The American Dental Association released a new clinical practice guideline on caries restoration. The new guideline includes sixteen recommendations for treating moderate or advanced caries lesions in primary and permanent teeth […]
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The American Academy of Pediatrics has streamlined their “Oral Health Risk Assessment Tool.” The tool is now accompanied by an intake form to collect pertinent patient information from parents/caregivers. An […]
The post Updated Oral Health Risk Assessment Tool Launched appeared first on Pennsylvania Office of…

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The National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA) released a new resource, “NNOHA User’s Guide for Integration of Behavioral Health and Oral Health.” The resource provides guidance on how to implement a […]
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The federal agency that examines the effectiveness of government programs turns attention to the way that Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) provide behavioral health services in rural communities.  CAH administrators who were interviewed for […]
The post The GAO Release a Report on Critical Access Hospitals and…

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 The federal Administration for Community Living (ACL) is seeking input on proposed updates to the regulations for its Older Americans Act programs. The proposed rule is the first substantial update […]
The post ACL Proposes Update to Older Americans Act Programs appeared first on Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health.

 Previous studies on social infrastructure in the built environment – specifically, the physical places that facilitate social interaction and social tie formation – relied heavily on urban settings or samples […]
The post The Built Environment and Social and Emotional Support Among Rural Older Adults…

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  Researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) update their chart showing the number of physicians per capita in rural counties.
The post USDA Economic Research Service on Rural Access to Primary Care appeared first on Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health.

 Learn why Massachusetts, Hawaii, and New Hampshire top the health policy nonprofit’s ranking based on 58 measures of access, quality, disparities, and outcomes among other factors.  While there’s scant mention […]
The post Commonwealth Fund on State Health System Performance appeared first on Pennsylvania…

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On June 26, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule under the end-stage renal disease (ESRD) Prospective Payment System for dialysis services furnished to Medicare beneficiaries […]
The post CMS Proposes Policy Updates for End Stage Renal Disease  appeared first on…

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 As a follow-up to the May 2023 release of the School-Based Services (SBS) Comprehensive Guide to Medicaid Services and Administrative Claiming, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched […]
The post CMS Release a New School-based Services Technical Assistance Center appeared first on…

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More than a year after they entered the regulatory pipeline, the state’s strongest-ever protections for LGBTQ people are slated to take effect in August. The anti-discrimination rules expand the definition […]
The post Anti-Bias Rules Are Set to Take Effect in Pennsylvania appeared first on Pennsylvania…

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Capital Link, a HRSA National Training & Technical Assistance Partner (NTTAP) has a toolkit that provides guidance in applying data analysis tools to help health centers more effectively track performance, […]
The post Capital Link Has Released a Free HRSA-Funded Health Center Performance Tracking Toolkit…

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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Office of the Actuary projects that national health expenditures will hit $7.17 trillion by 2031. That means about $1 out of every […]
The post Healthcare Costs Are Expected to Rise to $1 in $5 Spent by U.S. appeared first on Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health.

Highmark and United Concordia have embarked on mobile dental tours across Pennsylvania with the expectation of caring for more than 1,000 children, young adults, and senior citizens. The tours will […]
The post A Mobile Dental Tour Will Provide Free Onsite Dental Services in Pennsylvania appeared first on…

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Abortion restrictions are forcing some medical residents to travel from their home state to learn how to perform an abortion as a part of their medical training. Some experts fear that […]
The post OB/GYN Training Programs Are Trying to Adjust to Post-Dobbs Reality appeared first on Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health has published the final “2021 Pennsylvania’s Dentist and Dental Hygienist Workforce Survey Report” based on the State Board of Dentistry data from the 2021 licensure […]
The post 2021 Pennsylvania Dentist and Dental Hygienist Workforce Survey Report Has Been…

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The Milbank Memorial Fund has released a new report about the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) program. The report provides an overview of the program, its workforce, clinical and financial […]
The post Read About the Importance of Teaching Health Center GME Programs appeared first on…

