Wednesday, April 2 :  Breakout Sessions

• Hospital Board Training (HTH Board Participants Only) | View Agenda Here
• Swing Bed Management Program: CMS Updates (GA SHIP Consortium Participants, $125 per person for all others) | View Agenda Here
• Rural Health Clinic | View Agenda Here
• New Member & Business Partner Orientation
• Medical Malpractice & Nuclear Verdicts (Executive Leadership Development Program Participants Only)
• Revenue Cycle | View Agenda Here
• Chronic Care Management & Diabetes Collaboratives (GA Critical Access Hospitals Only) | View Agenda Here

Thursday, April 3 :  Main Session

• Rural Healthcare Legislative Update, Jimmy Lewis
• DCH Medicaid Updates: Lynette Rhodes
• Rural Hospital CEO Panel, Michael Purvis, Lagina Evans & Damien Scott
• SOWEGA Community Paramedicine Panel, facilitated by Michelle Huskey
• Rural Healthcare Legal Update, Michele Madison
• Town Hall

Friday, April 4 :  Main Session

• GA Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities Agency Update, Commissioner Kevin Tanner
• Tort Reform, Bartley Miller
• AI in Healthcare, Oracle Health

View One Page Agenda Overview Here | Hospitals: View Details Here | Business Partners: View Details Here

Upcoming Webinars & Events

Monthly GA Provider Reimbursement Webinar
March 5| 10 AM EST

Monthly Medicare Update

March 12 | 10 AM EST

Webinar: Telemedicine & Digital Tools Revolutionizing Access to Care: Breaking Barriers, Expanding Possibilities, and Reimbursement (with GPT)
March 21 | 10 AM EST

Login at https://lms.hthu.net to register, enroll, attend live webinar sessions or view recordings of all webinar events!

HomeTown Health strives to ensure that rural healthcare providers and facilities are aware of no cost resources that directly benefit their organizations, patients and communities. As such, we have begun compiling a list of resources online.

HomeTown has no propriety interest in these resources or solutions, receives no reimbursement for inclusion of these resources, and discloses that resources may change over time. HomeTown does its best to keep information updated but due diligence is always needed when exploring resources. HomeTown has selected these resources based on their validity for rural health needs through a preliminary discovery of programs and resources.

Check out our new resource page ... and, if you've got a resource we should add, please let us know!

VIEW RESOURCES FOR RURAL HEALTH.

In this presentation, we will explore how telemedicine and digital tools are transforming the healthcare landscape by expanding access to care and improving patient outcomes. With advancements in technology, healthcare is no longer confined to traditional settings. Telemedicine enables patients to connect with healthcare providers remotely, eliminating geographical barriers and reducing wait times. Digital tools, such as wearable devices and health apps, empower individuals to monitor their health in real-time, while artificial intelligence is helping healthcare providers offer personalized care. Together, these innovations are reshaping the future of medicine, making quality care more accessible, efficient, and patient-centered than ever before. Additionally, reimbursement for services are available in GEORGIA!

REGISTER NOW. You'll use your HTHU username and password to register for this free webinar. Return to HTHU on March 21st to join the live session. 

Join Dylan Proper of Proper Connections to learn the latest on FCC’s Universal Service Fund program and updates for upcoming FY 2025.

Proper Connections, a HomeTown Health Business, specializes in connecting rural healthcare providers with significant savings through USAC Programs, and helping providers capitalize these programs across their organizations. Join Dylan as reviews new FCC DA 24-229 and other prior orders affecting the RHC Program.

At Proper Connections, we specialize in USAC consulting and can help you through the process.  We are your trusted partner in providing the best support for your needs while delivering excellent customer service. Contact Dylan Proper, CFO at 866-780-2369 or info@proper-connections.com. Please feel free to visit our website for more information at http://www.proper-connections.com/.

WATCH AND LEARN MORE NOW! 

Rural hospitals can benefit $10,000+ from USAC Funding Program!

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) released a new Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to expand the number of fellows at accredited Addiction Medicine Fellowship (AMF) and Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship (APF) programs trained as addiction medicine specialists who work in underserved, community-based settings that integrate primary care with mental health disorders and substance use disorder prevention and treatment services. (HRSA-25-069) 

The Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program encompasses both psychiatry and an addiction subspecialty for primary care doctors training in prevention and treatment services in rural areas that do not have access or have limited access to substance use disorder treatment.

