Billy Wynne

CISA and FEMA Announce Additional $379 Million Funding Opportunity for FY 2023 State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program: Applications Due October 6 The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are collaborating to provide $374.9 million in grants to enhance cybersecurity for state and local governments, responding to increasing…

Agency Issues Final Rule to Help Increase Access to Medications to Treat Opioid Use Disorder Pursuant to the Easy Medication Access and Treatment for Opioid Addiction Act (P.L. 116-215), the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) issued a final rule to allow practitioners to dispense a three-day supply of narcotic medication to start detoxification treatment or maintenance…

USDA Announces Funding to Support School Meals in Small and Rural Districts The Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that Action For Healthy Kids, in partnership with the Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative, is awarding nearly $30 million in subgrants to 264 school districts across 44 states for small and rural school districts. Each district will receive…

Agency Releases Toolkits to Enhance Patient Safety for Mothers and Newborns The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) released two new toolkits aimed at enhancing the safety culture in labor and delivery units, thereby reducing maternal and neonatal adverse events arising from communication gaps and system failures. The Toolkits to Reduce Hypertension in Pregnancy…

Agency Releases New Resources to Support Pregnant and Parenting Individuals with Substance Use Disorders and Their Families The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration shared four new resources created in July to support parenting and pregnant people struggling with substance use disorder (SUD). SAMHSA states that there are effective interventions for opioid use disorder…

ASPE Report Finds 2023 Uninsured Rate Reached All-Time Low in 2023 Following ACA Enrollment Period The Office of Health Policy at the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) released a report showing that the national uninsured rate in the United States reached an all-time low of 7.7 percent in early 2023. The Department of…

Agency Finds Telehealth During 2020 Helped Ensure Care for End-Stage Renal Disease Patients; Recommends Better Documentation for Telehealth Services The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a report revealing that while end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients benefited from telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, medical records…

Task Force Issues Grade ‘A’ Final Recommendation on Folic Acid Supplementation to Prevent Neural Tube Defects; Task Force Also Requests Comments on Draft Recommendation on Screening for Speech and Language Delay and Disorders in Children The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released a final recommendation statement on folic acid supplementation to prevent neural tube…

Department Announces New Office of Long COVID Research and Practice and the Launch of Long COVID Clinical Trials Through NIH’s RECOVER Initiative The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the establishment of the Office of Long COVID Research and Practice to coordinate the response to Long COVID across the federal government. Long COVID…

FY 2024 IPPS and LTCH PPS Rule Finalizes 3.1 Percent Overall Increase for Hospitals; Includes New SDOH Diagnosis Codes Today, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the fiscal year (FY) 2024 inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) and long-term care hospital prospective payment system (LTCH PPS) final rule (press release, fact sheet), which…