On March 20, CMS released an update of the Medicare Benefit Policy Manual that revises and clarifies payment policy information for Rural Health Clinics and Federally Qualified Health Centers.

Some Key Updates Include:

• Starting January 1, 2025, RHCs and FQHCs must include costs for hepatitis B vaccines on their annual cost reports.
• CMS no longer requires RHC productivity standards starting with cost reporting periods ending after December 31, 2024.
• RHCs and FQHCs can continue to bill for non-behavioral health telehealth services by reporting HCPCS code G2025, including services you provide using audio-only technology, through December 31, 2025.
• CMS includes Principal Illness Navigation Peer-Support and Advanced Primary Care Management in RHC's and FQHC's care coordination services.

There are several additional important updates that RHCs and FQHCs should be aware of.

Make sure your billing staff knows about the 2025 updates to the Medicare Benefit Policy Manual, Chapter 13. 

Source:

Medicare Learning Network, MLN Matters 13946

• Hepatitis B vaccines are paid like other Part B preventive vaccines effective January 1, 2025.
• New claim-based payments for Part B preventive vaccines and their administration are effective July 1, 2025.  RHCs and FQHCs will need to annually reconcile payments with the facilities' actual vaccine and vaccine administration costs on their cost reports.

If you have not already, we encourage you to subscribe to the MLN Connects ® newsletter for more information and updates from CMS.

Starting October 1, 2024, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services incorrectly returned certain Rural Health Clinic (RHC) and Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) claims with reason code W7072:

• Type of bill: 017X (RHC) and 077X (FQHC)
• HCPCS code 93010 (electrocardiogram, EKG or ECG)

RHCs and FQHCs should resubmit these claims that were returned in error.

The NC Office of Rural Health has released Wave 2 of the Telehealth Infrastructure Grants funding opportunity! Applicants have until January 31, 2025 to apply.

Grants resulting from this Request for Applications (RFA) will enhance the accessibility and effectiveness of telehealth services throughout the state.  This RFA aims to support the development and improvement of the technological infrastructure required for delivering remote healthcare services, such as broadband connectivity, video conferencing systems, electronic medical records, and secure communication tools with a priority on independent primary care practices and Ob-GYN practices.

Northwest AHEC would love to congratulate Grace Clinic of Yadkin Valley and Surry Medical Ministries for their recent acceptance of  State Designated Rural Health Centers of Excellence Awards! Join us in recognizing their dedication to providing quality care.

This week has been bustling for Northwest AHEC and the Office of Rural Health (ORH), with three site visits to the State Designated Rural Health Centers! Our partnership with SDRHC and ORH ensures top-notch primary healthcare for all residents in their communities. At NWAHEC, we're delighted to collaborate with these organizations, which truly strive to address the needs of their communities. A big thanks to Grace Clinic in Elkin, Surry Medical Ministries in Mt Airy and Hugh Chatham in Ronda and of course, working with the ORH team is always a pleasure.

We have a new learning opportunity from Northwest AHEC called the Podcast Learning Series. Now you can listen to select episodes of our Healthcare Insights in Northwest North Carolina podcast and earn continuing education credits. And it’s free!

The podcast format allows you to listen at your convenience and multitask while listening. I personally like to do my cardio workout or weight training while consuming podcast content, and sometimes find myself listening while cooking, cleaning, or doing yard work. It's a great way to optimize your learning and your life activities.

This first episode in this Podcast Learning Series is on homelessness in Forsyth County. In this episode you will learn about the main causes of homelessness in our region, the services provided by service organizations in Forsyth County, and the challenges of serving the homeless population and finding permanent housing.

Once you have finished the episode you can take the short post-test to receive 1 hour of CE credit. And another bonus is that this is offered to you at no cost aside from your time and attention.

You can link directly to the course, register and listen here: https://northwestahec.wakehealth.edu/courses-and-events/72832/podcast-ce-series-homelessness-in-forsyth-county 

Alternatively, you can listen to Healthcare Insights in Northwest North Carolina wherever you get your podcast content (Spotify, Google, Apple, Soundcloud, etc.). Simply search for "Healthcare Insights in Northwest North Carolina" and look for Episode 87 featuring William McDonald, Director of the Bethesda Center for the Homeless in Winston-Salem, NC. 

Once you have listened you can register for the course, take the post-test and claim your 1 hour CE credit.

I hope you find our episodes timely and relevant to your practice. And finally, if you have a topic or know of a person that you think would be great to have on the podcast, please don’t hesitate to reach out and let me know. I am always looking for interesting topics and presenters to have on the podcast.

Check out this upcoming webinar on March 7th, make sure to register in advance!

The Biden-Harris Administration will require COVID-19 vaccination of staff within all Medicare and Medicaid-certified facilities to protect both them and patients from the virus and its more contagious Delta variant.  Facilities across the country should make efforts now to get health care staff vaccinated to make sure they are in compliance when the rule takes effect.

The Office of Rural Health (ORH) and North Carolina Area Health Education Center (AHEC) invite you to participate in no-charge educational offerings to learn more about screening for unmet social needs, NCCARE360, and human service organizations in the region.