The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) convened a session to discuss potential recommendations for countercyclical disproportionate share hospital (DSH) allotments. Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments offset hospital uncompensated care costs for Medicaid-enrolled and uninsured patients. During economic recessions, Medicaid enrollment and the number of people who are uninsured increase. The Commissioners previously agreed that a countercyclical… (Colocho, March 3, 2023) #Disproportionate Share Hospitals (DSH)

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) held a presentation and discussion on a potential unified post-acute care prospective payment system (PAC PPS). The Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation (IMPACT) Act of 2014 requires MedPAC to design a prototype payment system for Home Health Associations (HHAs), Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs), Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities (IRFs), and Long Term Care Hospitals (LTCHs) that… (McClurg, March 3, 2023) #Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities, #Long-Term Care, #Long-Term Care Hospitals, #Skilled Nursing Facilities, #Value-Based Insurance Design

The leadership of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension (HELP) Committee released a letter to health care providers and stakeholders requesting information on the root causes of the current health care workforce shortage and potential ways to address it. Using the input they receive, the senators hope to identify bipartisan solutions that can be included in future legislation. This… (Llamas, March 2, 2023) #Workforce

The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce convened a hearing to consider how to promote innovation through a National Standard for Data Privacy. The discussion builds on the bipartisan, bicameral American Data Privacy and Protection Act (ADPPA) (H.R. 8152), which moved through the committee last year, but ultimately failed to pass the House. The legislation establishes… (Colocho, March 1, 2023) #Health Information Technology, #Privacy, #Transparency

House Energy and Commerce (E&C) Committee Members Reps. Richard Hudson (R-NC) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA) released a request for information (RFI) seeking feedback and suggestions for the upcoming Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA) reauthorization (press release). Responses are due March 13, 2023.   Most PAHPA programs and authorities expire at the end of fiscal year 2023 (September 30,… (Llamas, March 1, 2023) <span style="font-size:90%;

Firearm injury prevention is a strategic imperative of the National Advisory Council for Nursing Research (NACNR). The Council held a meeting focused on the role nurse scientists and nursing research can play in firearm injury prevention.  Presentations outlined the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s current firearm injury prevention research initiatives including the… (Colocho, February 22, 2023) #Prevention, #Public Health

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that certified independent dispute resolution (IDR) entities can resume processing payment determinations on February 27, 2023 for payment disputes involving items or services furnished before October 25, 2022 (February 24 notice).   As a result of the decision in Texas Medical Association, et al. v. United States Department of Health and… (Llamas, February 28, 2023) #Coverage Decisions, #Insurance Reform

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on health care reentry policies and procedures to help inmates apply for federal and state benefits upon release. GAO highlights that access to health care coverage and continuity of care following incarceration reduces the potential for re-arrest, especially among individuals with substance use disorders. GAO developed this report, pursuant to the Consolidated… (McClurg, February 27, 2023) #Demonstration Programs, #Insurance Coverage, #Mental and Behavioral Health

The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) published two proposed rules that would scale back the pandemic-era flexibilities around telehealth prescribing of controlled substances. The first rule addresses Schedule III-V non-narcotic controlled substances and the second rule addresses buprenorphine – a medication used to treat opioid use disorder (OUD). The rules will take effect once the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) ends… (LaRosa, February 27, 2023) #COVID-19, #Mental and Behavioral Health, #Prescription Drugs, #Telehealth

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule that seeks to further clarify the treatment of inpatient days associated with Medicaid Section 1115 demonstrations in the calculation of Medicare disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments. CMS re-proposes, with minor changes, the policy previously proposed during fiscal year (FY) 2023 rulemaking that would have narrowed the definition of eligible… (Testa, February 24, 2023) #Demonstration Programs, #Disproportionate Share Hospitals (DSH), #Subsidies, #Waivers