Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) has Updated the List of Reportable Codes for Drug Overdose Reporting (DOR)

Effective January 3^rd 2021, the Drug Overdose Reporting (DOR) List of Reportable Diagnosis codes was updated to include new Opioid-related ICD-10-CM codes. This update reflected changes made as a result of the ICD-10-CM Coordination and Maintenance Committee for federal fiscal year 2021. The T40.4X[1-4] coding structure for synthetic narcotics of unintentional, intentional self-harm, assault, and undetermined intent were revised. The changes allow for more specific reporting of drug overdoses involving synthetic opioids for initial and subsequent encounters. In particular, it allows the TDH to identify drug overdoses involving fentanyl, which has become more important to understand as overdoses involving fentanyl have increased rapidly in the last five years. Please ensure that your hospital is including the new codes when reporting drug overdoses to TDH. For more information and to obtain the full List of Reportable Diagnosis codes see the TDH Drug Overdose Reporting website. The new ICD-10-CM codes are indicated with an asterisk.

Rural Health Association of Tennessee announced the election results for two new additions to the board of directors: Alicia Calloway, Chief Operating Officer of OPYS Physician Services and Barry Cooper, Executive Director of JACOA.

The 2021 List of Reportable Diseases in Tennessee, effective January 1, 2021, can be found at the following link: https://www.tn.gov/health/cedep/reportable-diseases.html. Included are the list of reportable diseases and guidance for healthcare providers and laboratories regarding reporting requirements. Important changes in 2021 include:

Healthcare Providers/Facilities Only:

Executive Director, Jacy Warrell, talks with Dr. Bill Auxier, host of Rural Health Leadership Radio. Subscribe to Rural Health Leadership Radio at https://rhlradio.com

Volunteer Tennessee, the state commission on national and community service, has established the Tennessee Serves Network to engage more Tennesseans in volunteer service. The network is a statewide collaboration of volunteer centers dedicated to bringing people and community together through an online volunteer portal.

And, now your organization can engage potential volunteers through this statewide system for free! Please click here for more information and learn how to register for an account. You can also contact Shannon Duke, Volunteerism & Training Manager at 615-253-8585 or [email protected] for more information.

Thank you to everyone who submitted and voted on photos at our annual conference last November! Below are the winners of the Color and Black & White photo categories, as well as the 1st and 2nd runner up.

Black & White Photo Winner
"Linville Gorge" by Heather Newman, ETSU Rural Primary Care Track

Executive Director, Jacy Warrell, has a conversation with Fran Ayalasomayajula of Reach Radio. Jacy discusses RHA's services to the community, challenges especially in education about COVID, developing community trust with key stakeholders, dealing with cultural differences and different demographics, coping styles for counties with no rural hospitals, and many more.

Interview with Executive Director, Jacy Warrell, 12/17/20

Rural Health Association of Tennessee will receive a grant from Delta Regional Authority to launch "pre-apprenticeship" program in West Tennessee.

COVID-19, Beyond Numbers | NPT Reports

Executive Director, Jacy Warrell, speaks with Nashville Public Television on COVID and rural health disparities.

Assistant Commissioner Kenyatta Lovett, PhD, Workforce Services, Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development

View video announcing poster contest winners.

Overall Winners:

In some isolated rural areas, COVID-19 is hitting hard

https://www.marketplace.org/2020/11/13/some-isolated-rural-areas-covid-19-is-hitting-hard/ 

Tennessee State Loan Repayment Program (TSLRP)

TSLRP provides educational loan repayment to qualified primary care practitioners in exchange for an initial 2-year service obligation to practice full-time or part-time at an ambulatory public, non-profit or private non-profit primary care site located in a federally designated Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) or a facility designated as a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) or Rural Health Clinic (RHC).