The Senate Finance Committee Subcommittee on Health Care held a hearing titled, “Aging in Place: The Vital Role of Home Health in Access to Care.” Senators and witnesses were very concerned that people are not able to begin home health treatment, even if they receive a referral, and that home health is not being utilized to its full potential or… (McClurg, September 20, 2023) #Home Health

The Food and Drug Administration issued a request for information (RFI) on the critical scientific challenges and opportunities to advance the development of individualized cellular and gene therapies (CGTs). The agency notes that an improved understanding of the molecular basis of disease along with the availability of sensitive diagnostic tools has led to the increasing opportunity to create individualized products… (Slifer, September 20, 2023) #Food and Drug Administration

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a report on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA’s) policies and procedures for awarding Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic Expansions (CCHBC-E) grants. In fiscal year (FY) 2020, SAMHSA awarded $447 million in expansion grants to 166 CCBHCs in 32 states. OIG was… (McClurg, September 19, 2023) #Program Integrity

Today, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a final rule to streamline enrollment and retention in Medicare Savings Program (MSP) coverage (press release; fact sheet). This final rule is intended to leverage data from other programs and eliminate duplication of paperwork, reduce out-of-pocket and premium costs for eligible individuals, and streamline the application process and enrollment for… (Marceno, September 18, 2023) #Dual Eligibles, #Health Equity

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced the action plan for the Organ Transplant Affinity Group (OTAG).OTAG is a collaboration between CMS and HRSA that seeks to drive improvements in donations, clinical outcomes, system improvement, quality measurement, and regulatory oversight of organ donation. Work to date: HRSA oversees the Organ… (McClurg, September 15, 2023) <span style="font-size:90%;

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report detailing safeguards that Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) agencies could take to protect against political interference. GAO has previously made recommendations to HHS and its agencies about preventing political interference, and uses this report to examine further actions that could be taken by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention… (McClurg, September 15, 2023) #Program Integrity, #Public Health

The House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee convened a legislative hearing to consider five pieces of proposed legislation to address the drug shortage crisis. The hearing featured witnesses from the American Society of Health Systems Pharmacists, Healthcare Supply Chain Association, Healthcare Distribution Alliance, Yale Collaboration for Regulatory Rigor, Integrity, and Transparency (CRRIT), Civica, and Association for Accessible Medicines. Key Takeaways… (Marceno, September 14, 2023) #340B, #Drug Pricing, #Generic Drugs

Today, Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) unveiled the Bipartisan Primary Care and Health Workforce Act (bill text/section by section). The bill will be marked up in the HELP Committee next Thursday, along with S. 1573, PREEMIE Reauthorization Act of 2023, S. 2415, Preventing Maternal Deaths Reauthorization Act of 2023, and… (Lewis, September 14, 2023) #Workforce

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) held the second National Telehealth Conference to convene policymakers and stakeholders to discuss telehealth best practices. The conference included several different panel discussions with Administration officials and representatives of stakeholder organizations. Topics of discussion included the adoption and expansion of telehealth, tele-behavioral health, workforce issues, and research on telehealth. HRSA plans to make… (McClurg, September 13, 2023) #Health Equity, #Mental and Behavioral Health, #Telehealth

As part of President Biden’s Unity Agenda, the White House Cancer Moonshot announced new actions and commitments to advance the mission of reducing the cancer death rate in the United States by at least half by 2047 and improving the cancer patient experience. The announcement coincides with a meeting of the Cancer Cabinet established by President Biden to mobilize the… (Colocho, September 13, 2023) #Health Equity, #Prevention, #Public Health, #Tobacco, #Wellness