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The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is requesting nominations for the Health Information Technology Advisory Committee (HITAC), which provides recommendations to the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology on policies, standards, implementation specifications, […]
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American Cancer Society (ACS) is recruiting health centers with colorectal cancer screening rates less than 40% (consideration for those less than 60% will be given) for the 2023-2024 Screening Interventions […]
The post The American Cancer Society Colorectal Cancer Screening Interventions Project Has Launched…

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The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released a final recommendation statement on screening for anxiety disorders in adults. The task force determined that screening can help identify anxiety disorders in […]
The post The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Released a Final Recommendation Statement: Screening…

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The Department of Human Services (DHS) has published two reports required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Pennsylvania’s Medicaid unwinding. The first report is a point-in-time baseline report […]
The post New Pennsylvania Human Services Federal Unwinding Reports Have Been Published…

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Mark your calendar: The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) goes into effect on June 27. Under the PWFA, employers with 15 or more employees must engage in the interactive process with pregnant employees and […]
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CMS released a proposed rule that impacts the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program and other Medicaid drug pricing, reimbursement, and data collection issues. Among the proposals, addressing spread pricing by pharmacy benefit managers […]
The post Proposed Rule on Prescription Drug Transparency in Medicaid Has Been…

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The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is proposing to transition oral health from an NPM (National Performance Measure) to an SPM (State Performance Measure). HRSA believes that states are […]
The post Proposed Changes Have Been Announced to Oral Health Performance Measures appeared first on…

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Spatial Clustering of COVID-19 Mortality Rates across Counties and by Noncore, Micropolitan, and Metropolitan County Characteristics, December 2020–January 2021 This policy brief examines spatial clusters of COVID-19 mortality rates across […]
The post New Brief Investigates COVID-19 Rural/Urban Mortality…

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More than a year after they entered the regulatory pipeline, the state’s strongest-ever protections for LGBTQ people are slated to take effect in August. The anti-discrimination rules expand the definition […]
The post Anti-Bias Rules Set to Take Effect in Pennsylvania appeared first on Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health.

Capital Link, a HRSA National Training & Technical Assistance Partner (NTTAP) has a toolkit that provides guidance in applying data analysis tools to help health centers more effectively track performance, […]
The post A Free HRSA-Funded Health Center Performance Tracking Toolkit Has Been Released appeared first…

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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Office of the Actuary projects that national health expenditures will hit $7.17 trillion by 2031. That means about $1 out of every […]
The post Healthcare Costs Expected to Rise to $1 in $5 Spent by U.S. appeared first on Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health.

Highmark and United Concordia have embarked on mobile dental tours across Pennsylvania with the expectation of caring for more than 1,000 children, young adults, and senior citizens. The tours will […]
The post Mobile Dental Tour Will Provide Free Onsite Dental Services in Pennsylvania appeared first on…

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Abortion restrictions are forcing some medical residents to travel from their home state to learn how to perform an abortion as a part of their medical training. Some experts fear that […]
The post OB/GYN Training Programs are Trying to Adjust to Post-Dobbs Reality appeared first on Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health has published the final “2021 Pennsylvania’s Dentist and Dental Hygienist Workforce Survey Report” based on the State Board of Dentistry data from the 2021 licensure […]
The post 2021 Pennsylvania Dentist and Dental Hygienist Workforce Survey Report Has…

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The Milbank Memorial Fund has released a new report about the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) program. The report provides an overview of the program, its workforce, clinical and financial […]
The post The Importance of Teaching Health Center GME Programs appeared first on…

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The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is requesting nominations for the Health Information Technology Advisory Committee (HITAC), which provides recommendations to the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology on policies, standards, implementation specifications, […]
The post Nominations are…

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American Cancer Society (ACS) is recruiting health centers with colorectal cancer screening rates less than 40% (consideration for those less than 60% will be given) for the 2023-2024 Screening Interventions […]
The post American Cancer Society Colorectal Cancer Screening Interventions Project Has Launched…

