Billy Wynne

New Report Finds that Chronic Pain Impacts 21 Percent of Adults The National Institutes of Health (NIH) released a study that finds that among US adults, the incidence of chronic pain is higher than that of diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, and other common chronic conditions. Chronic pain was defined as pain felt every or…

Comments Requested on Proposed Payment Updates for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics; Due June 2 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently issued a request for state and stakeholder comments on updates proposed to the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Prospective Payment System (PPS) Technical Guidance initially published under the 2015 Substance Abuse…

Inflation Reduction Act, CMMI and Other Policies May Be Inhibiting Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Innovation, Prices and Patient Access EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The House Ways and Means Committee’s Subcommittee on Health convened a hearing to discuss how current legislation, regulations and other agency actions are shaping pharmaceutical and medical device innovation, prices and patient access. Topics…

Department Details ‘Project NextGen’ to Accelerate the Development of Innovative Tools to Combat COVID-19 and Future Pandemics; Program Funding Could be Impacted by Debt Limit Discussions The Department of Health and Human Services provided additional details on the Biden-Harris Administration initiative called Project NextGen, which involves an initial investment of $5 billion to accelerate the…

Nominations for Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee; Due September 29 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a request for nominations for members to serve on the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HIPAC).   HICPAC is tasked with providing advice and guidance to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)…

Agency Awards Funding to Support Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative; Related SAMHSA Funding Opportunity Applications Due June 20 The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced the award of over $147 million to 49 recipients to support the Biden-Harris Administration’s Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. (EHE) initiative. The initiative is part of the…

Medicaid Managed Care Denials and Appeals: MEDPAC Review The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) convened a session on Friday entitled Denials and Appeals in Managed Care Plans as part of their ongoing analysis of the topic.   In January, MACPAC staff focused on their literature review, federal policy review and state scan. …

Maternal Health Updates: Roundtable Discusses Disparities in Black Maternal and Infant Health; HHS Releases Funding Opportunities; NIH Announces Upcoming Event + Comment Opportunity As Black Maternal Health Week wraps up, a round table with Secretary Becerra and a range of leaders was held on Monday, HHS announced more than $468 million in funding to improve…

Commissioners Discuss Concerns over Vertical Integration and Rebate Transparency for Prescription Drugs in Medicare Part D The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) convened a session to discuss the Commission’s findings from its ongoing analysis of Part D data on drug rebates and discounts. Pursuant to the Consolidated Appropriation Act (CAA) of 2021, MedPAC was granted…

Report on Behavioral Health in Medicare Could Inform Potential Legislative Action This Congress The Medicare Payment and Access Commission (MedPAC) will include a congressionally requested report on behavioral health services under the Medicare program in the June 2023 report that could inform potential legislative action this Congress. At today’s meeting, commissioners identified high-priority areas of…