The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking nominations for a Technical Expert Panel (TEP) to support the maintenance and evolution of the Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings methodology. Details about the TEP follow below. Title: Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings on Care Compare Project overview: The TEP will create a summary of the hospital quality measures publicly reported… (Testa, July 21, 2023) #Hospitals, #Quality

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s (AHRQ’s) Effective Health Care (EHC) Program is requesting public comments on draft key questions related to the management of suicidal thoughts in youth. According to the announcement, the prevalence of suicidal thoughts and behaviors among children and adolescents is on the rise and many of these occurrences are believed to be preventable through… (Marceno, July 21, 2023) #Mental and Behavioral Health, #Prevention, #Public Health

The Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health Care convened a hearing yesterday on the current status of the Organ Procurement and Transplant System (OPTN) and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden’s (D-OR) legislation, The legislation would remove statutory barriers and give the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) the authority to expand competition for the OPTN contract. This hearing also follows… (Lewis, July 21, 2023) #Program Integrity

Amid ongoing concerns about procedural terminations during the Medicaid unwinding period, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) provided an update making clear that the agency is taking enforcement actions, as necessary, to ensure states’ compliance with federal renewal requirements. The agency has required multiple states (not specified) to pause certain terminations, reinstate coverage for those terminated inappropriately, and… (Llamas, July 20, 2023) #Coverage Decisions

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-VT) unveiled a sweeping piece of legislation to overhaul the nation’s primary care health system (press release/section by section /text).  The proposal invests $20 billion a year over a five-year period to “expand community health centers and provide the resources necessary to recruit, train, and retain tens of… (Joyce, July 19, 2023) #Community Health Centers, #Graduate Medical Education (GME), #Mental and Behavioral Health, #Nutrition, #Public Health, #Rural Health, #Workforce

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a report showing that allocations of the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) different with respect to the race and ethnicity of the populations served.The PRF included $178 billion in funds to respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency, especially by reimbursing health care providers for expenses… (McClurg, July 19, 2023) #COVID-19, #Health Equity

The House Energy & Commerce (E&C) Health Subcommittee convened a hearing to examine Medicare coverage of innovative drugs, medical devices, and technology, including the National Coverage Determination (NCD) process and coverage with evidence development (CED) requirements, particularly for Alzheimer’s Disease treatments, and the recently proposed Transitional Coverage for Emerging Technologies (TCET) pathway for breakthrough medical devices. Takeaways from the hearing… (Slifer, July 18, 2023) #Coverage Decisions, #Medical Devices, #Prescription Drugs

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is set to launch the Bridge Access Program for COVID-19 Vaccines in the fall of 2023. Announced earlier this year, the program aims to provide free COVID-19 vaccines and treatments to uninsured and underinsured adults in the United States until December 2024 (client summary). The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)… (Colocho, July 18, 2023) #COVID-19, #Health Equity, #Prevention, #Public Health

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a meeting of the Advisory Panel on Hospital Outpatient Payment (HOP Panel) for August 21 and 22, 2023. The HOP Panel advices the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and CMS Administrator on the clinical integrity of the Ambulatory Payment Classification (APC) groups and their associated weights…. (Colocho, July 17, 2023) #Ambulatory Surgical Centers, #Hospitals

One year after the rollout of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the addition of Spanish text and chat services. The 988 Lifeline is a network of over 200 state and local call centers providing services for individuals needing assistance with suicide, substance use, and mental health-related crises. Over the… (Marceno, July 17, 2023) #Health Equity, #Mental and Behavioral Health, #Prevention