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Innovation Essential

By Brock Slabach posted 07-22-2014 09:10 AM

  

Providers of rural health care are challenged as never before. These pressures are coming from many different sources; causing leaders to juggle many balls while doing their best to keep from dropping one. The Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) has identified six key areas that leaders need to juggle at the same time. They are:

  • Optimize operations within the current fee for service environment
  • Innovate
  • Efficient operations
  • Reduce variation
  • Population health, for example, implement Patient Centered Medical Homes (PCMH)
  • Engage the medical staff

While juggling innovation, the possibilities are endless. However the barriers to implementation can be high. To our surprise, CMS has assisted rural providers by promulgating regulations that can spur innovation in your rural community in two key areas: tele-emergency and tele-health.

CMS advised state survey agencies that the CAH Conditions of Participation (CoP) can allow for an emergency department (ED) to use physician services through tele-health connections. CAHs can analyze the possibility of scheduling physicians’ on-call services using this method. This could reduce ED physician costs while yielding high patient satisfaction.

The second area is the release of the recent Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) proposed regulation that significantly expanded the range of codes eligible for tele-health reimbursement. These include annual wellness visits, psychoanalysis, psychotherapy, and prolonged evaluation and management services. Although not complete, this marks an incremental expansion that will help meet the health needs of many rural communities. NRHA will be commenting on the PFS proposed rule and we welcome your thoughts on how this rule can be improved.

The need to innovate to serve our rural communities is important work. NRHA stands committed to ensuring policies at the Federal level that will enable you to do just that. While juggling all six of RUPRI’s findings, CMS has assisted rural providers to have tools to accomplish at least one better.

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07-25-2014 09:57 AM

Great summary of the key structural focus areas all rural leaders need to be concentrating on today. Thanks Broch for your ongoing insight and support.