USDA and HHS Sign Agreement to Help Expand Health IT Infrastructure in Rural America
August 22, 2011 (ONC Health IT) - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Rural Health Information Technology (Health IT) Task Force, specifically the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and the Health Resources and Services Administration, has been working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to ensure that rural health care providers can use USDA's Rural Development grants and loans to support the acquisition of health IT infrastructure.
HHS and USDA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) linking rural hospitals and clinicians to existing capital loan programs that enable them to purchase software and hardware needed to implement health IT. On August 16, 2011, the White House publicly announced the Administration's commitment to this MOU in a press release.
Two key USDA Rural Development programs that can help expand health IT infrastructure in rural America include the:
- Community Facilities Program, which provides direct and guaranteed loans as well as grants for community facilities projects in rural areas. This program may help offset the costs of electronic health records implementation for rural health care providers.
Staffing Changes at ORHP
August 22, 2011 (ORHP email)
ORHP Partners:
The Office of Rural Health Policy is pleased to announce two staffing changes. First, to help in meeting the increased demands of program integrity and performance measurement within the office, both the Hospital State Division and the Community Based Division have created Deputy Director Positions. Kathryn Umali will serve as the Deputy Director of the Community Based Division and Mike McNeely is the new Deputy Director of the Hospital State Division.
Kathryn’s primary focus as the CBD Deputy role will be around assisting in the operations and management aspects of the Division. This includes but is not limited to: Grants coordination, PIMS coordination, Budget coordination and development of a communication plan with the other divisions. She will also remain to be the program coordinator for the Rural Health Care Services Outreach Program (Outreach Program) providing leadership and programmatic oversight of this program. Prior to this position, Kathryn served as the Program Coordinator for the Delta Health Initiative (DHI) and Co-Coordinator for the Intergovernmental Affairs of HRSA. She also worked at the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals on emergency preparedness and various maternal and child health initiatives. Ms. Umali holds a Master of Public Health degree in Health Education/Communication and Maternal and Child Health from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology from the University of Minnesota.
Mike’s primary focus as the HSD Deputy will be around the operations and management of the Division’s programs. He will work with grants program coordination and with EHB, performance measure He will remain in his role of Flex Program Coordinator and as a project officer in Region C. Mike has been with the Office since 2007and joined HRSA as a HRSA Scholar in 2006. In his time at the Office, Mike has coordinated the Office’s policy activities around health information technology (HIT) with a particular focus on the HITECH Provisions included in the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. Over the past year, Mike has helped to staff the Secretary’s Rural HIT Task Force while also serving as a project officer within the Hospital State Division at ORHP working with the Flex, State Office and Small Hospital Improvement grant programs. Prior to working with HRSA, Mike worked at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health on the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program as a public health advisor. Mike has an MBA from Thomas More College and a Master's of Public Health in Health Services Management from the University of Kentucky.
We would like you to join us in congratulating them in their new role and please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks!
Nisha Patel, MA, CHES
Director, Community-Based Division
HRSA/Office of Rural Health Policy, Rm. 5A-55
npatel@hrsa.gov
301-443-6894
President Obama Announces New Jobs Initiatives for Rural America
August 17, 2011 (MMD Newswire) - On August 16, at the White House Rural Economic Forum, President Obama [announced] new jobs initiatives recommended by the White House Rural Council for growing the economy and creating jobs in rural America. The Council's recommendations focus on key areas of need in rural communities, including helping rural small businesses access capital, expanding rural job search and training services, and increasing rural access to health care workers and technology.
"These are tough times for a lot of Americans - including those who live in our rural communities," said President Obama. "That's why my administration has put a special focus on helping rural families find jobs, grow their businesses, and regain a sense of economic security."
"Creating jobs and economic opportunity in rural America is a priority for the Obama Administration, and the White House Rural Council has used an 'all hands on deck' approach to leverage resources across the federal government to achieve that goal," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "By bringing new capital, job training, and additional investments to our rural communities, we are working to ensure the people who live in these towns have a better, brighter future."
