The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a Quality, Safety & Oversight memo on workplace violence in hospitals. The memo reiterated the regulatory obligation Medicare certified hospitals have under the Medicare Hospital Conditions of Participation (CoP) (§482.13(c)(2)), including the Medicare Hospital Emergency Preparedness CoP (§482.15(a)). Briefly, the agency highlights the following expectations:   Adhere to current standards of… (Testa, November 28, 2022) #Hospitals, #Program Integrity

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued clinical practice guideline for prescribing opioid for pain. The 2022 edition updates and expands the 2016 version and provides evidence-based recommendation for clinicians who provide pain care, including those prescribing opioids, for acute pain, subacute pain, and chronic pain. The guideline provides recommendations in the following areas: Determining whether or not… (Slifer, November 18, 2022) #Opioids

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) released a proposed rule with changes to the food packages in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) (proposed rule; press release). The updates reflect science-based revisions and incorporate recommendations from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans,… (McClurg, November 18, 2022) #Nutrition, #Pediatrics

The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released its annual Report to Congress on high-priority evidence gaps for clinical preventive services. USPSTF is an independent, volunteer panel of experts that makes recommendations about preventive services. This report focuses on research gaps related to promoting healthy behaviors across the lifespan, especially for individuals in Black, Hispanic and Latino, American Indian and… (McClurg, November 17, 2022) #Chronic Diseases, #Primary Care

In a crucial advancement for human rights and equality, the Senate voted 72 to 37 to advance the Respect for Marriage Act (HR 8404).  The legislation would codify protections for same-sex and interracial marriage.  A final vote is expected after Thanksgiving.(Joyce, November 16, 2022) #Public Health

The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) recently released an issue brief on racial and ethnic disparities across selected measures of maternal and infant health, the factors that drive these disparities, and recent efforts to address them. This summary provides the key takeaways from the analysis. Status of Racial Disparities in Maternal and Infant Health. KFF looked at the status of racial… (Asres, November 16, 2022) #Health Equity, #Public Health, #Quality, #Women’s Health

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released a Center For Medicaid and CHIP Services (CMCS) Informational Bulletin (CIB) describing the 2023 and 2024 updates to the Core Set of children’s health care quality measures for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) (the Child Core Set) and for adults enrolled in Medicaid (the Adult Core Set). The Core… (Colocho, November 16, 2022) #Health Equity, #Quality