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Virginia Rural Health News
>>New Residency Program
>>Number Of Patients Skyrocket
>>Expansion of Free Clinic Services

National Rural Health News
>>HHS Office for Insurance Reforms
>>New HHS Regional Directors
>>Rural Hospitals Gain Payments

New issue now available

The Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) – Virginia Campus hosted an open house on Saturday April 24, 2010 for prospective students and their families.  With over 150 people in attendance, interest in attending the seven (7) year old medical school continues to grow.  Last year, VCOM exceeded a record number of 3,500 applications for its 180+ spots for first year osteopathic medical students.

Guests at the open house were greeted by President James Wolfe, Ph.D. and then were provided with an overview of the curriculum, and details about the admissions process.  An introduction to the osteopathic medical profession and interactive osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) demonstration was provided to the guests by VCOM alumnus Dr. Scott Leggoe.

Following  lunch, where interested students had the opportunity to meet with VCOM Student Ambassadors at area restaurants, special interest sessions were offered such as tours of the new VCOM Simulation and Technology Center and an introduction the VCOM – Carolina Campus which opens in August 2011.     

By Tara Bozick - GoDanRiver.com

Danville Regional Medical Center will kick off its new residency program this summer with 12 “traditional rotating interns.” The interns will arrive for orientation in mid-June and will “hit the ground running” at the end of June, said Dr. Heidi A. Morris, who will oversee their training. As part of their training, the new doctors will complete month-long sessions in different areas of medicine while at DRMC.

Morris started serving as the hospital’s director of medical education for the residency program March 10. Morris, a doctor of osteopathic medicine who also earned a master’s degree in health administration, brings experience in leading osteopathic residency programs.

Read the full article.

Number Of Patients Skyrocket

Even in these difficult economic times, Virginia's Free Clinics continue to expand their services to meet the needs of their communities. Updates highlighted at a recent retreat include:

• Free Clinic of Central Virginia has new Optometry program
• Augusta Regional Free Clinic doubling their dental operatories from four to eight
• Crossroads Medical Mission has added a second Nurse Practitioner
• Healing Hands Health Center has added a Weight Watchers program
• Western Tidewater Free Clinic is adding a Dental Program
• Gloucester-Matthews Free Clinic has added a Clinical Pharmacy Program
• Harrisonburg-Rockingham Free Clinic is migrating on its dental program to a cooperative with local CHC.
• Free Clinic of the New River Valley has developed a program with HCA  and its DO interns. The Interns are seeing patients in the clinic and are on “24 hour call” for those patients.
• Northern Neck Free Health Clinic has began is new Mental Health program through “A New Lease On Life” grant. There have only been 2 “no shows” in the first 100 appointments.
• Allegheny Highlands Free Clinic has started its new mental health counseling program through  “A New Lease On Life” grant.
• Access Now continues its recruitment of Specialists to support the Free Clinics in Richmond. There are 850+ specialists in the directory.
• Christian Free Clinic in Botetourt is adding a Dental Program
• Caring Hearts Free Clinic is conducting a Health and Wellness program in partnership with the Martinsville-Henry County Free Clinic
• High Blood Pressure Center is developing a new heart monitoring with 24 hour heart monitors
• Brock Hughes Free Clinic is seeking funding to open an additional day to five days each week
• Free Clinic of the Twin Counties is moving to a new expanded space, their dental trailer is operational
• Free Medical Clinic of the Northern Shenandoah Valley is conducting a Diabetes Study and has added Physical Therapy as a clinical service
• Lloyd F. Moss Free Clinic has added its 30th staff member and is now providing Physical Therapy on site
• Free Clinic of Culpeper is allowing a Medicaid Clinic to use its facility when the clinic is not seeing patients
• Charlottesville Free clinic has established a Physicians Partner Network, community primary care doctors are seeing patients in their private offices.
• Lackey Free Clinic is adding 6000 sq. ft. to its Yorktown facility and has started its mental health counseling program through “A New Lease On Life” grant
  

The Department of Health and Human Services is establishing an Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight to implement provisions of the health care reform law that deal with private health insurance.

According to a notice published in the Federal Register, the new office will be under the HHS secretary and include separate offices to address oversight, insurance programs, consumer support and health insurance exchanges. HHS has yet to announce who will direct the new office.

