Considering CRHC membership?  Any new members that join will be given a prorated membership fee for the remainder of 2013.  To learn more about the CRHC membership program, including fee scales and benefits, click here.  To sign up at prorated amount, click here (begining July 1). If you have additional...

The AgriSafe Network is offering a free distance learning webinar on June 19th (12 PM CDT) on Grain Safety, presented by Dan Neenan, director of the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety. Webinar participants will learn about the proper way to enter a grain bin, Lock-Out Tag Out procedures...

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued information on Affordable Care Act implementation geared toward Essential Community Providers (which include Critical Access Hospitals). The purpose of the communication is to help facilitate incorporation of ECPs into qualified health plan networks in the future. The documents explain...

The quality of U.S. health care is slowly improving, while access to health care remains a great challenge for some Americans, especially racial and ethnic minorities and low-income people, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s 2012 National Healthcare Quality Report and National Healthcare Disparities Report. The...

The National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA) is reaching out to State Offices of Rural Health and other organizations that want to learn more about oral health issues. NNOHA is a non-profit organization founded by a group of Dental Directors from Federally Qualified Community Health Centers, who recognized...

Tom Morris, Associate Administrator at the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP), testified before the U.S. Senate on May 23rd at a hearing on Improving Federal Health Care in Rural America: Developing the Workforce and Building Partnerships. Speaking before the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Morris...

As part of the Affordable Care Act, federal dollars have been designated for “navigators” (people or organizations that will help explain the health law’s new programs). CMS is offering approximately $54 Million and HRSA is offering approximately $150 million in funds for navigators. The CMS money will go to...

The House and Senate have both approved Budget Resolutions for the first time in several years, according to Bill Finerfrock, NOSORH legislative liaison. “While this is generally good news, the impact of this is a mixed bag,” Finerfrock said. “Although the Senate and House have both adopted Budget Resolutions,...

Because the Office of Management and Budget has revised its Metropolitan and Micropolitan statistical areas (see the February 28th OMB Bulletin), there are 104 counties that were changed from nonmetropolitan to metropolitan. This could have an important impact on the 44 Critical Access Hospitals located in those counties, which...