Our Blog
all about rural
- May 4, 2011
SB 200 Passes House
Read moreSB 200, Colorado Health Benefit Exchange, passed the Colorado House today on a 44-21 vote. Thank you to all who called their representatives. We will keep you updated as SB 200 moves through its final stages of reconciling amendments and going to Governor Hickenlooper for signature.
00 - May 4, 2011
CMS Conference Call on May 9 to Discuss ACOs
Read moreThe Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is hosting a conference call on May 9th, 2011, from 1:00-2:00 pm MDT to discuss proposed new rules for Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). This call is intended to help the public understand what CMS, the agency administering the ACO program through...
- May 3, 2011
Call to Action: Contact your State Representative Today
Read moreThis week, the Colorado House will vote on SB 11-200, a bipartisan bill to establish a Colorado Health Benefit Exchange. A health insurance exchange will help Coloradans across the state who are seeking individual or small group insurance coverage by providing information about health insurance options. SB 200 puts...
- May 3, 2011
Family Physicians Impact Readmission Rates
Read moreA new report published in American Family Physician compared the proportion of family physicians and readmission rates in counties across the country. The findings indicate that hospital readmissions and costs for pneumonia, heart attack, and heart failure decrease as the number of family physicians increases. Read more.
- May 2, 2011
How do I get paid for the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs?
Read morePayments for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs are distributed based on each year of participation, and follow a specific payment schedule. Located below are payment details on the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs. For an overview, see the Medicare Learning Network (MLN) Matters Special Edition article...
- April 29, 2011
CROP Applications Due May 16th
Read moreColorado Rural Outreach Program (CROP) grant money can be used to recruit new healthcare professionals or retain the ones already on your staff by repaying portions of the healthcare professional’s educational loans, or by giving a retention bonus if all educational loans are paid off. CROP currently offers two...
- April 29, 2011
Eligible Professionals Can Allow a Third Party to Register & Attest
Read morePosted recently on the CMS FAQ site was the following question and answer: Can EPs allow another person to register or attest for them? Yes. Users registering or attesting on behalf of an EP must have an Identity and Access Management System (I&A) web user account (User ID/Password) and...
- April 29, 2011
Happy Colorado Rural Health Day!
Read moreThe Colorado Rural Health Center worked closely with state legislators this session to propose a joint house resolution recognizing the hard work being done to provide healthcare to rural communities. Today, in an effort to acknowledge the vital services of rural healthcare practitioners across Colorado, State Representative Tom Massey...
- April 29, 2011
New Study Explores Roles of Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants in Improving Access to Primary Care
Read moreA new report by the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured looks at the potential of nurse practitioners and physician assistants to increase the supply of primary care, in areas experiencing physician shortages as well as system-wide, as Medicaid expands to cover more uninsured adults. Read the report.
- April 28, 2011
