RURAL ROUTE

March 2022

Marching Foward

Happy spring!

Recently we bid farewell to Tori Leach and welcomed Laura Seifert into the role of the Flex Program Coordinator. We know Tori is doing great things and are happy to work with Laura in her new position. Please see her update below.

Keep an eye open for the registration email for the Reverse Site Visit (RSV). It's coming soon!

May 4, 2022, is the due date for the Flex Program Non-Competing Continuation (NCC) Progress Report, so keep that in mind as you look out toward the weeks ahead.

We hope the change in seasons finds you happy and healthy.

Let us know how we can help you,

Matt Bancroft

Program Specialist - TASC/SHIP

P.s. Thanks to those who submitted proposals for breakout sessions at this year's RSV! We are excited about the content this year and looking forward to your unique perspectives!

March 31: TASC 90 Health Equity Webinar

April 5: National Rural Health Information Technology (HIT) Coalition Webinar

May 4: FY 2022 Flex Program NCC Progress Report due

May 5: TASC VKG

May 18: TASC 90

May 26: Flex Strategic Planning Learning Collaborative Begins

July 19-21: Reverse Site Visit

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

Delta Program: Revenue Cycle Improvement Webinar Series

SHIP: TA Webinar - Leveraging SHIP and Flex for Hospital Performance Improvement

RHIhub: Updated Rural Emergency Preparedness and Response Guide

Flex Monitoring Team: Evaluating State Flex Program Population Health Activities

Have you used our updated

Population Health Toolkit?

The National Rural Health Resource Center has an interactive Population Health Toolkit to assist in creating a movement toward wellness through population health strategies. In coordination with the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP), this toolkit is a public source of information that includes understanding population health, assessments, and a web-based database for acquiring health data specific to your location. A recent data source update was launched and included three new data scenarios for state Flex Programs, critical access hospitals, and other rural health care providers.

15 Ways to Compare Metrics:

Our 'Putting Data to Use" page allows you to search for specific population health data that is relevant to your needs. The recent update added three new metrics:

COPD, Cancer, and Stroke Risk factors.

Federal Office of Rural Health Policy Updates

Hello, Flex Program Coordinators!

I know not all of you know me personally yet, so my name is Laura Seifert, and I am your new Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) Flex Program Coordinator for those I have not met.

I’ve been working on the Flex Program since July of 2020, and I’m very excited to keep working with you all in this new role and hopefully meet those of you I have not met yet! I am always open to feedback, ideas, suggestions, anything that you think can help us all move our program forward, so please do not hesitate to reach out to your FORHP Project Officer or to me to share anything you like. There have been a few changes in the Project Officer assignments recently to account for Tori Leach’s departure. If you are unsure who to contact, please reach out to me directly at lseifert@hrsa.gov, and I can point you in the right direction.

Our major programmatic update is that your Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Non-Competing Continuation (NCC) Progress Report is now available and due back in the Electronic Handbooks (EHB) System on Wednesday, May 4, 2022. Please look at the Technical Assistance and Services Center (TASC) Website for the updated guidance and materials to complete this report and the recording of the webinar playback from March 3, 2022. Please also be sure to read over the additional resources provided by both the Flex Monitoring Team (FMT) and TASC regarding including outcome measures in your report.

One more important date to remember: Friday, April 29, is the deadline to return the mid-year evaluation materials for the Flex Quality Innovation Labs. The survey link previously sent out will be submitted online, and the spreadsheet that was sent should be returned to MBQIP@hrsa.gov with a cc to Natalia Vargas, nvargas@hrsa.gov.

Please reach out to us with any questions you may have.

Thank you for all you do,

Laura

CAH Regulatory Updates

New Data on Rural-Urban Disparities in COVID-19 Vaccination

Provider Relief Fund Reporting Period Closes Soon

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

NCC Application Assistance

TASC is available to review one component of your cooperative agreement application prior to your final submission (examples: work plan, narrative, budget, etc.). If you would like assistance, please choose one section of your proposal for TASC to review. Please submit your request to tasc@ruralcenter.org by April 20, 2022, and allow us five business days to review it. TASC will respond with comments and suggestions, but we are unable to re-write content for you. We’re happy to also talk through with you the suggestions and comments via phone or Zoom.

TASC has received some great questions already! Please feel free to post your questions in the Flex Program Forum. If you have a question, someone else likely does too and will benefit from seeing the question and answer. For help logging into the Flex Program Forum, please create an account or reset your password .

State Flex Profiles Update

Thank you to all who submitted an updated 2021 State Flex Program Profile. We often hear from state Flex Programs looking for examples from their peers, so check out the updates to learn more about what your Flex Program colleagues are doing in their states!

2022 RSV Planning Committee

Thank you to the awesome Reverse Site Visit planning committee members who spent time helping us produce a quality event. Give a big thanks to the following people:

Lara Brooks, Oklahoma Department of Health

Jill Bullock, Arizona Center for Rural Health

Nick Galvez, North Carolina Office of Rural Health

Sarah Kahn-Troster, Flex Monitoring Team (FMT)

Laura Seifert, FORHP

Clarissa Noble, Virginia Dept. of Health

Maddy Pick, Flex Monitoring Team (FMT)

Janelle Shearer, Stratis Health (RQITA)

Nicole Threadgold, North Dakota Center for Rural Health

Jennifer Wagner, Montana Hospital Association

Caroline Wroczynski, Kansas Dept. of Health

Kathryn Miller, University of Wisconsin

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Flex Program Welcomes and Farewells

Several state Flex programs have had staffing changes recently. It is always exciting to welcome new partners and see what unique talents they bring to rural health! Please join me in welcoming and congratulating the following:

Position Changes:

Eva Cruz, Texas, Flex Program Coordinator

We hate to lose amazing people but wish nothing but the best for our friends as they embark on new adventures. The following have left their Flex positions:

Exiting staff:

Jennifer Brooks, California

Upcoming Conference Opportunity:

Telehealth Everywhere

Our friends at Great Plains Telehealth Resource & Assistance Center (gpTRAC) will again be hosting their annual in-person conference, Telehealth Everywhere, May 24-25 at the Radisson Blu-Mall of America. This conference will feature excellent keynote presenters and breakout sessions. The opening keynote speaker, George Demiris, Ph.D., UPenn, will discuss the need for inclusive design in Telehealth and other digital health tools. He will also present various case studies that highlight ways to facilitate ongoing and effective patient engagement. Attendees will again have the opportunity to discuss emerging telehealth information with their peers and colleagues. More information can be found on the event page.

MBQIP Updates

The MBQIP Monthly includes:

CAHs Can! National Rural Virtual QI Mentor Profile Series: Gloria Barth
Data: Missing Data on MBQIP reports
Tips: Robyn Quips – CMS Measure Resources
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

F iscal Year 2022 Flex Program Non-Competing Continuation Guidance

Telehealth Billing & Coding 2-Part Webinar Series

Resources: Highlights for your Flex Program

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, $1,560,000 (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.