HRSA will award approximately $23 million to 28 awardees over a five year period through this funding opportunity.

Eligible applicants: 

• Sponsoring institutions of accredited AMF programs or accredited APF programs. The sponsoring institution must be accredited by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).
• A consortium consisting of at least one teaching health center and one sponsoring institution of an addiction medicine or addition psychiatry fellowship program

Please view the funding opportunity on Grants.gov for complete eligibility information. View Grant Campaign Page.

The application deadline is February 28, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET. 

State Senate Bill 505 requires Georgia hospitals to annually publish and update specific financial information on their websites utilizing templates provided by the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH).

View the bill here.

The templates are intended to standardize uniform reporting across all Georgia hospitals by July 1, 2025.

SORH released templates and held a webinar in December 2024. Read more from SORH:

Georgia Senate Bill 505 (SB505) went into effect on April 4, 2024, requiring certain Georgia hospitals to revise publication of their organizational and financial documents on their websites to align with the standardized templates provided by the Department of Community Health (DCH). For-profit hospitals are excluded.

The State Office of Rural Health (SORH) within DCH has been working with partners and stakeholders on the “Hospital Information Transparency” project for several months to develop standardized templates that hospitals must utilize to publish the list of organizational and financial documents outlined in SB505. Building on the original House Bill 321, SB505 mandates posting of certain “Organizational & Financial Information” in a prominent location on the main page of the hospital’s website that links to the list of specific documents outlined in the statute by July 1, 2025.

Hospitals must also provide DCH updated URL links via email at DCH.Transparency@dch.ga.gov by August 1 annually. The hospital URL links will be located on DCH’s hospital transparency website.

Questions or requests for technical assistance may be submitted to DCH.Transparency@dch.ga.gov. 

As part of the 2024-2029 Georgia Flex grant for Critical Access Hospitals, HomeTown is giving CAHs the opportunity to join a collaborative focused on Colorectal Screening Awareness. 

Collaborative members will receive education, tools and encouragement towards emphasizing and promoting colorectal screenings within their community.

Click here to apply to join the collaborative.

As part of the 2024-2029 Georgia Flex grant for Critical Access Hospitals, HomeTown needs insights from your healthcare organization. 

One of the goals of the Flex program is to enhance preventative care initiatives, early detections and interventions through an emphasis on Annual Wellness Visits.

Please complete the brief survey here to help establish a baseline of Annual Wellness Visit data.

Click here to complete survey.

Humana Healthy Horizons is more than a health plan. We’re human care. Together with state governments, providers and community-based organizations, we address social determinants, drive better outcomes and advance public health. From teens who need additional support for their mental well-being to aging adults who need assistance to live independently in the community, we help all people of all ages live the life they want to live, regardless of social circumstance. By promoting quality of life, we center our efforts on whole-person care.

Learn more at www.humana.com/medicaid 

MCG Health, part of the Hearst Health network, is the healthcare industry leader in evidence-based, clinical decision support and medical necessity guidelines. MCG solutions are licensed by over 3,000 hospitals (including many rural facilities and critical access hospitals), a majority of U.S. health plans, and many state and federal government agencies. Utilizing MCG has helped many rural providers support utilization and case management by providing a common clinical language with their payers. To learn more about MCG, visit their website or email them at careguidelines@mcg.com.

Rural hospitals provide critical services to the communities they serve across the United States, but they are under significant pressure. Cyberattacks on hospitals are a growing threat that can severely impact patient care and compromise private data. Microsoft is committed to helping rural hospitals keep their health services safe and secure by investing in the new Microsoft Cybersecurity Program for Rural Hospitals. This program provides affordable access to Microsoft security solutions, builds cybersecurity capacity, and helps solve root challenges through innovation.

Hear directly about the Microsoft Cybersecurity Program for rural healthcare from Microsoft staff. This program offers no cost options to help improve cybersecurity in rural healthcare facilities. 

WATCH AND LEARN MORE NOW

Questions? Need Assistance? 

Contact us at hthtech@hometownhealthonline.com

Reach us by phone at 470.655.6950

Learn more at hometownhealthonline.com

Click to view this email in a browser 

Click Here to Unsubscribe 

{YOURCOMPANY.NAME}  | {YOURCOMPANY.ADDRESS}