Notes from FORHP

	Sarah Young, FORHP

Sarah Young

Flex Program Coordinator

CAH Regulatory Update

Final Rule: Advanced Practice Registered Nurses

CMS published this final rule to assist state in implementing Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) eligibility, appeals and enrollment changes required by the Affordable Care Act.  

Proposed Rule on the Use of New or Increased Pass-Through Payments in Medicaid Managed Care Delivery Systems

In the May 2016 final Medicaid Managed Care rule, CMS finalized a policy limiting "pass-through" payments, which are additional amounts added to contracted payment rates between Managed Care Organizations, Pre-Paid Inpatient Health Plan (PIHPs), or Prepaid Ambulatory Health Plans (PAHPs) and hospitals, physicians, or nursing facilities that are not explicitly for a specific service or benefit provided to an enrollee. 

New Medicare-Medicaid Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Model

CMS recently announced the Medicare-Medicaid ACO Model a new initiative designed to improve the quality of care and lower costs for beneficiaries who are enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid. The Medicare-Medicaid ACO Model builds on the current Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) and advances efforts to partner with states in transforming the health care delivery system. 

For more details on any of the above updates and the complete regulatory update please visit the Regulatory Updates Webpage .

 

Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Overview: Vendor Directory  UPDATED

Author : National Rural Health Resource Center

Provides information on the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) including the benefits and challenges to implementing a HCAHPS survey process with small rural hospitals, specifically critical access hospitals (CAHs). Identifies vendors to guide small rural hospital and CAH vendor selection of this important, patient-centered survey process.

Intergenerational Workforce Strategies Webinar  NEW

Author: Rural Health Innovations (RHI)

Do you have a intergenerational workforce in your organization or in those that you work with? In this webinar, e xplore how the five generations interact and how to avoid conflicts. This webinar provides s trategies for dealing with an age diverse workplace, explores what moti vates the generations and discusses  strategies to help retain Millennial employees.

TASC 90 Webinar: An Update on the Rural Transition to Value NEW

Author: National Rural Health Resource Center

This TASC 90 webinar, recorded November 9, 2016, provides an update on the rural transition to value-based models of health care. The webinar covers the rural activities in the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) State Innovation Models (SIM) and reviews new tools for CAHs to demonstrate value to partners and participation in alternative payment models (APMs). Also included in this webinar are updates from TASC and FORHP, to include both the Flex Program and policies impacting CAHs. The webinar features an update from the HRSA Office of Information Technology (OIT) on the newly redesigned Electronic Handbook (EHB) home page.

Reassessing Financial Peer Groups for CAHs

Since 2004, the FMT has produced the Critical Access Hospital Financial Indicators Report (CAHFIR) that provides CAH administrators with comparative financial indicators. In the past 10 years, significant changes have occurred in the US health system and economy that may have influenced the factors shaping CAH financial performance. The FMT has assessed whether the factors used in the current CAH financial peer groups are still important influences on CAH financial performance, and whether new hospital, geographic or community factors should be considered. The results of this assessment are described in a new  policy brief.

Spread of Accountable Care Organizations in Rural America

This policy brief updates a RUPRI Center analysis of the presence of Medicare ACOs in rural areas of the US in 2013. Using participation data through 2015, the current brief finds that there has been broad growth in the number of places where ACO participating providers can be found. Rural interest in the ACO model is strong, with participating providers found in 41.8% of non-metropolitan counties. A recent CMSfact sheet reported that 65 (15%) of the Medicare ACOs include at least one participating rural health clinic (RHC), and 55 (13%) include at least one participating CAH. Clearly there is rural interest in the ACO program and CMS initiatives like the ACO Investment Model (AIM) - designed to encourage the formation of new ACOs in rural and underserved areas - will enhance the level of interest.

TASC

SHIP 

• SHIP State Coordinator Technical Assistance Webinar: October 2016
• FY17 SHIP Non-Competing Continuation Technical Assistance Webinar: December 2016

SRHT

Network

• Allied Health Networks
• Intergenerational Workforce Strategies
• Understanding your Target Market: Value Proposition Design
• Network Development
• Network Spotlight: Palmetto Care Connections
• Creating a Culture of Innovation in Networks

• Certificate Tracks include:
• Healthcare Data Analytics
• Value-Based Care
• Population Health

 

Rural Health Information Hub (RHIhub) Calendar

View upcoming rural events by month, s tate or keyword search.