• NARHC Membership

• Nominations Sought: Ron Nelson Award

• Social Isolation is a National Epidemic

• Federal Loan Forgiveness Programs

• Major Cost Reporting Changes Announced

• Is Rural Healthcare Just Your Job or Your Calling

New RHC Benefits in 2019



Calendar year 2019 is here, and with it comes a flurry of new benefits and policies for Rural Health Clinics to keep track of. The following is a quick summary and update of what has changed and what is new for RHCs in 2019:

• RHC Medicare Upper Payment Limit Raised 1.5% to $84.70

• Chronic Care Management Reimbursement Increased to $67.03

• New Virtual Communication Services Covered by Medicare

• CMS Releases and Updated Medicare Benefit Policy Manual Chapter 13

Read on for further explanation of each, links of where these changes can be found, etc.        Read More  

Food Stamps, Rent Aid, & the Safety Net for America’s Poorest At Risk as Shutdown Drags On

The waterlogged ceiling of Betty Gay's rural Kentucky home sags so low that she hits her head on the light fixture. She's only 5-foot-1. When it rains, the retired nurse's aide covers her bathroom floor with buckets and towels. Mold festers on the damp walls.

Gay, 70, was counting on a $20,000 loan from the Agriculture Department this winter to patch the hole in the roof of the ranch-style Mount Sterling home she's lived in for 30 years. But the money is on hold.

The agency can't process Gay's application because its workers have been furloughed. Also suspended: the processing of thousands of USDA loans to low-income rural Americans to help them build or buy homes. Read More

Are You Missing Listserv?

CHECK OUT FORUMS: NARHC-NEWS & TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

Listserv has been replaced by DISCUSSION FORUMS which work much the same way. Subscribing is easy!

 

Subscribers receive notifications directly into their emails. From the NARHC-News, anyone can post a question, anyone can answer. NARHC monitors & jumps in if we see incorrect information going out. The Technical Assistance Forum is a one-way communication tool from NARHC to subscribers. This is where our staff & the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy post Breaking Legislative News, Announcements about free RHC T.A. webinars, training, and other important information. 

 

In order to subscribe to either Forum, you must have an account on the NARHC website. There is no charge to set up an account and you DO NOT need to be a NARHC member to create an account.  

Many of you already have a NARHC account because you are a NARHC member or engaged in some type of transaction with the Association.

If you already have an account, go to the narhc.org website, click on the Discussion Forum tab. Login with your email and the password you have already created with NARHC. Scroll down to the bottom of the Discussion Forum page and click on the word “Subscribe” behind each Forum listed. If it says “Unsubscribe” – that means you are already subscribed. Read More

Rural Health Clinic Podcast

Nathan Baugh, NARHC's Director of Government Affairs, was recently interviewed by Beth O’Connor and the Virginia Rural Health Association for the “Rural Health Voice” podcast. This is a great RHC 101 including benefits, challenges, and NARHC's role. Additionally covered are a few of the main issues NARHC is advocating for in Washington D.C., such as the Cap!

 Read More

Still Room but Hurry!

 Certified RHC Professional Course (CRHCP)

ONLINE TRAINING* will prepare you to successfully manage and run an RHC. Learn the latest information on RHC rules, regulations, and laws. Study nights, weekends, or whenever your schedule permits! Course takes approximately 30 hours. No prerequisite! Coursework is broken into 4 modules with video presentations & a series of short knowledge-based tests for each module. This course is designed to give you a well-rounded, ground level knowledge base of the major facets of RHC management. Read More

Hurry, Early Bird Price only through Jan. 31...

2019 NARHC Spring Institute

Hyatt Regency Riverwalk, San Antonio, Texas

March 20-22, 2019  (W-F noon)  

The conference "for & about" RHCs

19 Speakers, 20 Sessions, 10 Breakouts

Members save $100-$125

 

•    CMS RHC UPDATE –  Capt. Corinne Axelrod

•     LEGISLATIVE UPDATE –  Bill Finerfrock

•    RHC BEGINNING BILLING 101

•     RHC MEDICARE COST REPORTING 101

•     RHC COMPLIANCE 101

•     HOW TO MAINTAIN RHC COMPLIANCE 201

•     POLICY & PROCEDURE MANUAL

•     CHRONIC CARE MANAGEMENT

•     RHC ADVANCED BILLING

•     ADVANCED COST REPORTS

•     EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS IN RURAL SETTINGS

•     TOP 10 DOCUMENTATION CONCERNS IN THE RHC

•     CO-MINGLING: CLINIC LAYOUT & COMPLIANCE

•     HIPAA LESSONS FROM THE ENFORCERS & THE HEADLINES

•     SHIFT YOUR CLINIC CULTURE TO CREATE HIGH PERFORMING STAFF

•     BEST PRACTICES FOR PAIN MGM & CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES

•     HOW TO RUN A FRONT OFFICE & CONNECT TO OTHER DEPTS

•     FINANCIAL & OPERATIONAL BENCHMARKING FOR RHCS

•     BUSINESS EMAIL COMPROMISE

•     TEXAS SESSION    Read more

Taking Flight: Charity Airplane Services Transport Patients to

Medical Care

Many rural areas have transportation services that can help patients access the healthcare they need at the local level. But when specialty care from a hospital or treatment center hundreds of miles away is required, the barriers start to stack up. A long road trip can be extremely uncomfortable for sick patients, not to mention expensive.

