January 5, 2026: Rural Health Funds Designation, Worsening ED Boarding Times and the 340B Rebate Model Blocked

Rural Health News is a weekly segment of Rural Health Today, a podcast by Hillsdale Hospital.

News sources for this episode:

Ella Jeffries, “CMS approves rural health awards for all 50 states,” December 29, 2025, beckershospitalreview.com/financial/cms-awards-50b-to-states-for-rural-health-transformation/," target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/financial/cms-awards-50b-to-states-for-rural-health-transformation/, Becker’s Hospital Review.

CMS.gov, “CMS Announces Establishment of the Office of Rural Health Transformation,” December 29, 2025, cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cms-announces-establishment-office-rural-health-transformation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cms-announces-establishment-office-rural-health-transformation/

Erica Cerutti, “ED boarding in 2025: 4 notes,” December 29, 2025, beckershospitalreview.com/care-coordination/ed-boarding-in-2025-4-notes/," target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/care-coordination/ed-boarding-in-2025-4-notes/, Becker’s Hospital Review.

Kara Gavin, “Wait times for emergency hospitalization keep getting higher,” August 4, 2025, michiganmedicine.org/health-lab/wait-times-emergency-hospitalization-keep-getting-higher," target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.michiganmedicine.org/health-lab/wait-times-emergency-hospitalization-keep-getting-higher, Michigan Medicine.

Ella Jeffries, “Judge blocks 340B rebate pilot program,” December 29, 2025, beckershospitalreview.com/pharmacy/judge-blocks-340b-rebate-pilot-program/," target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/pharmacy/judge-blocks-340b-rebate-pilot-program/, Becker’s Hospital Review.

Elizabeth S. Eaton, “’Threadbare administrative record’: Federal judge stops 340B rebate pilot,” December 30, 2025, https://firstwordpharma.com/story/7022857, FirstWord Pharma.

Rural Health Today is a production of Hillsdale Hospital in Hillsdale, Michigan and a member of the Health Podcast Network. Our host is JJ Hodshire, our producer is Kyrsten Newlon, and our audio engineer is Kenji Ulmer. Special thanks to our special guests for sharing their expertise on the show, and also to the Hillsdale Hospital marketing team. If you want to submit a question for us to answer on the podcast or learn more about Rural Health Today, visit ruralhealthtoday.com.