare Regulations – Comment by June 10. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) to solicit public feedback on potential changes to Medicare regulations with the goal of reducing the expenditures required to comply with Federal regulations. Examples of questions they would like input on include: - Are there documentation or reporting requirements within the Medicare program that are overly complex or redundant?
- How can Medicare better align its requirements with best practices and industry standards?
- Are there existing regulatory requirements that could be waived, modified, or streamlined to reduce administrative burdens?
Healthcare providers, researchers, stakeholders, health and drug plans, and other members of the public should submit all comments in response to this RFI through the online submission form. For assistance or technical problems related to this form, please send an email to: patientsoverpaperwork@cms.hhs.gov. Proposed Updates to Medicare Hospital Payment for Fiscal Year 2026. This proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) seeks public comment on payment updates and policy changes to Medicare's acute care inpatient hospital and long-term care hospital prospective payment system (IPPS/LTCH). For fiscal year 2026, CMS proposes a 2.4 percent increase to base rates for acute care hospitals that successfully participate in the Inpatient Quality Reporting program and are meaningful electronic health record users. Additionally, CMS proposes to discontinue the low wage index hospital policy, which provided an upward adjustment for hospitals in areas with the lowest wages, and a transition policy for hospitals significantly impacted by the discontinuation of this policy. There are several proposed changes to the suite of quality programs - Inpatient Quality Reporting, Value Based Purchasing, Hospital Readmission Reductions, Hospital Acquired Conditions, Medicare Promoting Interoperability, and LTCH Quality Reporting. Finally, CMS proposes several changes to the Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM), the Innovation Center mandatory payment model in which hospitals in select geographic areas coordinate care for people undergoing one of five surgical procedures, including allowing post-acute care to occur in rural swing beds without a prior 3-day hospitalization. CMS Proposes Updates for Medicare Hospice Payment Rule. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule that provides updates to the fiscal year (FY) 2026 Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP). The proposed rule estimates that in FY 2026, hospices in rural areas would experience on average, a 2.7 percent increase in estimated payment compared to FY 2025. The rule also proposes to clarify in the hospice payment regulations that the physician member of the interdisciplinary group (IDG) may recommend admission to hospice care, which would align with certification regulations and the Conditions of Participation (CoPs). CMS also proposes to clarify that the hospice face-to-face encounter attestation must include the physician's/practitioner's signature and date. Medicare Proposes Updates for SNF and IRF. On April 11th, 2025, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released proposed rules for Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF) and Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities (IRF) annual updates. Each rule proposes updates to Medicare payment and quality measurement policies for Fiscal Year 2026, which begins October 1. The proposed rules indicate a 3.2 percent increase in payments for rural SNFs and a 2.7 percent increase for rural IRFs. Medicare Proposes Updates to Inpatient Psychiatric Payment Rates. . On April 11, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a proposed rule for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Inpatient Psychiatric Facility Payment System (IPF PPS) and IPF Quality Reporting Program (QRP). The proposed rule includes a 2.6 percent increase to the prospective payment rates, updates to the outlier threshold, the case-mix-group relative weights and average length of stay values and the wage index. Under the IPF QRP, CMS proposes to remove two quality measures, and is seeking feedback with four Requests for Information (RFIs). Once finalized, updates will be effective October 1, 2025. Approaching Deadlines HRSA Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program – April 17 USDA Rural Development: Community Connect Grants – April 21 HRSA Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies Program (Rural MOMS) – April 22 HRSA Nurse Corps Scholarship Program – April 24 HRSA National Health Service Corps: Three Loan Repayment Programs – May 1 HRSA National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program – May 1 CMS-Driven Partnership for Quality Measurement Seeks Experts for Multiple Committees – Nominate by May 15 CMS Seeks Input to Streamline Medicare Regulations – Comment by June 10 USDOT Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grants – June 26 USDA Rural Development: Economic Development Loan & Grants Programs – June 30 USDA Rural Development: Intermediary Relending Program – June 30 Ongoing Opportunities (Updated April 2025) Bold indicates HRSA- and/or FORHP-funded opportunities. Administration for Children & Families: Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency – Technical Assistance for Rural EMS Communications Delta Regional Authority: Community Infrastructure Fund 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/SAMHSA: Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Training HRSA Technical Assistance for Look-Alike Initial Designation for the Health Center Program Indian Health Service SOAR Health Training on Human Trafficking Indian Health Service/Department of Defense: Medical Supplies and Equipment for Tribes (Project TRANSAM) Licensure Portability: the Multi-Discipline Licensure Resource Project National Rural Health Resource Center: Rural Hospital Stabilization Program ProviderBridge: Mobilizing Health Care Workforce via Telehealth Rural Graduate Medical Education Planning and Development Small Business Administration Guaranteed Loans for Small Business Small Business Administration Rural Initiative Pilot Program Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration/Federal Emergency Management Agency/: Post-Disaster Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program Targeted Technical Assistance for Rural Hospitals Program USDA: America's Healthy Food Financing Initiative USDA: National School Lunch Afterschool Snack Program USDA: Summer Food Service Program USDA/National Rural Health Association: Rural Hospital Technical Assistance USDA Rural Development: Circuit Rider Program – Technical Assistance for Rural Water Systems USDA Rural Development: Community Facilities Program USDA Rural Development: Economic Development Loans & Grants – Ongoing with deadlines every quarter 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 Justice: Jail-Based Medication-Assisted Treatment Mentoring Initiative U.S. Department of Transportation: Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success (R.O.U.T.E.S) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Drinking Water State Revolving Fund | 
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