Mississippi Rural Hospital Alliance

The American Hospital Association continues to work with Congress and the Administration to enact policies that support rural hospitals. Their 2024 Rural Advocacy Agenda addresses five key priority areas: - Commercial insurer accountability - Flexible payment options - Fair and adequate reimbursement - Bolstering the workforce - Protecting the 340B program Learn more: https://lnkd.in/grKuy7CB

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently released revised guidance regarding conditions of participation and the conversion process for eligible hospitals interested in participating in Medicare and Medicaid as a rural emergency hospital. REHs are a new provider type established by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 to address concerns about rural hospital closures. They provide emergency and outpatient medical and health services to patients who typically stay less than 24 hours. As of Jan. 1, 2023, Medicare pays REHs an additional 5% over the hospital outpatient prospective payment system rate to deliver emergency, observation, and other outpatient services to Medicare patients. Medicare-covered REH services include all covered outpatient services, including radiology, laboratory, outpatient rehabilitation, surgical, maternal health, and behavioral health. Copayments for REH services are based on the standard OPPS rate, which excludes the 5% increase. CMS has also released a fact sheet explaining more about REHs. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gzwNHWK5

Embracing the Inevitable: Succession Planning for Rural Healthcare Organizations https://lnkd.in/grn36GJM

The Office for Civil Rights and the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services are hosting a webinar for the upcoming release of version 3.5 of the Security Risk Assessment Tool on Wed., Sept. 11, from 2-3 PM CT. This tool is designed to help small- and medium-sized healthcare organizations assess security risks.   The tool's latest version contains updates and enhancements based on user and public comments. Updates include: - Added content for mitigating organizational threats and vulnerabilities, including supply chain risks - References to the healthcare and public health cybersecurity’s performance goals - Updated references to version 2.0 of the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s cybersecurity framework Registration is limited to 3,000 participants. Register here: https://lnkd.in/gJWEeFgv

🚨Rural Health Research Alert🚨 "Financial Performance of Rural and Urban Hospitals in the Medicare Shared Savings Program" This brief presents financial performance trends of hospitals who participated in Medicare's Shared Savings Program (SSP) from 2011 to 2018. Trends in six financial outcomes are compared between SSP and non-SSP hospitals over time and between rural and urban hospitals. Key Findings: • Hospitals participating in the SSP had, on average, higher outpatient revenue, higher inpatient revenue, higher net patient revenue, higher operating margins, lower inpatient revenue share, and higher Medicare revenue share at the baseline year 2011 and throughout the study period. • Compared to their respective non-SSP counterparts, rural SSP hospitals experienced a higher percentage increase in outpatient revenue than urban SSP hospitals. • Rural hospitals participating in SSP experienced higher increases in inpatient revenue and net patient revenue than rural hospitals not participating in SSP. In contrast, urban hospitals participating in SSP experienced lower increases in these measures than urban hospitals not participating in SSP. View and subscribe: https://ow.ly/pLxu50TiZYa #ruralhealth RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis

The American Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society National HPV Vaccination Roundtable are seeking rural healthcare partners to join a learning community focused on improving HPV vaccination among 9-12-year-olds.   Through a series of virtual sessions and peer-based learning, the rural disparities HPV vaccination learning community intends to use quality improvement and evidence-based interventions to increase vaccination rates. This no-cost, practical how-to learning community will serve as a forum for health partners to gain knowledge, exchange promising practices and talk through challenges to increasing HPV vaccinations in rural settings. Learn more and register here: https://lnkd.in/e4RwffdF

Less than a quarter of rural hospitals have used a new program that provides free cybersecurity assistance from Microsoft and Google. Only about 350 of 1,800 small and rural U.S. hospitals have accessed the cybersecurity help launched in June.

📢 For Immediate Release: Equum Medical Launches Collaborative Shared Services Program for Critical Access and Community Hospitals This innovative program addresses the pressing need for enhanced access to healthcare services in rural communities and the opportunity for rural hospitals to band together to meet the challenges of delivering healthcare in rural communities Read the Press Release here: https://lnkd.in/dqCXDcJJ "Equum Medical was founded to address the unique challenges faced by rural hospitals," said Corey Scurlock, MD, MBA CEO & Founder of Equum Medical. "Our Collaborative Shared Services Program offers a cost-effective way to bring high-quality, specialized care to rural communities at the scale required for a rural clinically integrated network (CIN), ensuring patients can receive the care they need without leaving their hometowns." "Telehealth is revolutionizing how we deliver care in rural areas," said Brock Slabach, MPH, FACHE, Chief Operating Officer of the National Rural Health Association. "Equum Medical's new program is a significant step forward, offering critical access and rural community hospitals the tools and support they need to overcome resource constraints and keep care local while also bringing efficiency to the contracting process available through the Rural Hospital Network model." #thinkrural #ruraltelehealth #ruralhealthnetwork #telehealth #keepcarelocal

Join tomorrow’s webinar from 2:00 – 3:00 PM EST to learn more about NRHA’s Rural Hospital CEO and CMO Certification Programs! During this webinar program leaders, Bill Auxier and Sydney Grant, will answer any questions you have and share insights on how these certifications will not only foster your personal and professional growth, but also empower you to drive meaningful change in rural healthcare! Register at https://lnkd.in/gPADSewt today and join tomorrow to learn more about the CEO and CMO programs!