News
Biden Administration Announces Plans to Distribute Free At-Home COVID Testing Kits Through RHCs
12/2/2021 6:00:00 PM
Yesterday, the Biden Administration announced that they will be making 50 Million COVID-19 at-home testing kits available – free of charge – for distribution by Rural Health Clinics and Federally Qualified Health Centers to the communities they serve.
Medicare Physician Fee Schedule 2022 Final Rule Summary
11/15/2021 4:00:00 PM
Sarah Hohman, Deputy Director of Government Affairs
Today, CMS released the CY 2022 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule, finalizing or altering several key provisions originally proposed in July 2021.
CMS Vaccine Mandate Rules Released
11/5/2021 10:00:00 AM
Nathan Baugh
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published their federal vaccine mandate interim final rule with comment period (IFC) on November 4th. CMS also published an FAQ covering the most important aspects of the rule.
Applying for Phase 4 of the Provider Relief Fund and the ARP Rural Distribution
New Funding Opportunities for RHCs Available Now
10/5/2021
Sarah Hohman, NARHC Deputy Director of Government Affairs
On September 29, 2021, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) opened the applications for providers to apply for Phase 4 of the Provider Relief Fund as well as a rural specific allocation included in the American Rescue Plan.
Clarification of COVID-19 Relief Funding Programs
9/9/2021
NARHC would like to provide some additional clarification on the differences between a variety of COVID-19 relief funding programs that RHCs received, to ensure that you are confident in your allowable uses and reporting requirements for each program. Please review the matrix below and see all of our continuously updated resources on https://www.narhc.org/narhc/COVID-191.asp.
Medicare Physician Fee Schedule 2022 Proposed Rule Summary
2022 MPFS: New RHC Telehealth and Grandfathering Policies
7/26/2021 10:00:00 AM
Nathan Baugh, NARHC Director of Government Affairs and Sarah Hohman, NARHC Government Affairs Associate
On July 13th, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the CY 2022 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule. This year’s rule includes several significant Rural Health Clinic (RHC) policy proposals in the 1,747-page document...
RHCs Receive $100,000 for COVID-19 Testing and Mitigation Activities
Resources Available Now to Help You Best Use the Funding
7/8/2021 1:00:00 PM
Sarah Hohman, NARHC Government Affairs Associate
In early June, as a result of the American Rescue Plan, the federal government distributed $424.7 million to over 4,200 eligible RHCs as part of the Rural Health Clinic COVID-19 Testing and Mitigation (RHCCTM) Fund. In late summer, the federal government will provide an additional $35.3 million in funding to RHCs who did not receive the June allocation but have since become eligible...
Provider Relief Fund Reporting Details Released
RHCs Must Use Most PRF Funds by June 30, 2021
6/21/2021 12:00:00 PM
Sarah Hohman, NARHC Government Affairs Associate
On June 11, 2021, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released new guidance on the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) with the most detailed explanation of the reporting and auditing requirements to date...
Coming Soon - New HHS Funding for Rural Health Clinics
Announcement from the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
5/14/2021 11:38:00 AM
The Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) will be making new U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) funding available for Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) to strengthen COVID-19 testing and mitigation and increase vaccine confidence.
President Biden Announces Trio of RHC COVID-19 Initiatives
RHC COVID-19 Testing and Mitigation Program to Allocate $100,000 per RHC
5/4/2021 5:00:00 PM
Today, President Biden announced in a White House press release a trio of COVID-19 initiatives involving rural health clinics.
CMS Updates Transmittal to MACs Regarding New RHC Upper Payment Limits
5/4/2021 3:45:00 PM
On May 4th, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) updated Change Request 12185, which is the main document from CMS implementing the new RHC Upper Payment Limits from the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.
RHC Grandfathering Fix Signed into Law
4/15/2021 10:00:00 AM
Nathan Baugh
As expected, on April 14th, President Biden signed H.R. 1868 into law, fixing many of the issues with the RHC payment modernization law enacted in December. The legislation also retroactively extends the suspension of the 2% across-the-board Medicare sequestration through the end of 2021. Since April 1, CMS had been holding claims pending passage of this legislation, we expect CMS to lift this hold imminently.
Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Paused
4/14/2021 11:00:00 AM
The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) within the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has asked us to provide the following alert on the Johnson and Johnson (J&J) vaccine pause
New Upper Payment Limits Begin April 1st
RHC Grandfathering Fix Expected to Pass the House Soon
4/1/2021 10:00:00 AM
Today, the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) per visit upper payment limit increases from $87.52 to $100. The increased upper payment limit is a direct result of the payment changes included in Section 130 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. Some Medicare Administrative Contractors have already sent out letters to RHCs informing them of the increased upper limit and how it will affect their All-Inclusive Rate payments.
Survey Results: COVID-19 Vaccine Activities in Rural Health Clinics
3/26/2021 10:00:00 AM
Nathan Baugh, Director of Government Affairs
“We are glad to see that the majority of RHCs are actively involved in administering the vaccine to their communities,” said Bill Finerfrock, Executive Director of the National Association of Rural Health Clinics.
Medicare Sequester Bill with RHC Grandfathering Fix Passes House
3/19/2021 4:00:00 PM
The House of Representatives today, by a vote of 246 to 175 has passed H.R. 1868. The bill waives a 2% across-the-board Medicare sequester that expires at the end of March and another 4% sequester cut that would take effect in 2022. The House bill also contains...
American Rescue Plan Provides $9 Billion for Rural Providers
3/12/2021 4:00:00 PM
Yesterday, President Biden signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan into law. We are happy to report that the legislation includes a total of $9 billion for rural providers. Early versions and outlines of the American Rescue Plan did not meaningfully include rural providers and...
New & Expanded Flexibilities for RHCs & FQHCs during the COVID-19 PHE
2/24/2021 1:00:00 PM
CMS revised this MLN Matters article to provide the updated rate effective January 1, 2021, for G2025. You’ll find substantive content updates and the updated rate for G0071.
Education Loan Repayment Program for RHCs
Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program Now Open to For-Profit and Not-For-Profit RHCs
2/19/2021 12:00:00 PM
Joe Lampard, VP, HPSA Acumen
The Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program has in the past only been open to non-profit RHC’s. As of 2021 they now are accepting for-profit RHC applicants. The program forgives 60% of the nurse’s education debt over a two-year period with the option to renew for a third year for a total of 85% of the nurse’s education debt forgiven.
Telehealth Reimbursement Set at $99.45 for 2021
1/29/2021 3:00:00 PM
According to a recently released Relative Value Unit (RVU) file, payment for RHC telehealth visits (G2025) appears to be falling from $92.03 in 2020 to $53.74 in 2021. The steep decline in reimbursement is mostly due to the complete removal of the Practice Expense RVU from G2025.
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