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Medical Homes - includes an overview of the topic, along with frequently asked questions and links to resources, including organizations, publications, maps, and related web sites
CMS Proposes New Payment Rates for Medicare Skilled Nursing Facilities; Recalibration of Case-Mix Adjustment
May 2, 2008 -- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today announced its proposal for new, fiscal year (FY) 2009 payment rates for Medicare skilled nursing facilities that CMS says are more accurate and more closely reflect differences in patient care needs. Public comments on the proposal will be accepted until June 30, 2008.
Cell Phone Finds Use as Diagnostic Tool in Areas Without Ultrasound, X-Ray Machines
May 1, 2008 -- AHN, (CA) article reports that a professor of bioengineering at the University of California, Berkeley and his colleagues have developed a portable medical scanner that can be plugged into a cellular phone, which transmits raw ultrasound or X-ray scanning data to a remote computer processor.
CMS Announces Proposed Wage Index Changes for the Medicare Hospice Benefit
Apr 29, 2008 -- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today issued a proposed rule to update and revise the Medicare hospice wage index (WI) for fiscal year (FY) 2009.
Dental Clinics, Meeting a Need with No Dentist
Apr 28, 2008 -- New York Times article via Yahoo Finance discusses a controversial program in Alaska where dental clinics in rural areas are being run by dental therapists, who with two years of training can perform basic dental work like drilling and filling cavities.
Critical New Information Added to Nursing Home Compare Web Site
Apr 24, 2008 -- Medicaid beneficiaries and families searching for top quality long-term care services can find critical new information added today to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Web site “Nursing Home Compare.”
Important NPI Information for ALL Providers – Medicare and Non-Medicare
Apr 24, 2008 -- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) encourages all health care providers to contact other health plans with which you interact in order to ensure you fully understand their expectations for May 23, 2008.
Congress Seeks to Ease Doctor Shortage
Apr 22, 2008 -- Macon.com, (GA) discusses the problems arising with continued cuts to Medicare reimbursements to physicians and how the problem is exacerbated by a national doctor shortage.
Life Expectancy Slips in Poor Parts of America
Apr 22, 2008 -- ABC News article reports that a new nationwide study shows that depending on where you live, your life expectancy could actually be getting shorter, especially if you're a woman.
Fewer General Surgeons in U.S.
Apr 22, 2008 -- Reuters news reports that the United States may be facing a shortage of general surgeons, even as a growing and aging population creates a rising need for their broad capabilities, researchers said on Monday, and the trend could cause a crisis in some rural areas where finding any type of surgeon can be difficult.
Returning Veterans to Help Paramedic Shortage
Apr 22, 2008 -- KARE 11 TV, (MN) article reports that U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar announced that she is introducing federal legislation this week that is designed to relieve the shortage of emergency medical personnel, especially in rural areas, by streamlining civilian paramedic training for returning veterans who already have emergency medical experience from the military.
Designation of Medically Underserved Populations and Health Professional Shortage Areas; Notice of Proposed Rulemaking; Extension of Public Comment
Apr 21, 2008 -- On February 29, 2008, HHS published a notice of proposed rulemaking, "Designation of Medically Underserved Populations and Health Professional Shortage Areas" (73 FR 11232), to revise and consolidate the criteria and processes for designating medically underserved populations (MUPs) and health professional shortage areas (HPSAs). HHS provided a 60-day public comment period, with written comments to be received on or before April 29, 2008. HHS and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) have received requests for an extension of the comment period. In consideration of these requests, HHS is extending the comment period an additional 30 days, with a new closing date of May 29, 2008.
One Size Does Not Fit All: Diverse Populations Pose Special Health Needs
Apr 21, 2008 -- As the face of America continues to change, a research report released today by The Joint Commission, entitled "One Size Does Not Fit All: Meeting the Health Care Needs of Diverse Populations," urges health care organizations to assess their capacity to meet patients’ unique cultural and language needs.
CMS Proposed to Expand Quality Program for Hospital Inpatient Services in FY 2009
Apr 15, 2008 -- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today proposed additional steps to strengthen the tie between the quality of care provided to Medicare beneficiaries and payment for the services provided when they are in the hospital.
Small Town Pharmacies Struggle
Apr 14, 2008 -- Minnesota Public Radio article tells how the increasingly complicated world of medicine is taking a toll on a main street institution: the small town drug store.
Community HealthCorps Fellowships
Application deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.