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The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released a final recommendation statement on screening for anxiety disorders in adults. The task force determined that screening can help identify anxiety disorders in […]
The post Final Recommendation Statements Requested for Screening for Anxiety Disorders in Adults …

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Devon Trolley, Pennie’s new executive director, presented enrollment numbers, 2024 key priorities and initiatives moving forward through the Medicaid unwinding process, and the coming 2024 open enrollment period during PACHC’s […]
The post Pennie ED Discusses Medicaid Unwinding Numbers During Spring Policy…

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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on June 12, 2023, new flexibilities to minimize the number of Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program beneficiaries disenrolled during […]
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Moving toward its fall 2024 launch, Duquesne University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine (COM) has received “pre-accreditation status” from the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA). Because of this status, the […]
The post Pittsburgh’s Duquesne Medical School Receives…

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Beginning Jan 1, 2022, the No Surprises Act began protecting consumers from unexpected out-of-network medical bills from emergency room visits, non-emergencies related to a visit to an in-network hospital and air […]
The post Still Protecting Patients through the No Surprises Act appeared first on Pennsylvania…

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The National Association of Community Health Workers (NACHW) launched a campaign to increase awareness of the Community Health Worker’s identity, their role, impact on underserved and vulnerable communities, and leadership. […]
The post The National Community Health Worker Awareness Week Has Been Announced…

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Pennsylvania expressly values older adults and individuals with disabilities and is committed to building and maintaining an age- and disability-friendly commonwealth so that all Pennsylvanians may live with dignity and […]
The post Pennsylvania Seeking Stakeholder Input on Master Plan for Older Adults appeared…

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A new program from HRSA’s Bureau of Health Workforce makes a $15 million investment to recruit and retain clinicians who provide health care to children and adolescents. Deadline to apply is […]
The post HRSA Pediatric Specialty Loan Repayment Program Has Launched appeared first on Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health.

The HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) is asking for participation by HRSA-funded health centers in an upcoming survey about substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. OIG is conducting a study […]
The post The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is Set to Conduct Substance Use Disorder Treatment Survey appeared…

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The Department of Human Services (DHS) has published two reports required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Pennsylvania’s Medicaid unwinding. The first report is a point-in-time baseline report […]
The post New Pennsylvania Human Services Federal Unwinding Reports Have Been Published…

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The Pennsylvania House Labor and Industry Committee voted 12-9 along party lines to approve legislation that would increase the Commonwealth’s minimum wage incrementally through 2026. the House and Senate bills would raise […]
The post Pennsylvania State House Panel Approves Minimum Wage Hike Bill appeared…

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Differences in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) Performance of Clinicians in Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Counties in 2018 Mina Shrestha, PhD; Lili Xu, MS; Hari Sharma, PhD; Fred Ullrich, BA; […]
The post New Brief Addresses Metro-Non-metro Clinician Performance with MIPS appeared first on…

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The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) is pleased to announce the organizations participating in the Enhancing Oncology Model (EOM). Launching on July 1, 2023, the five-year model test […]
The post CMS Announces Model Participants for the Enhancing Oncology Model (EOM) appeared first on…

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Companies that made, sold, or distributed opioid painkillers are paying out more than $50 billion in settlements over nearly two decades. So far, more than $3 billion has landed in […]
The post KFF Health News: Find Out How Much Opioid Settlement Cash Your Locality Received appeared first on Pennsylvania Office…

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Lannette Fetzer, quality improvement coordinator and certified AgriSafe Nurse Scholar in the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health (PORH), is the recipient of the 2023 Preventive Measures Legacy Scholarship Award from […]
The post Pennsylvania Rural Health Advocate Receives Doctoral Program Scholarship appeared…

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As the federal government in the coming weeks prepares to announce the allocation of funding to expand broadband internet infrastructure in every state, a service-availability mapping project led by Penn […]
The post Penn State Extension Mapping Project Key to Securing Federal Broadband Funding appeared first on…

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