The Tennessee General Assembly convened on October 27 for a special legislative session on COVID-19. The session is addressing a variety of COVID-19 related issues including mask and vaccine mandates, conditions of employment, the mature minor doctrine, monoclonal antibodies procedures, liability, unemployment benefits, and religious exemptions as they relate to COVID-19. Many of the issues have been combined into one large omnibus bill (HB9077/SB90140 ) that will be voted on by both chambers today, Friday October 30th. TPCA’s Policy Team and Lobbying Firm are engaged in the legislative process and monitoring developments.

On September 9, 2021, the Biden Administration announced the COVID-19 vaccination will be required for staff within all Medicare and Medicaid-certified facilities. Under CMS, community health centers are considered a “facility” and will need to comply as a condition for participating in the Medicare and Medicaid program. CMS is developing an Interim Final Rule with Comment Period that will be issued by the end of this month. TPCA is working closely with our federal partners to analyze the situation and provide relevant updates as they become available.

NACHC has scheduled a free webinar on Monday, November 1 at Noon Eastern.

TPCA created a COVID-19 Resources page that contains information and tools for health centers and the general public on a variety of COVID-19 related topics including TPCA’s COVID-19 vaccines, updates, human resources & operations, telehealth, and PPE.

TPCA Members may also access the COVID-19 Vaccine Toolkit for the latest in TN COVID-19 Vaccine distribution as well as timely and relevant resources.

Negotiations over the proposed $3.5 trillion reconciliation package and the $1.2 trillion bi-partisan infrastructure bill continue this week. Moderate and progressive Democrats continued negotiations to reduce the size of the reconciliation bill down to about $1.5 trillion to $2 trillion. The reconciliation package initially contained $10 billion in infrastructure funding for community health centers and $6.3 billion for primary care workforce programs. Democrats are focusing on how to reduce the cost of the package which could affect health related provisions, including health center funding.

Contact your Members of Congress to ensure funding for community health centers remains in the package.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published the Part II interim final rule (IFR) implementing portions of the No Surprises Act, passed in 2020, to prevent unexpected bills for out-of-network services and to promote price transparency. This IFR specifically outlines the “good faith estimate” requirements placed on providers, including health centers, for uninsured or self-pay individuals. TPCA is working closely with our federal partners, including NACHC to analyze the effects of this rule on health centers and will provide updates as they become available.

Representatives McKinley (R-WV) and Spanberger (D-VA) introduced the PROTECT 340B Act to combat discriminatory reimbursement policies that threaten health centers’ abilities to provide patients with 340B-eligible medications. Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY), the House Republican Chair recently signed onto the PROTECT 340B Act and issued a press release expressing her support for the 340B program.

Please consider reaching out to your Members of Congress and asking them to support H.R. the PROTECT 340B Act of 2021.

Need a refresher on 340B? Check out the TPCA Policy Blog!

HRSA’s Office of Rural Health Policy recently released a Notice of Funding Opportunity for 50 grants of roughly $1 million each available to providers in underserved rural areas to enhance prevention and treatment of Substance Use Disorder. Community health centers are eligible to apply, provided they are part of an established network that includes at least three other separately-owned entities. Applications are due January 13, 2022.

HRSA published a Notice of Funding Opportunity to make 14 awards to develop accredited residency programs in rural areas, for primary care and other disciplines. Each award would be for roughly $750,000 annually. These awards are described as “start-up funding” and long-term funding is not assured. Applications are due December 20.

MWCHC was recently honored with an AgeWell Middle Tennessee Sage Award!

AgeWell Middle Tennessee is the area’s trusted resource and catalyst for solutions for older adults and family caregivers. The Sage Awards honors lifelong leaders who improve communities, and organizations that significantly impact the lives of older adults across the region.

Read more from Main Street Nashville>>>

The Citizens of Lake County for Health Care, Inc. is opening a new location in Troy, TN! The Grand Opening ceremony will be held today, October 29th.

Join us in congratulating Citizens of Lake County for the new Obion County Medical Clinic!

Mattie Thomas began working with Adaptive nearly 18 months ago, and she has a passion for working with health centers because of their mission to serve the local communities. While she originally studied to become a medical provider, Mattie quickly realized that she preferred to serve the rural and underserved populations in a different way, and she began her role at Adaptive.

Says Mattie, "At the end of the day, I know that what I am doing is supporting health centers as they partner with Adaptive in order to help bring quality physician care to populations of people who would not have access otherwise. This is what keeps me going and keeps my heart in the day to day! "

Adaptive is an expert in provider recruitment to health centers currently working with Citizens of Lake County for Health, Community Health of East Tennessee, Mountain People’s Health Alliance, among others. Adaptive is able to use market data and technology to create lists of most likely candidates for your position. The Adaptive team is composed of individuals who care greatly for their clients and focus on retention and right-fit.

Looking for help with recruitment? Reach out to Mattie today!

Adaptive Medical Partners, Inc.

325.668.1211