News stories of interest to rural health and human services, with information provided via the Rural Assistance Center Copyright 2012 Rural Assistance Center http://www.raconline.org/news/topstories.php The University of Washington Maternal and Child Public Health Leadership Training Program invites you to join a Webinar on "Screening for Developmental and Psychosocial Risks in Rural Family Medicine Practice: Implementation of Best Practices" on Tuesday, May 29th, 2012. http://www.raconline.org/news/details.php?news_id=18011 Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 CST http://www.raconline.org/news/details.php?news_id=18011 The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has made $85 million available to state housing agencies to provide affordable supportive housing for extremely low-income persons with disabilities. http://www.raconline.org/news/details.php?news_id=18005 Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 CST http://www.raconline.org/news/details.php?news_id=18005 Daily Yonder article discusses how when it comes to education, the rich are getting richer, as people with college degrees flock to a small number of U.S. counties, a demographic divide with serious economic consequences. http://www.dailyyonder.com/country-separating-education/2012/05/09/3994 Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 CST http://www.dailyyonder.com/country-separating-education/2012/05/09/3994 Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius yesterday released an ambitious national plan to fight Alzheimers disease that outlines research funding, tools for health care providers, an awareness campaign and a new website. http://www.raconline.org/news/details.php?news_id=18003 Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 CST http://www.raconline.org/news/details.php?news_id=18003 Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius yesterday announced the launch of a new web-based tool that will make it easier for all Americans to monitor and measure how the nations health care system is performing. http://www.raconline.org/news/details.php?news_id=18002 Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 CST http://www.raconline.org/news/details.php?news_id=18002 This final rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) identifies reforms in Medicare and Medicaid regulations that CMS has identified as unnecessary, obsolete, or excessively burdensome on health care providers and beneficiaries. This rule increases the ability of health care professionals to devote resources to improving patient care, by eliminating or reducing requirements that impede quality patient care or that divert providing high quality patient care. https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2012/05/16/2012-11543/medicare-and-medicaid-program-regulatory-provisions-to-promote-program-efficiency-transparency-and Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 CST https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2012/05/16/2012-11543/medicare-and-medicaid-program-regulatory-provisions-to-promote-program-efficiency-transparency-and This final rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services revises the requirements that hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) must meet to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2012/05/16/2012-11548/medicare-and-medicaid-programs-reform-of-hospital-and-critical-access-hospital-conditions-of Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 CST https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2012/05/16/2012-11548/medicare-and-medicaid-programs-reform-of-hospital-and-critical-access-hospital-conditions-of The Department of Veterans Affairs is once again hosting a nationwide 2K Walk and Roll event at more than 130 VA facilities on May 16 to coincide with National Employee Health and Fitness Day. http://www.raconline.org/news/details.php?news_id=17992 Tue, 15 May 2012 10:02:02 CST http://www.raconline.org/news/details.php?news_id=17992 HealthLeaders Media article reports that three in four healthcare organizations had to find temporary physicians at some point in the last 12 months because they couldn't find permanent physicians, survey data shows. http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/LED-280095/4-in-10-Healthcare-Organizations-Seek-Locum-Tenens Tue, 15 May 2012 09:38:41 CST http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/LED-280095/4-in-10-Healthcare-Organizations-Seek-Locum-Tenens The Department of Health and Human Services will accept comments through June 14, 2012, on draft proposals for a governance mechanism for the nationwide health information network. https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2012/05/15/2012-11775/nationwide-health-information-network-conditions-for-trusted-exchange Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 CST https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2012/05/15/2012-11775/nationwide-health-information-network-conditions-for-trusted-exchange Times and Democrat, (SC) article