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GRHA Newsletter  Week of February 1, 2013    www.grhainfo.org    grha@grhainfo.org    478-552-3620

 

Georgia Rural Health Association (GRHA) is the oldest state rural health association in the country. Founded in 1981, this nonprofit network of healthcare providers, educators, and individuals is united in its commitment to improve the health and healthcare services of rural Georgians. Join now!

FY 2013 GRHA Board of Directors

President

Denise Kornegay

Immediate Past President

Sallie Barker

President Elect

Ann Addison

Vice- President

Shelly Spires

Treasurer

Sheila Freeman

Secretary

Laura Bland Gillman

Board Members

Carla Belcher

Tim Trottier

Mary Mathis

Sue Nieman

Charles Owens

Chris Parker

Carie Summers

Paula Guy

Monty M. Veazey

Joseph Barrow

Robert J. Briscione

Matt Caseman 

 

Meet our Board of Directors



Annual Rural Health Conference

May 7-10
Louisville, Ky.

 
Medicaid and the Uninsured
 
Getting into Gear for 2014: 
Findings from a 50-State Survey of Eligibility, Enrollment, Renewal, and 
Cost-Sharing Policies in Medicaid and CHIP, 2012-2013
 
  

GRHA Corporate Members

 

Summit Funding Group

 

Platinum Corporate Sponsor PPHS

 

 

Peach State Health Plan 

  

 

GACH   

 

Blue Cross Blue Shield 

 

Coca Cola 


   

WGA logo

gaphc  

RAC 

Funding And Opportunties


georgia map

February 

Health 

Observances

 

International Prenatal Infection Month

 

American Heart Month

  

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Notice
GRHA circulates state and national news as an information service only. Inclusion of information is not intended as an endorsement.

Legislature gives final approval to hospital fee transfer  

 

By Andy Miller

February 1, 2013

 

The state House overwhelmingly passed legislation Friday that would ease renewal of the hospital provider fee, almost certainly preventing a net budget hole in Medicaid of close to $500 million.

 

Now the bill, which hurtled through the General Assembly, goes to Gov. Nathan Deal for his signature. That could happen very quickly as well.

 

The GOP-backed legislation, which passed on a 147-18 vote, would transfer decisions on the assessment from the Legislature to the state's Medicaid agency, the Department of Community Health. The current assessment is due to expire at the end of June.

 

Passage of Senate Bill 24 allowed for renewal of the fee without requiring Republican legislators to vote directly to renew it. The fee is unpopular with anti-tax activists, who normally have close ties to the GOP, which controls both houses of the General Assembly.

 

Rep. Brian Thomas (D-Lilburn) cited what he called legislative sidestepping in the 45-minute floor discussion Friday on the bill, saying, "I'm concerned we're doing some ducking and dodging.''

 

Nevertheless, Thomas said he would vote for the bill.

 

Supporters such as Majority Leader Larry O'Neal (R-Bonaire) noted that Community Health already has authority over another provider fee, one for nursing homes.

 

Rep. Sharon Cooper (R-Marietta), who chairs the House Health and Human Services Committee, said after the vote that legislators ''had no choice'' but to pass the legislation.

 

If legislators had not allowed the fee to be preserved, she told GHN, either Medicaid providers would have taken drastic pay cuts, or the General Assembly would have been forced to remove hundreds of millions of dollars from education, public safety and other programs.

 

Read more

 

  

Save the Date

 

Please Join Us!

 

State Capitol 

 

S.M.A.R.T. 2013 GRHA Legislative Agenda

 

Rural Health Day at the Capitol

 

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

 

State Capitol

 

South Wing

 

8:00 am - 12:00 pm 

 

Sponsorship Form 

 

 
 
Important Medicare Information regarding TeleHealth Reimbursement
 

 

 

 

 

Department of Community Health Proposed Amended FY 2013 & FY 2014 Budget Recommendations

                     

New GME model strives to keep doctors in underserved areas
 
By CAROLYNE KRUPA, amednews staff. Posted Jan. 21, 2013. 
 

A new model of federal funding for graduate medical education is training more residents in community-based health centers with the goal of reducing primary care physician shortages in medically underserved areas.

 

The Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Program was established as part of the Affordable Care Act and provides $230 million in funding over five years. It represents a significant shift from the traditional GME model.

 

Instead of funneling federal funds through large academic medical centers by Medicare, the program provides funding directly to ambulatory, community-based centers through the Health Resources and Services Administration.

 
Filling the primary care gap in rural, low income clinics

Brian Furlow
December 21, 2012

Rural medicine "can be one of the most rewarding things any health care professional can do," says Ann Davis, PA-C, Director of State Government Affairs at the American Academy of Physician Assistants. But it is important for clinicians to carefully weigh the upsides, like incentives, against the challenges.

 

Clinicians must realize that working in a rural clinic essentially means less pay, longer hours, and seeing more Medicaid patients.

 

"Yet, there's something special about your patients being your neighbors," Davis said. "There's nothing like it. But I think you need to make sure if you're planning a career in rural medicine that you have your eyes wide open to all of the realities."

 

Read more


RAC
Funding Opportunity

Health Center Program New Access Point Grants

New Access Points Grants will be awarded to organizations that can provide primary health care services to underserved and vulnerable populations under the Health Center Program.

Applicants must demonstrate a high level of need in their community/population, demonstrate collaborative and coordinated delivery systems for the provision of health care to the underserved, and show that they are ready to rapidly initiate the proposal.

Applicants must propose a new access point that:

  • Provides culturally competent, comprehensive primary medical care as its primary purpose
  • Provides services, either directly onsite or through established arrangements, without regard to ability to pay
  • Ensures access to services for all individuals in the targeted service area/population
  • Provides services at one or more permanent service delivery sites
Learn more
Funding Opportunity

AstraZeneca Healthcare Foundation: Connections for Cardiovascular Health

The mission of the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation's program, Connections for Cardiovascular Health, is to improve cardiovascular health within the United States. Through the program, grants of $150,000 and more are awarded to U.S.-based nonprofit organizations for initiatives that address patient cardiovascular health issues, work to address unmet needs related to cardiovascular health in the community, respond to the urgency around cardiovascular health issues, and improve the lives of patients and non-professional caregivers in connection with the services provided. In addition, initiatives should be focused on measurable results and the recipient organizations must be able to demonstrate sustainability of their programs after the Foundation grant funds are expended. Applications will be accepted from February 1 through February 28, 2013.


Mark Your Calendar

 

Rural Health Day at the Capitol

Georgia Rural Health Association

February 20, 2013

Georgia State Capitol

Sponsorship form

 

Cover Georgia Day

Georgians for a Healthy Future and Cover Georgia Coalition

Tuesday, February 19th 

Central Presbyterian Church and State Capitol

9:00 am - 1:00 pm

More Information  

 

Georgia Organics 

A Prescription for Better Health

16th Annual Georgia Organics Conference

February 22-23, 2013

Georgia International Convention Center

Atlanta, Georgia

 Register 

 

Georgia Partnership for Telehealth

2013 Annual Spring Conference

March 18-20, 2013

Hyatt Regency, Savannah, Georgia

Register 

 

 

 

 

Matt Caseman 
GRHA