Billy Wynne

Senator Sanders’ Field Hearing on Nurse Staffing and Labor Disputes Draws Political Divide and Hospital Critique The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee convened a ‘field hearing’ to examine the issue of nurse staffing ratios. Senate HELP Chair, Bernie Sanders, visited New Jersey to address the labor dispute involving approximately 1,700 striking nurses…

Independent Dispute Resolution Process Proposed Rule Today, the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and the Treasury (the Departments) and the Office of Personnel Management issued a proposed rule on regulations governing the Federal Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR) process under the No Surprises Act (fact sheet).   What it is. The Departments propose an…

CMS Finalizes CY 2024 ESRD PPS, Payments Expected to Increase by 2.1 Percent for ESRD Facilities The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its calendar year (CY) 2024 end-stage renal disease (ESRD) prospective payment system (PPS) final rule (fact sheet). Details follow. What it is. This final rule outlines ESRD PPS payment policies…

CISA and HHS Release Health Care Cybersecurity Toolkit; HHS to Consider Tying Cyber Standards to Payments The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) jointly released a cybersecurity toolkit tailored for the U.S. health care and public health (HPH) sector to address the growing cybersecurity challenges faced…

Biden-Harris Administration Introduces National LIHEAP Eligibility Tool and Commits Close to $3.7 Billion to Assist in Reducing Home Energy Costs Through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced almost $3.7 billion in funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to provide financial assistance…

New Report Finds That 12.8 Percent of U.S. Households Were Food Insecure in 2022, an Increase of 2.6 From 2021 The Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) released a report on household food security in 2022. FNS collects this data to analyze the level of food security and inform its nutrition assistance programs.…

Report Finds that the Strategic National Stockpile Was Not Equipped to Handle COVID-19 Due to Internal and External Factors The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a report to determine whether the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) was effective in responding…

Subcommittee Expresses Interest in Increasing Physician Payment, Examining Quality Programs, and Reducing Administrative Burden The House Energy & Commerce (E&C) Health Subcommittee convened a hearing to discuss a wide array of proposals to increase physician payment, increase access to care, and reduce administrative burden. Members spoke with two panels which included representatives from the Administration,…

Committee Examines Ways to Improve Health Care Delivery, Reduce Federal Spending The Senate Budget Committee convened a hearing to examine ways to improve health care delivery and reduce federal health care spending in the budget. Chairman Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) intended for the hearing to set the foundation to move bipartisan legislation. Members discussed primary care…

HHS Office for Civil Rights Releases Resources to Help Educate Patients on the Privacy and Security of Protected Health Information When Using Telehealth Services The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released two patient resources to explain the privacy and security risks to patient’s protected health information (PHI) when…