A national AmeriCorps program that promotes health care for America's underserved, while developing tomorrow's health care workforce.
State Offices of Rural Health (SORH) Performance Measures
Application deadline: May 8, 2008
NOSORH seeks a qualified contractor to assist the organization to identify the impact, outcomes and measurement approaches for key outcomes of SORHs.
Rural Housing and Economic Development Program
Application deadline: May 30, 2008
Provides support for innovative housing and economic development activities in rural areas.
SAMHSA Knowledge Dissemination Conference Grants
Application deadline: May 30, 2008
Funding for disseminating knowledge about practices within the mental health services and substance abuse prevention and treatment fields and integrating that knowledge into real-world practice as effectively and efficiently as possible.
Community-Based Abstinence Education Project Grants (CBAE)
Application deadline: Jun 2, 2008
Competitive grants to provide abstinence education to adolescents.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation New Careers in Nursing
Application deadline: Jun 26, 2008
A scholarship program to help alleviate the nursing shortage and increase the diversity of nursing professionals.
Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Application deadline: Jun 30, 2008
Funding to support and empower communities that are working on local solutions to local environmental and/or public health issues.
American Legacy Foundation, Small Innovative Grants Program
Letter of Intent (Required): May 23, 2008
Application deadline: Sep 12, 2008
Grant program provides funding for specific initiatives and research that advance efforts to reduce and prevent tobacco use, especially among youth.
"Medical Home" Gets Updated: Improving Outcomes While Reducing Costs
Reports on new models for medical home primary-care case management programs.
Organization: National Conference of State Legislatures
Date: 03 / 2008
Journal: State Health Notes Volume: 29 Issue: 511
2005 Physician Supply and Distribution in Rural Areas of the United States (Project Summary)
Describes the 2005 supply and distribution of physicians in rural areas.
Organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 11 / 2007
Beyond Health Care: The Economic Contribution of Hospitals
Discusses economic impact of hospitals to communities, including rural communities.
Organization: American Hospital Association
Date: 04 / 2008
Building Leaderful Organizations; Succession Planning for Nonprofits
Presents emergency succession planning tools, guidance for executive directors on how and when to depart an organization, and suggestions for board members on how to be proactive in assuring that an organization is sustainable over time.
Organization: Annie E. Casey Foundation
Date: 2008
Multicultural Health Care: A Quality Improvement Guide
Provides a quality improvement framework for health care organizations seeking to promote culturally appropriate care, provide equitable access for individuals with limited English proficiency and reduce health care disparities.
Organization: National Committee for Quality Assurance
Date: 2008
Prevalence of Evidence-Based Safe Medication Practices in Small Rural Hospitals
Describes the prevalence of evidence-based safe medication practices, including the use of voluntary medication error reporting, in small rural hospitals.
Organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
Date: 04 / 2008
Proposed Health Professional Shortage Area Designations: Impact on North Dakota
Reports on the federal proposal to consolidate the criteria and process for designating Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MAU/Ps) and its impact on North Dakota.
Organization: University of North Dakota Center for Rural Health
Date: 04 / 2008
Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Health Care Workforce
Results of a study to determine the health care needs of Americans over 65 years of age and to assess those needs through an analysis of the forces that shape the health care workforce, including education and training, models of care, and public and private programs. Executive summary is available as a PDF.
Organization: Institute of Medicine
Date: 04 / 2008
States' Roles in Shaping High Performance Health Systems
Presents findings from the State Health Policies Aimed at Promoting Excellent Systems project, undertaken by the National Academy for State Health Policy, with support from The Commonwealth Fund.
Organization: Commonwealth Fund
Date: 04 / 2008
Health Care Innovations Exchange
Designed to support health care professionals in sharing and adopting innovations that improve the delivery of care to patients.
Organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Medical Homes Information Guide
Information, sources and frequently asked questions for medical homes in rural communities.
Organization: Rural Assistance Center
National Agricultural Safety Database
Contains information contributed by safety professionals and organizations from across the nation to educate about occupational hazards, promote safety, and to provide prevention information.
Organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Rural Hospital Education Gateway
A one-stop shop for rural hospitals to access distance and web-based educational resources on topics including community engagement, hospital finance, management and leadership, performance improvement, workforce and quality.
Organization: Rural Health Resource Center
Seeking Rural Health Data: A Tool Kit
Provides State Offices of Rural Health with a toolkit for accessing and utilizing national, databases that are readily available, free, and have useful rural information.
Organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
Call for Abstracts: 20th Annual Native Health Research Conference
Deadline: May 15, 2008
Indian Health Service
Event dates: Aug 25 - 28, 2008
Portland, OR
Conference Website
Call for Presentations: 14th Annual Rural Minority & Multicultural Health Conference
Deadline: May 30, 2008
National Rural Health Association
Event dates: Dec 11 - 12, 2008
Albuquerque, NM
Conference Website
| May 7 - 9, 2008 | 2008 National Farmworker Health Conference |
| May 7 - 9, 2008 | 31st Annual Colorado Rural Hospital Conference |
| May 7 - 10, 2008 | 2008 Annual NRHA Conference |
| May 8, 2008 | Bureau of Health Professions All Advisory Committee Meeting |
| May 8, 2008 | Great Lakes Chapter SOPHE 2008 Spring Workshop |
| May 8, 2008 | Rural Health Care Program Outreach Conference Call |
| May 12, 2008 | Workshop #4: Toward Health Equality and Patient-Centeredness: Integrating Health Literacy |
| May 13, 2008 | CMS Home Health, Hospice & Durable Medical Equipment Open Door Forum |
| May 13 - 14, 2008 | 4th Annual Iowa FLEX Conference |
| May 13 - 17, 2008 | Eleventh Annual Primary Care Update |
| May 14, 2008 | CMS National NPI Roundtable |
| May 14, 2008 | Developing the Framework for Healthy People 2020 Public Comment Meeting |
| May 14, 2008 | Rural Health Resources Live |
| May 15, 2008 | A Vendor's Focus on the Rural HIT Market: How to Meet the HIT Needs of the Rural Health Care Market |
| May 20, 2008 | Section 1011 Ask the Contractor Teleconference - HOSPITALS |
| May 21, 2008 | CMS Rural Health Open Door Forum |
| May 21 - 23, 2008 | Rural and Frontier EMS Summit at the Lake |
| May 22, 2008 | A Vendor's Focus on the Rural HIT Market: How to Meet the HIT Needs of the Rural Health Care Market |
| May 27 - 28, 2008 | Grant Writing Workshop for Appalachian Ohio |
| May 28, 2008 | Developing the Framework for Healthy People 2020 Public Comment Meeting |
| May 29, 2008 | A Vendor's Focus on the Rural HIT Market: How to Meet the HIT Needs of the Rural Health Care Market |
| May 29 - 30, 2008 | White House Conference on Faith Based and Community Initiatives: Conference on Disaster Relief and Preparedness |
| Jun 2 - 3, 2008 | Getting on Track with Telehealth |
| Jun 2 - 4, 2008 | Meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services |
| Jun 4 - 6, 2008 | Sixth Annual Western Region Flex Conference |
| Jun 5 - 6, 2008 | 2008 National Conference on Medication Access, Use and Safety in Rural America |
| Jun 8 - 11, 2008 | 2008 Summer National Health Literacy Institute |
| Jun 9 - 13, 2008 | Bridging the Gap Training |
| Jun 9 - 13, 2008 | I-CASH Agricultural Occupational Health Training Program |
| Jun 11 - 13, 2008 | Florida Rural Health Association's Annual Meeting |
| Jun 12, 2008 | USAC Rural Health Care Program Outreach Conference Call |
| Jun 12 - 13, 2008 | 18th Annual Bar Harbor Rural Geriatric Conference: Where Policy Meets Practice |
| Jun 15 - 27, 2008 | Montana Health Careers Summer Camp |
| Jun 16 - 17, 2008 | 11th Annual Indiana Rural Health Conference |
| Jun 16 - 18, 2008 | 2008 Southern Regional Rural Health Care Conference |
| Jun 18 - 19, 2008 | 16th Annual Pennsylvania Rural Health Conference |
| Jun 18 - 20, 2008 | 17th Annual Colorado Rural Health Conference |
| Jun 23 - 24, 2008 | 2008 Minnesota Critical Access Hospital & Rural Health Conference |
| Jun 25, 2008 | Rural Health Innovations - WebEXpert Call |
| Jun 26 - 27, 2008 | White House Conference Faith-Based and Community Initiative |
| Jun 28 - Jul 1, 2008 | 2008 National AHEC Conference |
| Jul 1 - 2, 2008 | National Conference of State FLEX Programs |
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