Rural Spotlight

NTTAP Webinar Series 2023-2024 Data Driven Health Equity: Strategies for Collecting Patient Data in Health Centers, March 7

February 20, 2024

NTTAP Webinar Series 2023-2024 Data Driven Health Equity: Strategies for Collecting Patient Data in Health Centers, March 7

Consider joining this upcoming webinar to dive into key strategies for using identity data in population health management.

Expert faculty will highlight the importance of gathering data to address health disparities, with a focus on utilizing Electronic Health Records (HER) for both internal and patient-focused justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI) purposes.

Participants will gain confidence in advancing health equity with strategies to collect and use demographic data for developing and monitoring health equity plans.

Learning Objectives

  • Develop a foundational understanding of how to utilize key identity data to advance
    • justice
    • equity
    • diversity and
    • inclusion goals

Target Audience

  • Dental
  • Nurses
  • Nurse practitioners
  • Phar4macists
  • Physicians
  • Physician assistants
  • Psychologists and counselors
  • Registered dieticians
  • Social workers
  • Other members of the team

Cost: Free

When: March 7, 1:00 – 2:00 pm ET

Register Now

Funding Opportunity: Advanced Nursing Education – Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (ANE-SANE) Program

February 20, 2024

Funding Opportunity: Advanced Nursing Education – Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (ANE-SANE) Program

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) released a new Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to increase the number of qualified sexual assault nurse examiners.

The Advanced Nursing Education-Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (ANE-SANE) Program will expand advanced nursing education and training to improve access to sexual assault forensic examination. The ANE-SANE Program aims to provide better access to mental and physical care for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence.

The purpose of this program is to increase the supply, distribution and quality of the sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) workforce and aims to provide access to mental and physical care for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence.

HRSA will award approximately $14.2 million to up to 28 grantees over a period of three years through this funding opportunity.

Eligible Applicants:

  • Accredited schools of nursing
  • Nursing centers
  • Academic health centers
  • Nurse-managed health clinics
  • Rural health clinics
  • HRSA-supported health clinics
  • Federally Qualified Health Centers
  • Public or non-profit hospitals and emergency health care service providers
  • State and local health departments
  • Non-profit community-based and faith-based
  • Federally recognized Tribal Government and Native American organizations

View Grant Opportunity

Applications are due by April 2, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. ET

Questions? Please contact

Michael Clark, ANE-SANE@hrsa.gov, (301) 594-4203

New COPD Videos available: Getting Started with Pulmonary Rehab in Rural Communities

.February 20, 2024

New COPD Videos available: Getting Started with Pulmonary Rehab in Rural Communities

Two new educational videos now available from the National Rural Health Resource Center highlight the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the country’s rural communities and the steps that critical access hospitals and other small rural hospitals can take to improve access to  much-needed pulmonary rehabilitation services.

The first video, Understanding COPD and Pulmonary Rehabilitation, provides an overview of COPD – its symptoms ad causes – and explains how rural-based pulmonary rehabilitation services help to restore independence and quality of like in COPD patients.

The second video, How to Launch a Pulmonary Rehab Program, highlights the benefits – to hospitals and their community – of operating rural pulmonary rehab programs, and shares practical advice and tips on how critical access hospitals and small rural hospitals can successfully build and sustain their own pulmonary rehab programs. The video includes a look at two critical access hospitals – Sparta Community Hospital in Illinois and Hood Memorial Hospital in Louisiana – that opened pulmonary rehab programs in 2023.

Additional Resources

 

Training Opportunity – HIPAA Right of Access Compliance

February 20, 2024

Training Opportunity – HIPAA Right of Access Compliance

In 2019, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) launched the HIPAA Right of Access Initiative to advocate for individuals trying to obtain their health records in a timely manner at a reasonable cost as required by covered entities in the HIPAA Privacy Rule.

If your organization is not responding timely to requests for medical records, a complaint to the OCR can trigger an investigation resulting in fines and other consequences, such as being posted on the OCR HIPAA website and a forced Corrective Action Plan.

A dedicated government webpage lists HIPAA News Releases Y Bulletins listing OCR cases after investigating organizations which includes Right of Access settlements.

Click here to access the page for “lessons learned” through penalties and settlements.

