MHA Today | September 27, 2021

Staff Contact: Brian Kinkade

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued guidance on the health care coverage options afforded to Afghan evacuees entering the U.S. Most Afghan evacuees arriving in the U.S. will be eligible for health coverage through Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, the Health Insurance Marketplace or Refugee Medical Assistance depending on the immigration status of the evacuee. In Missouri, RMA is administered by the Missouri Department of Social Services.

Staff Contact: Brian Kinkade, Andrew Wheeler or Jane Drummond

The Supreme Court of the United States will hear oral arguments in the case of American Hospital Association v. Becerra on Tuesday, Nov. 30. AHA appealed to the Supreme Court after the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld the authority of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to impose severe Part B outpatient reimbursement cuts to providers administering 340B-acquired drugs. The 2018 rule proposed to cut outpatient drug payments by approximately 28.5%, which the lower court deemed outside the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ authority to impose. The appellate court upheld the rule, finding that the agency reasonably interpreted the Medicare statute. The court relied heavily on the Chevron doctrine, which grants executive agencies wide discretion in interpreting laws in which they administer.

Staff Contact: Dana Dahl

Through the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Heartland Telehealth Resource Center developed a new Telehealth Collaborative for Federally Qualified Health Centers, Rural Health Clinics and rural health practices. Rural providers must be located in Kansas, Missouri or Oklahoma. Organizations will participate by attending the Missouri Telehealth Network/HTRC Telemedicine ECHO sessions that begin monthly on Tuesday, Oct. 12. Topics include assessment, technology, billing, community engagement and more.

Organizations also will receive two hours of individualized technical assistance and a stipend to assist with costs related to implementation of a telehealth program. Please contact htrc@kumc.edu for additional information. Registration is limited to 15 organizations total, and online registration is available.

Staff Contact: Dana Dahl

Effective Aug. 25, the Health Resources and Services Administration Office of Regional Operations is now the HRSA Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs. HRSA IEA serves as the principal agency lead on intergovernmental and external affairs, regional operations, and tribal partnerships. This transition leverages both national and regional engagement to meet the needs of communities across the nation.

Staff Contact: Jill Williams or Dana Dahl

The University of Missouri School of Medicine – Columbia, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Pharmacy and Missouri Telehealth Network are offering a new Rural Health Preceptor ECHO. This preceptor development opportunity provides rural health sites with access to a team of experts in practice improvement, preceptor development and interprofessional team-based care. The team will offer interactive and collaborative online learning sessions the first and third Tuesdays of each month from noon to 1 p.m. for eight months beginning Tuesday, Oct. 5.

Participants will sign up with a small interprofessional team that will attend biweekly interactive video conference sessions and complete a project aimed at process improvement. During the learning collaborative, participants will apply improvement principles to local rural practices, enhance team-based care skills, develop peer networks of support and share best practices for integrating learners in clinical practice.

The complimentary ECHO offers continuing education for nurses, pharmacists and physicians. Registration is required; the pilot ECHO is limited to 25 participants. Contact the Rural Health Preceptor ECHO Coordinator with questions.