What's New
Service Area Competition Notice of Funding Opportunity Released for April 1 Starts
HRSA released the fiscal year (FY) 2020 Service Area Competition (SAC) Notice of Funding Opportunity, HRSA-20-018, for service areas with an April 1, 2020, project period start date (current project period end date is March 31, 2020). Current award recipients should refer to box 6 of the most recent Notice of Award to obtain their project period end date.
Applications are due in Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. ET on Monday, September 30, and in HRSA’s Electronic Handbooks (EHBs) by 5:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, October 30. Technical assistance (TA) materials are available on the SAC TA webpage.
Application Deadline Reminders
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SAC Applications with January 1 Starts: Applications for HRSA-20-015, the SAC funding opportunity for service areas with a January 1, 2020, project period start date, are due in HRSA’s EHBs by 5:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, August 14. TA materials are available on the SAC TA webpage.
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SAC-Additional Areas: Applications for HRSA-20-090, the Service Area Competition-Additional Areas (SAC-AA) funding opportunity for the Bishop, CA, and Jackson, MI, service areas, are due in HRSA’s EHBs by 5:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, August 21. TA materials are available on the SAC-AA TA webpage.
Renewal of Designation for Look-Alikes Now Open
The Renewal of Designation (RD) application module for look-alikes (LALs) with a designation period that ends January 31, 2020, is now open. The Authorizing Official for LALs received an email notification that the RD is available in HRSA’S EHBs. A pre-recorded TA webinar and other resources are available on the RD TA webpage. For questions, contact the LAL Response Team through the Health Center Program Support form or at 301-594-4300.
Proposed Changes to the Calendar Year 2020 UDS: Comments Due by September 24
HRSA seeks comments on proposed changes to the 2020 UDS, which Health Center Program awardees and LALs will be required to report in February 2021. The deadline for comments on the proposed changes is Tuesday, September 24.
CMS Request for Information on Reducing Administrative Burden
CMS recently issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking innovative ideas and solutions to reduce burden in the following areas:
- Streamlining CMS reporting and documentation requirements;
- Aligning coding and documentation requirements for Medicare, Medicaid, and other payers;
- Enabling data sharing to support clinician-patient relationships;
- Improving accessibility of CMS requirements for quality reporting, coverage, or prior authorization;
- Addressing policies and requirements that are overly burdensome for those in a rural setting;
- Simplifying policies and requirements for dually enrolled (i.e., Medicare and Medicaid) beneficiaries;
- Simplifying beneficiary enrollment and eligibility determination; and
- Improving CMS processes for issuing regulations and policies.
The RFI on Reducing Administrative Burden to Put Patients over Paperwork is posted in the Federal Register. Submit your comments by Monday, August 12.
CMS Releases 2020 Proposed Physician Fee Schedule Rule
CMS proposes major policy changes to ensure clinicians spend more time providing high-value care for patients instead of filing cumbersome paperwork. This proposed rule builds on the Trump Administration’s efforts to establish a patient-driven health care system that focuses on better health outcomes, and is projected to save 2.3 million hours per year in burden reduction. Learn more.
Substance Use Disorder & Mental Health
Now Available: Opioid Use Disorder Treatment TA
From 2017-2018, HRSA sponsored the Opioid Addiction Treatment Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (OAT ECHO). This national TA program supported primary care teams to enhance health center capacity to treat opioid use disorder (OUD). The program included bi-weekly virtual sessions with didactic training, and HRSA has now made available the slides, audio recordings, and transcripts for those sessions on our SUD and Primary Care Integration page.
Missed a Recent Webinar?
Recordings are now available for several recent HRSA webinars:
Living Proof: Recovery Supports for People with Opioid Use Disorder or Co-Occurring Disorders Considering or Using Medication-Assisted Treatment
Join SAMHSA for the final of their three-part virtual learning series, Bringing Recovery Supports to Scale Technical Assistance Center Strategy. It focuses on recovery supports for people considering or using medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for OUD or co-occurring disorders.
Delivering Recovery Supports to People with OUD Who Are Considering MAT
Wednesday, August 7
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Register now
Workforce
HRSA's Virtual Job Fair
HRSA’s Virtual Job Fairs are free online recruitment events that connect students and clinicians with health care delivery organizations.
Wednesday, August 7
6:45-10:45 p.m. ET
Job seekers may register until the event
Round 8 of Auto-HPSA Update Previews Released
HRSA sent the eighth round of automatically designated Health Professional Shortage Area Designation (Auto-HPSA) Update Preview reports by email to health center and LAL CEOs and Project Directors identified in EHBs. If your CEO or Project Director listed in EHBs has not received the report, please have them contact sdmp@hrsa.gov. Recipients should forward the report to all staff who have an interest in Auto-HPSA Designation scores.
