The Missouri Rural Health Association (MRHA) is a non-profit, grass-roots, member-driven organization whose mission is to safeguard and improve the health of rural Missourians. MRHA accomplishes its mission by engaging in partnerships and providing leadership on rural issues through advocacy, communication, education, and research.
Join the Department of Health and Senior Services in celebrating the first National Rural Health Day on November 17, 2011. The goal is to increase awareness of rural health-related issues and highlight the values of living and working in rural communities. A toolkit to assist local communities is available in promoting at National Rural Health day is available at www.health.mo.gov/living/families/ruralhealth/toolkit.php. The toolkit includes a sample proclamation, sample news release, key messages, Missouri facts, logo, poster and an e-card.
Rural community success stories are being accepted for posting to the Department’s web page. If you would like to submit your own community success story, contact Barbara Brendel at barbara.brendel@health.mo.gov.
You are encouraged to send your own message on National Rural Health day by going to www.health.mo.gov/ecard/index.php.
Celebrating the Power of Rural – National Rural Health Day 2011.
Rural Health Care Leadership Conference, February 5–8, 2012, Phoenix, AZ
For 25 years, Health Forum and the American Hospital Association’s Rural Health Care Leadership Conference has both informed and inspired rural health care leaders and this coming year is no exception. The 2012 conference brings a unique focus on innovative ideas, thoughtful insights, and proven strategies for improving rural hospitals and developing rural health care leaders. For more information visit www.healthforum.com/rural or click here to download the conference brochure.
From the NRHA:
Rural patients’ access to care is in jeopardy.
Today President Obama called for $6 billion in cuts over 10 years to rural hospitals, claiming that the proposal eliminates “higher than necessary reimbursement.”
Higher than necessary reimbursement? Currently, 41 percent of small rural hospitals, known as critical access hospitals (CAHs), operate at a financial loss. If the President’s proposal to cut billions in Medicare reimbursements hits these facilities, over half of CAHs would lose money. Such devastating cuts will cause rural hospital doors to close, resulting in loss of access to health care and needed rural jobs.
CAHs account for only 5 percent of Medicare hospital inpatient expenditures, yet they provide critical care and jobs – it’s a sound investment not a “higher than necessary reimbursement.”
Read more here.
Annie E. Casey Foundation Releases 2011 KIDS COUNT Data Book
According to the foundation's annual KIDS COUNT Data Book, the official child poverty rate increased 18 percent between 2000 and 2009, essentially returning to the same level as the early 1990s.... More»
MRHA Members - The Education Committee is seeking your feedback to identify the issues that are of most interest to MRHA membership. The 2011 plan includes securing resources necessary to offer a series of webinars/teleconferences in areas that are likely to be of benefit to you or your organization. In order to assist the Committee in prioritizing issues, please click here to complete a survey. It should take less than 5 minutes to complete.
Missouri’s Medicaid EHR Incentive Program Registration Starts April 4
COLUMBIA, MO – On April 4, eligible professionals and hospitals will be able to register with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for Missouri’s Medicaid EHR Incentive Program https://ehrincentives.cms.gov/hitech/login.action.
The adjustment in the start date was necessary to accommodate system requirements set by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) when a new state program goes live. This adjustment in the registration date will not impact the initial provider payments which the new system will be ready to make starting in July.
Also on April 4, Mo HealthNet will launch a new online provider outreach page to support this program. This new page will help providers streamline the application process for the Medicaid EHR incentives program. http://mo.arraincentive.com The page will feature:
· Check list of required information to apply for the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program
· Links to federal Web sites for registration and certified EHR product lists
· Real-time feed of current HIT news and updates from CMS and other federal organizations
In May, the Web site’s functionality will expand to allow professionals and hospitals to initiate the attestation process; new features will include:
· Workbooks to support eligibility determinations and payment calculations
· The capability to accept electronic documentation
· A secure portal to register in the Missouri State Level Registry (SLR) and apply for incentives-information is customized for hospitals, professionals or groups
MO HealthNet will coordinate webinars with professional associations and MO HIT Assistance Center during the month of April to help providers learn more about Missouri’s Medicaid EHR incentive program and processes. Please watch for additional information regarding these upcoming educational events.