The American Institute of Healthcare Compliance now offers a Right of Access online training program with option to certify (online, with an assigned proctor).

Brief Course Overview

  • Introduction to Right of Access, Release of Information and HIPAA
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI), Advancing Technologies and Protected Health Information
  • Introduction to Information Blocking
  • Right of Access & the Privacy Rule
  • OCR and the Right of Access Initiative
  • Providing Access to Patient Information
  • Releasing Information to Personal Representatives
  • Disclosure to Law Enforcement
  • Court Orders and Subpoenas
  • Medical Record Access Requirements
  • 42 CFR Part 2 – Substance Abuse Confidentiality Regulations
  • Comply to Right of Access to PHI to Avoid HIPAA Violations

Click Here for More Information

Right of Access provision 45 C.F.R. 164.524

Cost

AIHC Members pay $375

Non-Members pay $625

Register Here

2024 NOSORH Rural Health Grant Writing Institute: Register by Friday, February 16

February 9, 2024

2024 NOSORH Rural Health Grant Writing Institute: Register by Friday, February 16

The National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) invites you to a unique learning experience where you can enhance your grant writing skills, turn rurality to your advantage, learn to connect with funders and more.

This virtual learning series is tailor-made for beginners aiming to develop the skills needed to research and draft winning program proposals from various funders.

The institute runs March 4 – April 29, 2024. Virtual learning sessions will take place Mondays from 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. ET

Curriculum Highlights:

  • Getting Started on Writing a Proposal
  • Developing a Strong Evaluation
  • How to Use Data to Make the Case for Rural
  • Finding Funding and other Resources to Support Your Proposal

Participants will benefit from:

  • Tools, templates and tips to assist in grant writing
  • Opportunities for
  • One-on-one support
  • Peer review
  • Discussion with other new and experience grant writers

Interested persons must register by Friday, February 16.

Cost: $750

Register Here

Telehealth & Prescribing

February 7, 2024

Telehealth & Prescribing

On January 31, 2024, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) finalized rules for the prescribing of buprenorphine through the use of telehealth.

In these final rules, opioid treatment programs (OTPs) will be able to use telehealth to prescribe buprenorphine without an in-person visit.

It is important to note that these final rules are not in regard to using telehealth to prescribe a controlled substance in general. This is a very specific rule that applies to OTPs and the use of telehealth to prescribe buprenorphine with some additional applications specifically to methadone.

The broader policy of using telehealth to prescribe controlled substances without an in-person visit (or meeting one of the narrow exceptions found in federal statute) still remains a temporary allowance through the end of 2024.

Read Full Details

RHIhub This Week

February 7, 2024

RHIhub This Week

Click Here to Read the latest issue of RHIhub This Week

Request for Information (RFI) on Severe Maternal Morbidity Measurement

February 7, 2024

Request for Information (RFI) on Severe Maternal Morbidity Measurement

The Agency for Healthcare, Research and Quality (AHRQ) released a Request for Information (RFI) on Severe Maternal Morbidity (SMM). AHRQ is seeking public input on the usability, feasibility and likely uptake of an SMM measure, produced through the Quality Indicators Program.

AHRQ invites stakeholders representing:

  • Consumers
  • State/Regional/Local Health Departments
  • Accountable Care Organizations
  • Community Health Centers
  • Birthing Centers
  • Providers/Health Systems
  • Critical Access/Rural Hospitals
  • Professional Associations
  • Payers
  • Rural and Community Groups
  • Community Health Groups
  • Community Health Workers
  • Doulas
  • Maternal Health Advocacy Groups
  • Researchers
  • Members of the Public

The comment period closes on March 4.

Still have questions? Please contact Judy George, Program Lead for AHRQ, judy.george@ahrq.hhs.gov

Submit comments to askahrq@ahrq.hhs.gov

HIPAA and Privacy Concerns: Telehealth Technology Considerations

February 6, 2024

HIPAA and Privacy Concerns: Telehealth Technology Considerations

The telehealth platform you use should meet HIPAA requirements.

All telehealth services provided by covered health care providers and health plans must comply with the HIPAA Rules.

This means only using technology vendors that comply with HIPAA Rules and will enter into HIPAA business associate agreements .

Resources:

Trainings by American Institute of Healthcare Compliance (AIHC)