To learn more, watch the TA webinar recording, visit the Shortage Designation Modernization Project website, and sign up for updates.
Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Program Funding Opportunity
HRSA is accepting applications for the FY 2020 Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) Program. Apply by Friday, August 30. The THCGME Program provides funding to support the training of residents in a new or expanded primary care residency training program in rural and underserved communities.
Primary Care and Behavioral Health Integration: Building Workforce Capacities
In a recent webinar, HRSA-funded health centers shared their unique approaches to developing behavioral health workforce training programs and practices. Watch the recording.
Telehealth
Comments Requested: Connected Care Pilot Program
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), under its existing Rural Health Care Program authority, is proposing a three-year, $100 million Connected Care Pilot program that would support bringing telehealth services directly to low-income patients and veterans. It would provide an 85% discount on connectivity for broadband-enabled telehealth services that connect patients directly to their doctors and are used to treat a wide range of health conditions. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) adopted by the Commission seeks comments on the new program, particularly the appropriate budget, duration, and structure of the pilot. To find out more, including comment deadlines, see the announcement in the Federal Register.
Additional Resources
Improving the Health and Well-Being of Rural Communities Through Collaboration
The HRSA-sponsored Rural Health Information Hub presents a webinar that introduces a new HRSA product, A Guide for Rural Healthcare Collaboration and Coordination. Hear how rural hospitals, community health centers, local public health departments, and other rural stakeholders work together to assess and address their rural communities’ health needs. The webinar will highlight two innovative rural health organizations that have developed strategies to meet population health goals, address social risk factors, and improve health outcomes. It will also share solutions to support rural health organizations’ financial viability and lessons learned.
Thursday, August 15
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here
Transformational Change: Building a Patient-Centered Culture
Building a strong, effective, patient-centered culture leads to improved safety and quality, improved efficiencies, and reduced costs. Health center leaders set the tone for creating a culture in which patients receive better care and employees enjoy their work.
ECRI Institute presents a webinar, on behalf of HRSA, offering an opportunity for health centers and free clinics to learn practical strategies to manage change and improve the culture of their organizations. It will feature Gary Kaplan, M.D., Chairman and CEO of Virginia Mason Health System (Seattle, Washington).
Thursday, August 15
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Register here
 Site Visit Promising Practices Report on the Clearinghouse
The Health Center Program Site Visit Promising Practices Report, covering visits from July 2018 to December 2018, is available on the Health Center Resource Clearinghouse.
HRSA and the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), a HRSA-funded National Cooperative Agreement (NCA), developed the Clearinghouse, which provides an up-to-date selection of high-quality TA resources relevant to health centers. The Clearinghouse collects, in a single location, resources on a variety of topics created by HRSA’s TA partners. The site is searchable by keyword, topic area, type of resource, and other search fields.
Colorectal Cancer Screening Messaging Guidebook: Recommended Messaging to Reach the Unscreened
The National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable (NCCRT) released a messaging guide designed to help health centers convince more people to get recommended screening. It includes new market research-tested messages and insights into reaching priority populations in order to better inform efforts to improve colorectal cancer screening rates to “80% in Every Community.”
Primary Care and Home Visiting Partnerships to Promote Maternal and Child Health
This HRSA webinar provided an overview of evidence-based home visiting programs and how health center and home visiting program partnerships can help achieve primary care goals and improve patient outcomes. Experts from HRSA, the Johns Hopkins University, and HRSA-funded health centers provided insight into the value and development of these partnerships. Watch the recording.
Patient-Centered Medical Home Training for Health Centers
HRSA contracts with The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) to provide TA and training to health centers on the NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) recognition process. NCQA’s upcoming virtual office hours will feature speakers from the Migrant Clinicians Network, a HRSA-funded NCA. The session will focus on applying NCQA’s PCMH standards to health centers serving migrant patient populations.
Wednesday, August 7
10:00-11:00 a.m. ET
Register here
AAAHC Standards: Quality of Care, Clinical Records, and Health Information
The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) provides TA and training to health centers on the AAAHC Accreditation and PCMH recognition process. We encourage you to attend an upcoming webinar focusing on quality of care, clinical records, and health information.
Thursday, August 8
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here
If you have questions, please contact the HRSA Accreditation-PCMH Initiative.
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