Rural Americans, who make up nearly  20% of the U.S. population , often have a greater distance to travel to reach a specialty care clinic, VA hospital, or cancer center than their urban counterparts. Unreliable transportation, weather, & finances are some of the reasons rural residents forego medical treatment from these locations, but doing so can have a  significant impact  on one’s health, safety, & quality of life.

In the past several decades, dozens of independent, charitable flight services have cropped up to provide free flights for patients needing transportation to faraway treatment centers. Flown by pilots volunteering their time, fuel, and planes, these flights have reduced travel cost and the hassle of flying commercial for veterans, cancer patients, and even abused children. Though the target audience may vary, many charitable flight operations have a similar beginning: someone with a story, a pilot’s license, and a big heart that wants to give back. Read More

NARHC Membership

NOW IS A GREAT TIME TO JOIN OR RENEW FOR 2019

Members receive:

• F ree benchmarking

• 10% off AAAASF & The Compliance Team certifications & recertifications

• $100 off NARHC conference registrations per person

• $150 off Certified RHC Professional training

• Discounted Employment Screening

• A ccess to Members-Only Website Pages: Sample Files & FAQs

Consultant Members receive:

• Access to the Consultants-only Forum

• O pportunity to Submit Newsletter Articles 4x a year

• F ree 2 ^nd person at the vendor table (Spring & Fall Conferences)

Membership Discounts Available:

• 1st-time NARHC Member Discount for RHC types ($250 instead of $450)

• Multiple RHC Discount (RHCs after the first pay $130 instead of $450)

• Discounted Joint Memberships with 3 State Associations (CA, MO, TX)!

For rates see the Membership Application. If unsure of member status, email [email protected] or call 866-306-1961 for a quick lookup.     Read More

Nominations Sought for NARHC's Highest Honor:

THE RON NELSON AWARD

NARHC has an Annual Award which recognizes and honors an outstanding leader and promoter of Rural Health Clinics in the spirit of Ron Nelson. Nominate individuals who have dedicated their time and talent as he did to advancing the health and well being of others through the RHC program.

Nominations will be accepted from NARHC members through June 30th. Recipients though do not have to be NARHC members. This sign of our deep appreciation and national distinction will be awarded at the NARHC Annual Meeting in October. To learn more about the award, this outstanding man & his accomplishments: Read More

Social Isolation is a National Epidemic and Should Be Treated As Such

“Man is by nature a social animal,” So said Aristotle in the fourth century B.C.

Humans need to experience real connection with other people to survive and thrive. Yet today, millions of Americans lack the meaningful personal interactions required for health.

Social isolation – an objective measure of lacking social connection – is the new chronic condition of the 21st century. Changes in the economy, technologies, social structures, and family structures are ripping at our social fabric, & the impacts are striking older Americans – especially those in rural areas.

Read More

CONSULTANTS' CORNER

Federal Loan Forgiveness Programs

The new year brings with it new opportunity and that is especially true for student loan forgiveness. There are two federal programs that open in late January for medical providers in underserved areas. With an unsurpassed level of education debt (currently second only to mortgage debt in the U.S.), there has never been a higher demand for assistance with education loans. There are two particularly generous federal programs that offer loan forgiveness, sometimes tax-free, to a variety of medical providers.

Some providers could receive as much as $50,000 of tax-free money wired to them as early as August of 2019. Once accepted into that program there are renewal options that can total up to $360,000. Others could receive as much as 85% of their student loans forgiven over a 3-year period. These programs apply to providers from RN’s to advanced practitioners and physicians.   Read More

Major RHC Cost Reporting Changes Announced

NEW COST REPORT FORMS FOR INDEPENDENT RHCS

Twenty-five years is a long time. The number one song 25 years ago was Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You”, the price of gasoline averaged $1.11 per gallon, and the internet was in its infancy. In 1992, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) which had been around since 1977 were required to change their cost reporting forms to incorporate a new type of provider, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). In 2014, FQHCs moved out of the RHC Cost Report and were reported on Cost Reporting Form 224-14. For 2018, there is a major change in RHC cost reporting as FQHC data is no longer accumulated on the RHC cost reports and we can e-file the reports.

Independent Rural Health Clinics will have to provide new information for their annual cost report submissions this year. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has replaced the CMS-222-92 form with the new CMS-222-17 and replaced Chapter 29 of the Provider Reimbursement manual with Chapter 46. Instructions and forms were provided by CMS in Transmittal 1 on May 18, 2018 and the new cost report forms are required for cost report submissions ending on or after September 30, 2018. Alternatively, provider-based RHCs in a hospital healthcare complex, will continue to use Form CMS-2552-10 instead. Below is a link to the new cost report forms and instructions.   Read More

Is Rural Healthcare Just Your Job or Is it Your Calling?

From physicians and non-physician providers to clinic managers to nurses to the front desk, everyone becomes a part of our RHC team, don’t they? So, what makes a successful clinic? What is the difference between just getting by and being a positive force in your rural community? What characteristics result in patient loyalty and growth? Why do some clinics struggle and other clinics flourish? Is everyone just doing their job? How do we make the parts and pieces of an RHC equal more than their sum?

So many factors can undermine a clinic’s success, many of which are out of our control—the local factory closing, the highway loop that just took us off the map, the school district’s falling enrollment, an unexpected loss of a beloved provider or a decline in our hospital district’s tax base.   But, the one thing that can make the most difference in our RHCs is the combination of passion and commitment in our team. Read More

Consultant members of NARHC may contribute articles to the quarterly NARHC-news.

Email [email protected] for more information & include your topic idea!