(Jan. 24, 2025) – HRSA Releases Nurse Faculty Loan Program Funding Opportunity
The Health Resources and Services Administration released a Notice of Funding Opportunity to increase the number of qualified nursing faculty nationwide. The Nurse Faculty Loan Program funds accredited nursing schools to establish and operate a student loan fund and provide loans to students enrolled in advanced nursing degree programs committed to becoming nurse faculty. In exchange for completion of up to four years of post-graduation full-time nurse faculty employment in an accredited school of nursing, the program authorizes cancellation of as much as 85 percent of the original student loan amount. Applications will be accepted through Monday, Feb. 24.
DEA Publishes Proposed Telemedicine Rules
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency announced three new rules to permanently extend some of the telemedicine flexibilities established during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Buprenorphine treatment: Patients can now receive a six-month supply of buprenorphine, a medication for opioid use disorder, through a telephone consultation.
- Special registrations: Medical providers can obtain special registrations to prescribe controlled substances via telemedicine. The requirements vary based on the medication schedule and provider specialty. This rule will also require establishing a national prescription drug monitoring program.
- Veterans Affairs exemption: VA practitioners are exempt from some special registration requirements.
These rules do not apply to patients who have already had an in-person visit with a medical provider or telemedicine visits that do not involve prescribing controlled substances.
CMS Announces 15 Additional Drugs Selected for Medicare Drug Price Negotiations
In accordance with the Inflation Reduction Act, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced 15 additional drugs covered under Medicare Part D that will be subject to a negotiated price. According to CMS, between November 2023 and October 2024, 5.3 million Medicare Part D beneficiaries used these drugs, amounting to $41 billion in total gross covered drug costs.
HRSA Announces Rural Residency Planning and Development Program
The Health Resources and Services Administration is now accepting applications through Thursday, April 10, for funding to develop new sustainable rural residency programs to improve and expand access to health care in rural areas. The Rural Residency Planning and Development Program will fund eligible applicants up to $750,000 for three years, from Aug. 1, 2025, to July 31, 2028.
CMS Releases Final Rule of Benefit and Payment Parameters for Marketplace Products
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released a final rule on benefit and payment parameters for 2026. The rule includes requirements related to modifications to the calculation of Basic Health Program payments, changes to the Initial Validation Audit sampling approach and a Second Validation Audit pairwise means test for HHS-RADV. The rule applies to issuers offering qualified health plans through Federally Facilitated Exchanges and State-based Exchanges on the federal platform.
Before You Go ...
- A new JAMA Insights article, Communication About Harm Reduction With Patients Who Have Opioid Use Disorder, explores the vital role physicians play in preventing fatal and non-fatal overdoses before they occur. A short conversation about harm reduction can help patients make more informed decisions regarding substance use.
- Results of a clinical research study published in The American Journal of Medicine reveal that alcohol-related deaths in the U.S. have surged dramatically in the last two decades, with the mortality rate nearly doubling from 1999 to 2020.