gives U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack remarks on the history and accomplishments of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on its 150th birthday. http://thetandd.com/business/agriculture/people-s-department-usda-at/article_bc565816-9bcd-11e1-b70a-001a4bcf887a.html Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 CST http://thetandd.com/business/agriculture/people-s-department-usda-at/article_bc565816-9bcd-11e1-b70a-001a4bcf887a.html MSNBC article reports that the financially struggling U.S. Postal Service sought Wednesday to tamp down concern over wide-scale cuts, revealing it will seek to keep thousands of rural post offices open with shorter hours. http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/09/11617701-endangered-rural-post-offices-get-a-reprieve Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 CST http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/09/11617701-endangered-rural-post-offices-get-a-reprieve Daily Yonder article reports that military veterans disproportionately live in rural and exurban communities, and vets who live in cities are much more likely to live in smaller urban areas, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census. http://www.dailyyonder.com/vets-attracted-rural-counties-smaller-cities/2012/05/13/4002 Mon, 14 May 2012 10:08:00 CST http://www.dailyyonder.com/vets-attracted-rural-counties-smaller-cities/2012/05/13/4002 PRNewswire article reports that the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners today announced a national campaign to increase public awareness of the critical role nurse practitioners play in the American health care system. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/nurse-practitioners-provide-solution-to-shortage-of-primary-health-care-providers-2012-05-14 Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 CST http://www.marketwatch.com/story/nurse-practitioners-provide-solution-to-shortage-of-primary-health-care-providers-2012-05-14 The White House Rural Council reports that on Tuesday, May 1st, along with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, they hosted a group of 24 rural health care providers and experts to discuss issues around access to care and improving health outcomes in rural communities. http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/05/11/white-house-rural-council-rural-stakeholders-meeting Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 CST http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/05/11/white-house-rural-council-rural-stakeholders-meeting The Health Resources and Services Administration announces that the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health will convene its seventy - first meeting on June 18-20, 2012, in Kansas City, Missouri. The meeting will be open to the public. https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2012/05/14/2012-11598/national-advisory-committee-on-rural-health-and-human-services-notice-of-meeting Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 CST https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2012/05/14/2012-11598/national-advisory-committee-on-rural-health-and-human-services-notice-of-meeting NRHA Rural Health Voices blog reports that the Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) released a study today outlining the positive accomplishments of the Frontier Extended Stay Clinic (FESC) Pilot Program. http://blog.ruralhealthweb.org/2012/05/frontier-extended-stay-clinic-pilot-program-receives-positive-reviews/ Fri, 11 May 2012 10:14:41 CST http://blog.ruralhealthweb.org/2012/05/frontier-extended-stay-clinic-pilot-program-receives-positive-reviews/ AHA News Now article reports that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services yesterday released a final regulation to revise the existing Conditions of Participation for hospitals and critical access hospitals, as well as a final rule that addresses more than two dozen regulatory requirements for a broader range of providers, including hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, end-stage renal disease facilities and durable medical equipment suppliers. http://www.ahanews.com/ahanews/jsp/display.jsp?dcrpath=AHANEWS/AHANewsNowArticle/data/ann_051012_rules&domain=AHANEWS Fri, 11 May 2012 00:00:00 CST http://www.ahanews.com/ahanews/jsp/display.jsp?dcrpath=AHANEWS/AHANewsNowArticle/data/ann_051012_rules&domain=AHANEWS The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will be holding a webinar on May 18, 2012, that focuses on using health information technology (IT) to help coordinate care among outpatient and inpatient safety net providers. http://www.raconline.org/news/details.php?news_id=17972 Fri, 11 May 2012 00:00:00 CST http://www.raconline.org/news/details.php?news_id=17972 Kaiser Health News brings together a variety of articles discussing how the House approved sweeping legislation on Thursday to cut $310 billion from the deficit over the next decade much of it from programs for the poor and shift some of that savings to the Pentagon to stave