RURAL ROUTE

October 2021

Reporting Season...

It's the last Thursday of October, which means that we are all in full-on reporting season. TASC is here if you have any questions moving into the following weeks.

In the past month, we've sent out some helpful content. Make sure you have a copy of the Financial Guide for the Rural Health Care Leaders During COVID and Post-COVID saved for easy reference. The webinar is available for playback, too.

Additionally, we wanted to provide all of you with a one-stop location for our telehealth resources. An email went out to help serve this purpose. Let us know what future topics regarding telehealth you would want to be covered.

Have a great week, and let us know how we can help you!

Matt Bancroft

Program Specialist - TASC/SHIP

Take our OCTOBER SURVEY

(3 Questions)

Oct 30: PIMS due

Nov 4: VKG: Public Health Emergency

Nov 11: Veterans Day (Federal)

Nov 18: Nat'l Rural Health Day

Nov 25: Thanksgiving (Federal)

Nov 30: End of Year Report Due

Dec 24: Christmas Eve (Federal)

Dec 25: Christmas Day (Federal)

Dec 31: New Years Eve (Federal)

Jan 30: Fed. Financial Report Due

Pssst... Here are a few resources from Center programs and other rural health partners:

Delta Program: Fall Communication Webinar Series

Federal Office of Rural Health Policy Updates

Dear Flex Program Coordinators

I hope you have all enjoyed the month of October; I know it’s one of my favorite months with cooler weather.

A reminder about upcoming Flex Program deadlines:

FY 2020 Performance Improvement Measurement System (PIMS) Report – due October 30, 2021 (Friday, October 29^th)
FY 2020 End of Year Report (EoYR) – due November 30, 2021
FY 2020 EMS Supplement End of Year Report (EMS-EoYR) – due November 30, 2021
FY 2020 Federal Financial Report (FFR) – due January 30, 2022 (Friday, January 28^th)
Prior Approval Carryover Request – due 30 days after FFR submission

In October, we had the first round of Quality Innovation Lab (QIL) meetings. We hope you provide us with feedback to make these meetings beneficial to you, as State Flex Program Coordinators, and your Flex Program quality improvement activities. Remember to use the SharePoint site QIL library under Quality Innovation Labs for resources on your QIL.

Thanks for all that you do,

Tori

CAH Regulatory Update

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Seeking Public Input on

Work-Related Stress for Health Workers

CDC’s COVIDVaxView: A Data Dashboard

Interim Final Rule “Part 2” Released on Surprise Billing

Continue reading about multiple new resources, guidance, and regulations on the Flex Forum (login required).

Flex Monitoring Team: October Brief

The Association Between System Affiliation and Financial Performance in Critical Access Hospitals

The Flex Monitoring Team (FMT) issued a brief on "The Association Between System Affiliation and Financial Performance in Critical Access Hospitals." A fundamental analysis reported by FMT is that "[Consistent] with previous studies of rural hospitals generally, results from this analysis showed that system affiliation is significantly associated with CAH financial performance. On average, system affiliation was associated with stronger financial performance." Further, it is encouraged that "state Flex programs may wish to explore the specific ways in which system affiliation enhances CAH financial performance [to] identify potential best-practices that you might share with other non-affiliated CAHs."

Please take time to read the brief and include additional resources that might help you explore the information:

Capital expenditures increased at rural hospitals that merged between 2012 and 2015

For rural hospitals that merged, inpatient charges decreased, and outpatient charges increased: A pre/post comparison of rural hospitals that merged and rural hospitals that did not merge between 2005 and 2015

Rural hospital mergers increased between 2005 and 2016: What did those hospitals look like?

Financial Guide for the Rural Health Care Leaders During COVID and Post-COVID

Earlier this month, TASC launched a Financial Guide for Rural Health Care Leaders during COVID and post-COVID. The guide launch was initiated during a recorded webinar that is available for playback.

The Financial Guide for Rural Health Care Leaders During COVID and Post-COVID was created for use by state Flex Program personnel, leaders of critical access hospitals (CAHs), provider-based rural health clinics (RHCs), and others that assist these providers in managing long term financial performance. The content is designed to be as non-technical as possible and provide guidance regarding the potential and anticipated impact the COVID Public Health Emergency (PHE) will have on top financial indicators during and after the PHE. Strategies for addressing the financial indicators have been included, as well as action plans to guide CAH, and provider-based RHC leaders as organizations navigate the challenges of the PHE and post-PHE periods.

MBQIP Updates

The MBQIP Monthly includes:

CAHs Can! Use Healthcare Quality Week To Show Why Quality Matters Now More Than Ever
Data: CAHs Measure Up – Top 10 States with Outstanding Quality Performance
Tips: Robyn Quips – In the Population or Not?
Tools and Resources – Helping CAHs succeed in Quality Reporting & Improvement

Please send your MBQIP questions to tasc@ruralcenter.org. TASC will ensure your question reaches the appropriate person.

Webinars, Recordings, and Resources

Playbacks

FY 2020 Wrap Up Webinar

State Flex Program QI Project

CAH Telehealth Guide

August VKG: Best Practices in Flex Program Contract Management

RSV: Quality Improvement Project Group Discussion

Webinar: Rural Tele-Behavioral Health

Resources: Highlights for your Flex Program

Delta Program: 2021 Value-Based Care Webinar Series (5 Parts)

RHPTP: Resilience: Springing Back to Move Forward

FMT: Community Impact and Benefit Activities of CAHs...

NOSORH: RHCs Awarded Nearly $100M for Vaccine Confidence Grant

A full list of resources is available in the TASC Resource Library.

For any questions or concerns, please contact us:

tasc@ruralcenter.org - 877-321-9393 - www.ruralcenter.org

This project is/was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB1RH24206, Information Services to Rural Hospital Flexibility Program Grantees, $1,009,120 (0% financed with nongovernmental sources). This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government.