Iowa Senate unanimously passes REH licensure bill
The Iowa Senate unanimously passed the amended rural emergency licensure bill establishing the new hospital designation. IHA advocated for passage of the legislation throughout the legislative process.

“In the last decade, more than 140 U.S. hospitals have closed. Most of those hospitals are in rural areas including one here in Iowa,” IHA President and CEO Chris Mitchell said. “This bill provides a potential lifeline to Iowa's rural hospitals, gives struggling hospitals another option to avoid closure and ensures that local access to care is maintained.”

Rural hospitals choosing to opt in to the new category will continue to furnish emergency department services, observation care and, if a hospital chooses, other specified outpatient medical and health services. Services rendered must not exceed an annual per-patient average of 24 hours. For eliminating inpatient care, rural emergency hospitals will be paid the applicable Outpatient Prospective Payment System rate plus 5% and a monthly facility payment.

IHA extends its thanks to Gov. Kim Reynolds, Sen. Mark Costello and Sen. Jeff Reichman for their leadership and the House Republicans who worked on the bill. IHA extends special thanks to Sen. Charles Grassley for his work at the federal level on the new designation.

CMS sets March 31 application deadline for residency slots
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is accepting applications until March 31 for the next round of medical education full-time equivalent resident cap slots. Hospitals can apply for up to five medical resident slots. The slots from this round of applications begin July 1, 2023.

The goal of the physician residencies is to enhance the health care workforce by funding more positions in hospitals serving underfunded communities including rural areas and designated health professional shortage areas. When completed, the program will have made 1,000 graduate medical education resident cap slots available.

HRSA announces maternal health funding opportunities
The Health Resources and Services Administration announced three funding opportunities to support maternal health initiatives.

Birthing facilities participating in the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health's (AIM) Technical Assistance Center may be eligible to receive $3 million. The program will provide:

• Data capacity to track progress.
• Reporting and analysis support of state AIM data.
• Support bundle implementation and sustainability.
• Support improvement of data collection and reporting.
• Technical assistance to increase facility engagement.

The period of performance is from Sept. 1, 2023 to Aug. 31, 2027. Applications are due Tuesday, May 9.

The AIM Capacity program is a new funding initiative to support state capacity to implement AIM and expand the reach, depth and quality of AIM. Approximately $5.8 million will be available to fund 29 recipients. The period of performance is from Sept. 1, 2023 to Aug. 31, 2027. Applications are due Tuesday, May 9.

The Integrated Maternal Health Services program was created to foster the development and demonstration of integrated maternal health services models. Models developed and demonstrated through this program will support comprehensive care including clinical, ancillary, behavioral health and support services for pregnant and postpartum people who experience health disparities and have limited access to basic social and health care services. Approximately $9 million is available to fund up to five recipients. The period of performance is from Sept. 30, 2023 to Sept. 29, 2028. Applications are due Wednesday, May 24.

ServiShare announces partnership with Carrier Access IT
Carrier Access IT, headquartered in Clive, is founded by technology industry veterans who call the Midwest home. Carrier Access IT was selected as a ServiShare partner because each member of their diverse team brings a unique set of experiences, skills and expertise.

Through its highly certified experts and strategic partner relations, Carrier Access IT solves complex issues with creative solutions to simplify information technology. Carrier Access IT will work with members to understand the processes, tools and technologies at the core of information technology infrastructure. Services include:

• Automation.
• Business continuity and disaster recovery.
• Cloud solutions.
• Data center services including services and storage.
• Enterprise desktop.
• Managed desktop.
• Networking.
• Security including firewalls.

Contact Bryan Stanford, account manager at Carrier Access IT, at 515-987-9297.