off automatic military spending cuts scheduled for next year. http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Daily-Reports/2012/May/11/house-budget-vote.aspx Fri, 11 May 2012 00:00:00 CST http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Daily-Reports/2012/May/11/house-budget-vote.aspx Registration is now open for sites interested in attending the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) 2012 Scholar Orientation and Placement Conference, July 19-21 in Grapevine, TX. https://www.nhscevents.com/scholarplacement2012/scholars/ Thu, 10 May 2012 09:38:07 CST https://www.nhscevents.com/scholarplacement2012/scholars/ CBS News article reports that Medicare paid $5.6 billion to 2,600 pharmacies with questionable billings, including a Kansas drugstore that submitted more than 1,000 prescriptions each for two patients in just one year, government investigators have found. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57431643/dubious-medicare-billings-paid-to-2600-pharmacies-in-2009-inspector-general-finds/ Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 CST http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57431643/dubious-medicare-billings-paid-to-2600-pharmacies-in-2009-inspector-general-finds/ Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced yesterday that applications for grants are being accepted to provide assistance to low- and very-low-income rural residents to install or improve plumbing, provide access to individuals with disabilities, and weatherize and repair their homes. http://www.raconline.org/news/details.php?news_id=17963 Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 CST http://www.raconline.org/news/details.php?news_id=17963 Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has announced the availability of funding for the construction and renovation of school-based health centers. http://www.raconline.org/news/details.php?news_id=17961 Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 CST http://www.raconline.org/news/details.php?news_id=17961 Primary care physicians serving Medicaid patients would see their Medicaid payments rise under a proposed rule announced yesterday by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. http://www.raconline.org/news/details.php?news_id=17960 Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 CST http://www.raconline.org/news/details.php?news_id=17960 Yesterday, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced significant steps to reduce unnecessary, obsolete, or burdensome regulations on American hospitals and health care providers, steps that will help achieve the key goal of President Obamas regulatory reform initiative to reduce unnecessary burdens on business and save nearly $1.1 billion across the health care system in the first year and more than $5 billion over five years. http://www.raconline.org/news/details.php?news_id=17959 Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 CST http://www.raconline.org/news/details.php?news_id=17959 CNN Money article reports that the U.S. Postal Service is backing off a previous plan to close thousands of post offices, and will instead cut hours at 13,000 rural facilities in an effort to save $500 million a year. http://money.cnn.com/2012/05/09/news/economy/postal_service/index.htm Wed, 09 May 2012 00:00:00 CST http://money.cnn.com/2012/05/09/news/economy/postal_service/index.htm AHA News Now article reports that Sens. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Charles Grassley (R-IA) yesterday introduced the Rural Hospital Access Act, legislation that would reauthorize the Medicare-Dependent Hospital program and extend the enhanced low-volume Medicare adjustment for prospective payment system hospitals for one year (through September 2013). http://www.ahanews.com/ahanews/jsp/display.jsp?domain=AHANEWS&dcrpath=AHANEWS/AHANewsNowArticle/data/ann_050812_rural Wed, 09 May 2012 00:00:00 CST http://www.ahanews.com/ahanews/jsp/display.jsp?domain=AHANEWS&dcrpath=AHANEWS/AHANewsNowArticle/data/ann_050812_rural Administration for Children and Families article reports that today the First Ladys Lets Move! Child Care initiative will recognize states, communities, early childhood programs and networks for exceptional work promoting and implementing the goals of the nationwide call-to-action. http://www.raconline.org/news/details.php?news_id=17945 Wed, 09 May 2012 00:00:00 CST http://www.raconline.org/news/details.php?news_id=17945 The Rural Housing Service announces that it is soliciting applications under the Housing Preservation Grant program with funding to assist very low- and low-income homeowners in repairing and rehabilitating their homes in rural areas. https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2012/05/09/2012-11036/notice-of-funds-availability-for-the-section-533-housing-preservation-grants-for-fiscal-year-2012 Wed, 09 May 2012 00:00:00 CST https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2012/05/09/2012-11036/notice-of-funds-availability-for-the-section-533-housing-preservation-grants-for-fiscal-year-2012