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced the appointment of five new regional directors of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

• Christie Hager, Region I – Boston (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT)
• Jaime R. Torres, Region II – New York City (NY NJ, NY, PR, VI)
• Joanne Grossi, Region III – Philadelphia (PA DE, DC, MD, PA, VA, WV)
• Marguerite Salazar, Region VIII – Denver (CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY)
• Herb K. Schultz, Region IX – San Francisco (AZ, CA, HI, NV, Guam, PI, AS)

"I am very pleased to welcome Christie, Jaime, Joanne, Marguerite, and Herb to HHS,” said Secretary Sebelius. “They will play a vital role in our department’s effort to effectively implement the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead to achieve HHS’s mission to protect the health of all Americans and provide essential human services."

As HHS regional directors, they will serve as key representatives of Secretary Sebelius in working with federal, state, local, and tribal officials on a wide range of health and social service issues.

Read the full article.

By Caralyn Davis - FierceHealthFinance

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act extends reasonable-cost payments for clinical lab tests performed by hospitals with fewer than 50 beds in qualified rural areas as part of their outpatient services for cost reporting periods beginning on or after July 1, 2010, through June 30, 2011, according to Transmittal 1940 (change request 6873) from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

This could impact services performed as late as June 30, 2012, for some hospitals. Hospitals that qualify for reimbursement under section 3122 don't need to take action. "You will receive reasonable cost reimbursement for an entire year, starting with your cost reporting period beginning on or after July 1, 2010," said CMS in a recent email to providers.

Read the full article.

Mark your calendar

For more information about these and other events, visit http://www.vrha.org/events.html

May 11 & 12: Southern Regional Rural Convening - Charlotte
May 12 & 13: VaCHA Leadership and Education Conference - Richmond
May 14: Strong Roots for a Healthy Future: Treatments that Work for Youth - Richmond
May 14: 2010 Health Equity CME Program - Falls Church
May 17 & 18: Statewide Summit on Childhood Obesity - Richmond
May 19 - 21: NRHA's Annual Rural Health Conference - Savannah, GA
June 2-5: National Association for Rural Mental Health Annual Conference - Denver, CO
June 16-18: Medication Use in Rural America Conference - Kansas City, MO

Resources

RAC FAQs
CMS has released a new RAC FAQ (frequently asked questions) page. In addition, this video gives a RAC 101 seminar, particularly useful for staff training or review.

Health Reform Briefs
The Kaiser Family Foundation has issued three “Explaining Health Reform” briefs that discuss several key elements of the new law:

• Questions About the Temporary High Risk Pool answers basic questions about the temporary national high-risk pool that will be created under the reform law to provide health coverage to people with pre-existing medical conditions who have been uninsured for at least six months;
• Questions About the Extension of Dependent Coverage to Age 26 discusses the provision in the law that requires private insurers that offer dependent coverage to children to allow young adults up to age 26 to remain on their parent’s insurance plan; and
• Questions About Medicaid’s Role explains the current role of Medicaid in today’s health care system and the significant expansion the program will undergo as an important component of health reform.

More resources on the new law are available on the Foundation’s Health Reform Gateway, which features the Foundation’s research, analysis and polling on health reform issues; an interactive calculator which helps to illustrate the financial assistance people will get in the future if they purchase health insurance on their own through the exchange; columns by Kaiser President and CEO Drew Altman; and news summaries from Kaiser Health News, the Foundation’s editorially independent news service.

Funding Opportunities

Public Welfare Foundation
Application deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.
Grants to provide services to disadvantaged populations in the areas of criminal and juvenile justice, health reform, and workers' rights.

National Health Service Corps - 2010 Scholarship Program
The National Health Service Corps scholarship pays tuition, required fees, and some other education costs, tax free, for as many as four years. Education costs may include books, clinical supplies, laboratory expenses, instruments, two sets of uniforms and travel for one clinical rotation.

Recipients also receive a monthly living stipend ($1,326 in 2010-2011). The stipend is taxable.

National Health Service Corps scholars are committed to serve one year for each year of support (minimum of two years service) at an approved site in a high-need Health Professional Shortage Area soon after they graduate, serve a primary care residency (family medicine, general pediatrics, general internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology or psychiatry for physicians and general or pediatric for dentists) and are licensed.

Scholars compete for employment at the approved service sites of their choice from a listing of job vacancies in their discipline and specialty. The NHSC helps scholars select a compatible service site and pays for travel to and from interviews.