For information on the Medicaid and Medicare EHR incentive programs, EHR adoption, or MO HIT Assistance Center services, please visit the Missouri Health Information Technology Assistance Center Web site http://www.EHRhelp.missouri.edu, E-mail us EHRhelp@missouri.edu, or call us toll-free 1-877-882-9933.
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Saint Louis Community College to Train Health Information Technology Professionals - click here for more information!
December Newsletter Available - Check the Members Section!
SUMMARY OF NEW HEALTH REFORM LAW
On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed comprehensive health reform, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care
Act, into law. The following summary of the new law, and changes made to the law by subsequent legislation, focuses on
provisions to expand coverage, control health care costs, and improve health care delivery system. Click here to read the summary.
Rural Spotlight is a resource aimed at supporting rural healthcare providers by showcasing current information available for assistance. It is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Office of Primary Care and Rural Health.
http://www.ruralspotlight.com/
Letter to Secretary Sebelius regarding CAHs and H1N1 and 1135 Waiver - Click to view documents.
Rural Nonprofits Face Funding Gap, Report Finds
The report from the Bridgespan Group found that rural nonprofits are lagging their urban counterparts in funding from federal government, private foundations, and corporations.... More»
Without Federal Reform, Number of Uninsured Could Expand Sharply Over Next Decade, Report Finds
The report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that if substantive healthcare reform is not enacted, the number of uninsured Americans could reach 65.7 million by 2019, with middle-income families hit hardest.... More»
ADOLESCENT SHORTS NEWSLETTER AVAILABLE THROUGH DHSS WEBSITE
The Adolescent Shorts Newsletter, along with other adolescent health related publications, is available through the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) website at http://www.dhss.mo.gov/AdolescentHealth/Publications.html. The latest issue is titled “Transitioning Youth with Special Health Care Needs to Adult Health Care Services, Part 2”. Adolescent Shorts is a bi-monthly newsletter co-published by the DHSS Adolescent Health Program and The Children’s Mercy Hospital. The newsletter addresses current issues and promotes best practices in adolescent health care. For more information on Adolescent Shorts, contact Patti Van Tuinen, at 573-751-6188, or e-mail Patti.VanTuinen@dhss.mo.gov.
America's Health Literacy: Why We Need Accessible Information
This new Issue Brief summarizing health literacy findings from the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) has just been published by the Department of Health and Human Services. A collaboration of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), this eight page Issue Brief is crafted for a policy audience, and includes policy implications of the findings. “America's Health Literacy: Why We Need Accessible Information” can be found on the ODPHP's Health Literacy Improvement Website: http://www.health.gov/communication/literacy/default.htm
Task Force recommends screening adolescents for clinical depression
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force now recommends screening adolescents 12-18 years of age for clinical depression only when systems are in place to ensure accurate diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. (B recommendation) The Task Force found insufficient evidence to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening children 7-11 years of age for clinical depression. (I statement) The Task Force reviewed new evidence on the benefits and harms of screening children and adolescents for clinical depression, the accuracy of screening tests administered in the primary care setting and the benefits and risks of treating clinical depression using psychotherapy and/or medications in patients 7 and 18 years of age.
National Diabetes Education Program
The NRHA has partnered with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health and other national organizations to promote the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP). The NDEP develops and disseminates educational information on diabetes in minority communities. http://www.ndep.nih.gov/
HCUP
The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP, pronounced "H-Cup") is a family of health care databases and related software tools and products developed through a Federal-State-Industry partnership and sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). HCUP databases bring together the data collection efforts of State data organizations, hospital associations, private data organizations, and the Federal government to create a national information resource of patient-level health care data (HCUP Partners). HCUP includes the largest collection of longitudinal hospital care data in the United States, with all-payer, encounter-level information beginning in 1988. These databases enable research on a broad range of health policy issues, including cost and quality of health services, medical practice patterns, access to health care programs, and outcomes of treatments at the national, State, and local market levels.
The Missouri Foundation for Health has released the 2009 edition of Medicaid Basics. This publication provides an overview of Medicaid and an overview of the state’s Medicaid program called MO HealthNet. Click to view the report.
