Now is the time to REGISTER for the Get Link’d 2nd Annual Conference

August 30, 2016

November 15-16, 2016
The Hilton Garden Inn
3300 Vandiver Drive
Columbia, MO

Our Rural Health Workshops will focus on:

  • Health Disparities
  • Rural Communities & the Health Insurance Marketplace
  • Missouri Rural Hospitals Update
  • Recruiting for the Generations
  • Alternative Payment Methods
  • Navigating Stark and Anti-Kickback Laws

Registration forms and agenda can be found at www.morha.org

CPC+ Application Period

August 26, 2016

This month, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) opened the application period for practices to participate in the new primary care model, Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPC+), which is available to practices in Kansas and Missouri.  This model is an important opportunity to increase access and comprehensiveness of care to patients in rural communities. The CPC+ practice application period runs from August 1 – September 15, 2016.

CPC+ offers a unique chance for eligible primary care practices in 14 regions and states across the country to receive additional financial and technical support from Medicare and other payers.  Across these 14 regions, CMS’ goal is to have a large geographic spread and to ensure that rural practices are well represented in CPC+. In addition to the added support practices will receive from Medicare in CPC+, some may also be eligible for a 5% bonus payment for participating in an Advanced Alternative Payment Model through the proposed CMS Quality Payment Program.

Continue reading “CPC+ Application Period”

2017 NHSC Students to Service Loan Repayment Program Application Cycle is Now Open!

August 16, 2016

Are you a medical or dental student in your final year of school? 

The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Students to Service Loan Repayment Program (S2S LRP) provides up to $120,000 to medical (MD and DO) or dental (DDS or DMD) students in their final year of school in return for a commitment to provide primary health care full time for at least 3 years at an approved NHSC site in a Health Professional Shortage Area of greatest need.

Application Guidance

2017 Application and Program Guidance (PDF – 491 KB) has the detailed information you need to apply. Please read carefully before you start your application.

Accepting applications through October 13, 7:30 p.m. ET

Benefits

Students to Service loan repayment award recipients receive up to $120,000 (tax free) for at least three years of full-time service at an approved NHSC site in a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) of greatest need. Upon completion of residency for medical students (dental residency is encouraged but not required), recipients serve as primary care providers in an NHSC-approved site in a HPSA of greatest need.

Technical Assistance

Application and Program Guidance Webinar
(Thursday, September 8 from 7-9 p.m. ET)

Technical Assistance Call & Online Chat
(Thursday, September 29 from 7-9 p.m. ET)

(Access info is the same for both events)

Link: https://hrsa.connectsolutions.com/nhscs2s
Number: 1-888-324-4392
Passcode: 1058390

Plan Ahead

The program is expected to be competitive. Please note that applicants who have federally-serviced loans will need to create a FSA ID before beginning the application process.

 

Video on New Cardiac Rehabilitation Program That Brings Care to Rural Veterans’ Homes

August 16, 2016

Video on New Cardiac Rehabilitation Program That Brings Care to Rural Veterans’ Homes

“I get to the point where I look forward to Joan calling me on Wednesday afternoons. You know three o’clock comes and I know I have to be near the phone and be ready for her call, and then I give her all my numbers. She’ll check with me to see if I have any pain, how the week went and so forth, which I find is good,” explained rural Veteran Oscar Bourbeau. Bourbeau participates in a new home-based cardiac rehabilitation program offered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Scientific studies show that people who complete a cardiac rehabilitation program following a heart attack or bypass surgery can increase their life expectancy by up to five years, and have:

  • 27 percent lower cardiac death rates,
  • 25 percent fewer fatal heart attacks, and
  • An improved quality of life.

To learn more about the expanding program, watch the three minute “Home-Based Cardiac Care for Rural Veterans” video at https://youtu.be/S3tl3vMaDJs.

Continue reading “Video on New Cardiac Rehabilitation Program That Brings Care to Rural Veterans’ Homes”

Press Release: Rural Provider Leadership Summit Report

August 16, 2016

Strategies for Rural Provider Engagement in Transitioning to Value-based Purchasing and Population Health

“Rural health leader participants identified a multi-faceted approach to provider engagement that begins with creating a shared vision of value and understanding the role of providers in the transition,” noted Sally Buck, CEO of the National Rural Health Resource Center. “Moreover, rural hospitals and providers need to continue to share their challenges and successes to encourage other providers and help influence policy.”

With the support of the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP), the National Rural Health Resource Center (The Center) hosted a Rural Provider Leadership Summit in Bloomington, Minnesota on May 23 – 24, 2016. The purpose of the Summit was to identify strategies for rural provider engagement in transitioning to value-based reimbursement systems.

The Summit participants, included representatives of critical access hospitals, rural ACOs, physicians, state Flex Programs, SORHs, universities, quality and rural health network leaders. The panel also included representatives from FORHP, a rural foundation, emergency medical services and community paramedics.

A report with the findings of the Summit has been developed to assist rural hospital leaders in engaging rural health providers in the transition to value-based purchasing and population health. The report is also intended to assist state Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) Programs and State Offices of Rural Health (SORH) by offering timely information to develop tools and educational resources that support their hospitals and networks as they transition to population health.

Download the Rural Provider Leadership Summit Findings Report

Listen to the playback of the Summit Findings Webinar.

  • First, the report describes issues and opportunities related to engaging rural providers in value models.
  • Second, it provides key strategies that rural hospitals may deploy to overcome challenges and engage providers in value-based models and enhance medical staff collaboration.
  • Third, the report highlights success stories and lessons learned that were shared by the panelists during the summit.

To download a copy of the press release, click here.
For more information on The Center, visit our website.

CDA Explores The Arts and Economic Development

August 16, 2016

Join us September 26-27 at the Elms in Excelsior Springs for an interactive session on The Arts and Economic Development.  During the workshops presenters will discuss 21st century strategies for rural communities and how the arts can be a successful economic development strategy.

Visit:  http://extension.missouri.edu/communityarts/cda-explores.aspx

Register online at: http://muconf.missouri.edu/cda-Explores/