» CONTINUE READING
More on this:
From the Whote House
Rural Council website (Aug. 16, 2011) - Increasing Physician Recruitment at Critical Access Hospitals: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will issue guidance to expand eligibility for the National Health Service Corps loan repayment program so that Critical Access Hospitals (those with 25 beds or fewer) can use these loans to recruit new physicians. This program will help more than 1,300 CAHs across the country recruit needed staff. The addition of one primary care physician in a rural community generates approximately $1.5 million in annual revenue and creates 23 jobs annually. The average CAH creates 107 jobs and generates $4.8 million in payroll annually.
HHS sponsors contest for Facebook personal preparedness applications
August 22, 2011 (HHS News Release) - Federal officials are challenging software application developers to design new Facebook applications to help people prepare for emergencies and get support from friends and family after an emergency strikes – from personal medical emergencies to natural or man-made disasters.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) issued the ASPR Lifeline Facebook Application Developer Challenge in collaboration with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a health-focused online community of developers, designers, patients, providers, health care organizations that promotes health technology innovation.
The online challenge runs throughout National Preparedness Month in September and the remainder of the 2011 hurricane season, closing Nov. 4.
“After disasters, a tremendous number of people use Facebook to post and share information,” said Assistant Secretary Nicole Lurie, M.D., a rear admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service. “We’re challenging our country’s most innovative developers to create apps that help people use Facebook not only to reach out to friends and family for any kind of help they may need after emergency but also to become better prepared in the first place.”
» CONTINUE READING
HHS awards $40 Million in grants to sign up children for health coverage
August 18, 2011 (HHS News Release) - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced $40 million in grants for efforts to identify and enroll children eligible for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Grants were awarded to 39 state agencies, community health centers, school-based organizations and non-profit groups in 23 states. The two-year grants are authorized under the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) of 2009.
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Medicare to Save Taxpayers and Beneficiaries $28 Billion with an Expanded Competitive Bidding Program
Program to Purchase Durable Medical Equipment Beginning Second Phase
August 19, 2011 (CMS News Release) - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced the next steps for a major expansion of a competitive bidding program that helps lower costs for quality durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies.
“Today, we’re taking steps that will save Medicare, seniors, and taxpayers $28 billion over 10 years,” said CMS Administration Donald M. Berwick, M.D. “Medicare is paying much more than the private sector for equipment like wheelchairs and walkers. By expanding our successful competitive bidding program, we can ensure that Medicare pays a fair rate for these goods.”.”
The competitive bidding program uses competitions between suppliers to set new, lower payment rates for certain medical equipment and supplies, such as oxygen equipment, walkers, and some types of power wheelchairs. The first phase of the program was successfully implemented for nine product categories in nine areas of the country on January 1, 2011.
To date, Round One of competitive bidding has yielded savings of 35% compared to the fee schedule, 51% of contracts awarded to small businesses, and no changes in beneficiary health status. Inquiries in the first quarter of 2011 totaled less than 0.9 percent of calls to the Medicare call center, and Medicare received only 45 complaints during that time.
As required by law, CMS will conduct the second phase of the program for a similar set of products in 91 major metropolitan areas. Competition begins this fall, and the new prices will be in effect on July 1, 2013.
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HRSA Data Warehouse: Rural Mapping
August 17, 2011 (HRSA email) - The HRSA Data Warehouse has added a new mapping layer that allows you to map ORHP defined rural areas. The advantage to this is that you can see both the non-metro counties and the RUCA census tracts laid out so you can see ALL the rural area in a State, a county, or set of counties. You can also use this to map which HRSA grantees are located in a rural area. (You must use Internet Explorer to access the page.)
Go to http://datawarehouse.hrsa.gov/DWOnlineMap/MainInterface.aspx
On the left hand column you can specify the geographic area to map. Then select Rural Health Area from the “Click here to select a layer to add” menu and all the ORHP defined rural area are highlighted in green. Things become much clearer if you highlight “Base Map Information” in the left column and hit the “Remove” button.
» ACCESS THE APPLICATION (must use Internet Explorer)
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National Cooperative of Health Networks
Date: September 27, 2011
