Jul 22, 2015 - The State of Minnesota Rural Health 2015. As rural communities in Minnesota pursue the triple aim of grea
2015 State Rural Health Legislation Summary ________________________________________
Cyber Conference - July 22, 2015 Minnesota Rural Health Association © 2015 Minnesota Rural Health Association
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The State of Minnesota Rural Health 2015
As rural communities in Minnesota pursue the triple aim of greater access to higher quality, more cost effective health care, along with improved health and wellness, they face many unique challenges compared to metro-area residents. © 2015 Minnesota Rural Health Association
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The State of Minnesota Rural Health 2015 Unique Challenges In Our Rural Communities •
An increasingly older and lower income population which relies more heavily on public health care programs that pay below cost
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An older and dramatically shrinking health care workforce (primary and specialty care) with fewer new providers to replace them
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Hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and other providers under increasing financial stress - many having to close their doors
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Limited access to dental, mental health, obstetrics and other specialty care
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New health care requirements (EHR, Meaningful Use, value-based payment, quality measures, and more) but with fewer resources to achieve them
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The need for access to a skilled healthcare workforce and data analytics © 2015 Minnesota Rural Health Association
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The State of Minnesota Rural Health 2015
Top Issues Impacting Rural Health • Healthcare Workforce Shortage • Access Challenges • Transportation • Broadband Shortage • Reimbursement Disparities
• Hospitals, Clinics, Nursing Homes In Crisis © 2015 Minnesota Rural Health Association
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The State of Minnesota Rural Health 2015
Overview of 2015 Rural Health Legislation: HF 1638/ SF 1458 – Omnibus HHS Finance Bill Cuts the growth in HHS spending by more than $300 million. PASSED & SIGNED HF 211/ SF 3 Adds certain providers to the state’s health professional education loan forgiveness program. PASSED HF 261/ SF 176 Community EMT certification created; supervised by med. director of the CEMT’s medical response unit PASSED HF 316/ SF 273 Nursing Home increase - MA reimbursement for SNFs based on actual costs (other reforms) PASSED © 2015 Minnesota Rural Health Association
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The State of Minnesota Rural Health 2015
HF 380/ SF 382 Increased payment rates for rural special transportation services DID NOT PASS HF 423/ SF 379 Alternative ambulance staffing allowed in rural communities (outside Twin Cities and regional centers) PASSED HF 564/ SF 646 5% base rate increase for home and communitybased services (HCBS) in each of the next two years. DID NOT PASS HF 576/ SF 622 $2 million in state subsidies provided to Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) DID NOT PASS © 2015 Minnesota Rural Health Association
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The State of Minnesota Rural Health 2015
HF 776/ SF 895 PUC prohibited from regulating Internet/broadband as a public utility (helps broadband development) DID NOT PASS HF 1011/ SF 453 MA coverage for some mental health services provided by a PA in an outpatient setting DID NOT PASS HF 1151/ SF 801 Increases MA coverage and rates for dental services; creates a public higher ed. grant program to develop a new reimbursement system for oral health and dental services (MA and MinnesotaCare); requires coverage of basic dental screenings performed by dental hygienists and dental therapists PASSED © 2015 Minnesota Rural Health Association
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The State of Minnesota Rural Health 2015
HF 1246/ SF 981 Minnesota Telemedicine Act – requires telemedicine services to be paid the same as face-to-face PASSED HF 1447/ SF 1246 Establishes a Legislative Health Care Workforce Council with a min. of five rural members; expands clinical training, primary care residency and preceptor slots DID NOT PASS HF 1853/ (No SF) New tiers, rate setting and DSH payment methodologies to be established for Critical Access Hospitals PASSED
© 2015 Minnesota Rural Health Association
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The State of Minnesota Rural Health 2015 Thank you. Minnesota Rural Health Association Steve Gottwalt, Executive Director
P.O. Box 421 Waite Park, MN 56387 (952) 923-5265
[email protected] www.MNRuralHealth.org © 2015 Minnesota Rural Health Association
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