The Senate Appropriations Committee passed the bipartisan fiscal year 2024 (FY 24) Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (Labor-HHS) Appropriations bill by a vote of 26-2 (summary). The bill provides $224.4 billion in total funding with $117.0 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Additionally, no new controversial riders were added to any… (Lewis, August 1, 2023) #Budget

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the fiscal year (FY) 2024 skilled nursing facility (SNF) prospective payment system (PPS) final rule (fact sheet). What it is. The final rule addresses payment rates and parity adjustment for SNFs for FY 2024, along with updates to the SNF Quality Reporting Program (QRP) and the SNF Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Program,… (Colocho, July 31, 2023) #Health Equity, #Quality, #Skilled Nursing Facilities

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the fiscal year (FY) 2024 hospice payment rate update final rule (fact sheet). What it is. The final rule addresses the hospice wage index, payment rates, and aggregate cap amount for FY 2024, along with updates from the hospice quality reporting program. Why it’s important for you. CMS finalizes a 3.1… (McClurg, July 28, 2023) #Hospice

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced it has allocated nearly $11 million to 15 recipients through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to enhance the health workforce by establishing new medical residency programs in rural communities. The aim is to address the shortage of doctors in underserved areas, particularly rural regions facing physician shortages, poverty, and… (Colocho, July 28, 2023) #Graduate Medical Education (GME), #Physicians, #Rural Health, #Workforce

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the fiscal year (FY) 2024 inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) prospective payment system (PPS) final rule. What it is. The final rule includes updates on the payment rate, outlier thresholds, and wage index decreases, along with proposals for the quality reporting program. Why it’s important for you. CMS proposes a payment rate… (McClurg, July 27, 2023) #Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the fiscal year (FY) 2024 inpatient psychiatric facility (IPF) prospective payment system (PPS) final rule. What it is. The final rule addresses the wage index, payment rates, and outlier threshold for IPFs for FY 2024, along with changes to the IPF quality reporting program. Why it’s important for you. CMS finalizes a 3.3 percent payment… (Slifer, July 27, 2023) #Mental and Behavioral Health, #Quality

Today, the Departments of  the Treasury, Labor (DOL), and Health and Human Services (HHS) (collectively, the Departments) released proposed rules intended to strengthen parity requirements for mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) benefits provided by group health plans and health insurance issuers offering group or individual health coverage (press release). The proposed rules amendment regulations implementing the Paul Wellstone… (Llamas, Slifer, Joyce, July 25, 2023) #Mental and Behavioral Health

The House Ways and Means (W&M) Committee introduced H.R. 4822, the Health Care Price Transparency Act of 2023, ahead of tomorrow’s markup, which aims to increase transparency for hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs), health insurance plans, and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). Major provisions of the bill include the following: Requirements for hospitals and ASCs to make price information on Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services… (Slifer, July 25, 2023) #Hospitals, #Insurance Reform, #Medicare Part D, #Pharmacy Benefit Managers, #Transparency

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a series of investments in urban agriculture and food access.  USDA will fund $10.7 million in investments for the Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program which will help 1.2 million children gain access to nutritious foods and nutrition education while also supporting local farmers. Additionally, USDA provided $30 million in funding availability for the… (McClurg, July 24, 2023) #Nutrition

Ahead of the Senate Finance Committee markup on pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) legislation, several Senators released legislation aimed various PBM practices. Additional details on each bill follows: The Neighborhood Options for Patients Buying Medicines (NO PBMS) Act (bill text, press release) – Sponsored by Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Joe Manchin (D-WV), the legislation requires Part D prescription drug plan (PDP) sponsors to… (Slifer, July 24, 2023) #Pharmacies, #Pharmacy Benefit Managers, #Transparency