Compliance Corner May 2024
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Compliance Corner May 2024
HRSA is making available $240 million to increase support for HRSA-funded health centers to respond to the need for mental health and substance use disorder services.
Through this funding opportunity, $200 million in ongoing service expansion funding and $40 million in one-time, initial year funding are available to support approximately 400 awards. Health centers will use this funding to increase the number of patients receiving mental health services and increase the number of patients receiving substance use disorder services, including treatment with medications for opioid use disorder.
Applications are due in Grants.gov on Wednesday, May 22, and in HRSA’s Electronic Handbooks on Friday, June 21. Visit the Behavioral Health Service Expansion webpage for the Notice of Funding Opportunity, technical assistance (TA) information, and other resources.
Source: HRSA
NEW VIDEO: Transforming Access to Pediatric Mental Health Care
Providers can use telehealth to improve access to mental health care for their patients. Watch this video to learn more about how a pediatric clinic taps into telehealth to transform lives.
Telehealth for American Indian and Alaska Native Communities Best Practice Guide – This Minority Health Month, learn how to implement telehealth services for tribal populations using the Telehealth for American Indian and Alaska Native Communities Best Practice Guide. This guide highlights the benefits of telehealth and how to use it to provide high-quality, culturally competent care.
Source: HRSA
FTCA applications are due by 11:59 pm ET on Monday, June 24.
Please review these resources made available by HRSA and ECRI:
Source: HRSA
HRSA have released two new Program Assistance Letters (PALs) to support health centers in their mission to provide health care services during emergencies. HRSA encourages you to review both PALs and familiarize yourself with new processes to ensure you’re ready in the event of an emergency.
Updated Temporary Credentialing and Privileging Procedures
Updated PAL 2024-01 (PDF) supersedes PAL 2017-07. It clarifies processes for temporary credentialing and privileging, and details procedures and guidelines. This PAL was for use during declared emergencies or emergency situations, under HRSA approval. HRSA expects that the changes will expedite the credentialing and privileging of health care professionals. This will improve your ability to respond swiftly and effectively during a crisis, which will ensure that communities receive high-quality health care services without interruption.
Expedited Volunteer Health Professional (VHP) Emergency Application Process and System
HRSA expects to launch a new streamlined VHP Emergency Application process this summer. New PAL 2024-02 (PDF) outlines the procedures for submitting the application. HRSA will make this expedited application available to health centers impacted by emergencies upon their approval or when they deem it necessary. It will help you to quickly onboard volunteers and strengthen your ability to respond.
Source: HRSA
April, 2024: The federal agency that examines how taxpayer dollars are spent reviewed grant funding, revenue, and efforts to meet certain access-to-care requirements for health centers, a key part of the nation’s health care system for nearly 60 years. In 2022, about 1,400 health centers operated almost 15,000 service sites and provided care to more than 30 million people in the United States, regardless of their ability to pay. According to the report, this figure includes more than 9 million rural residents and over 1 million people experiencing homelessness. Health centers rely on revenue from a variety of public and private sources, including grants awarded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) through its Health Center Program. Among other things, HRSA requires health centers to have locations and hours that are responsive to patient needs, and to have procedures to handle medical emergencies that arise after hours. GAO found that health centers’ total revenue rose from about $28.7 billion in 2018 to $42.9 billion in 2022. The largest single source of revenue was Medicaid, accounting for over one-third of total revenue each year, followed by grants, including those provided by HRSA. Read the full report here.
Source: HRSA FORHP
Reflecting MCHB’s commitment to improve access, equity, capacity, and impact for maternal and child health populations, they have announced two new funding opportunities. Public or private entities, community-based entities, Tribal governments and Tribal organizations may apply. Apply by July 10, 2024.
Center for Maternal and Child Medicaid Partnerships: This program aims to enhance collaboration among state Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program, and Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant programs. The awarded recipient will facilitate knowledge sharing and provide state-specific technical assistance to these programs to improve maternal and child health outcomes by advancing innovative financing strategies and updating interagency agreements that help guide coordination between state Title V programs and Medicaid programs.
Maternal and Child Health Policy Innovation Program: The purpose of this program is to support innovative city, county, or state-level policy initiatives that improve outcomes and reduce associated health disparities for maternal and child health populations. Successful award recipients will provide technical assistance to stakeholders, including governors’ offices, state legislatures, state and local health officials, and other state and local officials to help them develop and implement policy initiatives.
Source: HRSA
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