Newswire Archives
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized significant changes to the Home Health Prospective Payment System to strengthen and modernize Medicare. Specifically, CMS made changes to improve access to solutions via remote patient monitoring technology, update payments for home health care with a new case-mix system, begin the new home infusion therapy benefit, and reduce burden.
A fact sheet on the final rule can be obtained at
A new report from the Institute for Higher Education Policy examines persistent racial and socioeconomic gaps in access and graduation at six flagship universities in the Midwest.
The report can be obtained at
Building on its work over the past five years to reinvent the way future physicians are trained, the American Medical Association (AMA) today announced a new $15 million competitive grant initiative aimed at better aligning residency training with the evolving needs of patients, communities, and the workforce needs of the current and future health care system.
More information can be obtained at
https://www.ama-assn.org/education/ama-reimagining-residency-initiative.
The U.S. health care system is leaving many of the sickest Americans feeling helpless, facing serious problems with their care, and struggling to make ends meet, according to the first joint survey from the Commonwealth Fund, the New York Times, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, part of a partnership called Health Care in America.
A report of the survey results can be obtained at https://cdn1.sph.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/94/2018/10/CMWF-NYT-HSPH-Seriously-Ill-Poll-Report.pdf.
A new brief from the Urban Institute provides updated estimates of Social Security and Medicare lifetime benefits and taxes for households with different earnings histories, updated to the latest information on income, prices, mortality, and related factors. Tables illustrate how these programs continuously evolve over a 100-year period, stretching from a cohort born around the turn of the 20th century to millennials just entering adulthood.
The brief can be obtained at https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/99232/social_security_and_medicare_lifetime_benefits_and_taxes_2018_update.pdf.
According to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey of state Medicaid directors, enrollment in that program declined an average 0.6 percent in fiscal year 2018, largely due to a strengthening economy. Average combined federal and state Medicaid spending grew by 4.2 percent, similar to the previous year’s growth, and states project an average 5.3 percent increase in spending in FY 2019.
Survey results can be obtained at https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/medicaid-enrollment-spending-growth-fy-2018-2019/.
While accountable care organizations, or ACOs, are designed to contain health care costs and address inconsistency in health care quality, the evidence so far shows they've achieved only limited success in meeting these goals.
Additional information about research supported by the Commonwealth Fund-can be obtained at https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/journal-article/2018/oct/physician-practices-early-acos?omnicid=EALERT1496319&mid=thomas@asahp.org.
Health care added 25,700 new jobs in September 2018, in line with the 12-month average of 25,100 per month. Hospitals added a higher-than-average 12,000 jobs in July, above the 12-month average of 8,600. Ambulatory settings such as physician offices and home health added a lower-than-average new 10,300 jobs, below the 12-month average of 14,900. Year over year (September 2018 compared to September 2017), health jobs grew by 1.9% while non-health jobs grew by 1.7% and the health share of total jobs was steady at 10.76%.
The report can be obtained at https://altarum.org/sites/default/files/uploaded-publication-files/SHSS-Labor-Brief_October_2018.pdf.
Using updated American Community Survey 2012-2016 Estimates, U.S. Census Bureau researchers found that in a number of areas, the inclusion of off-campus students had a statistically significant effect on local poverty rates, in some cases increasing the rate by 10 or more percentage points.
More information can be obtained at https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2018/10/off-campus-college-students-poverty.html.
An announcement from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) indicates that the regulatory burden in present-value terms has been reduced by $12.5 billion. A news release provides specific examples.
The news release can be obtained at https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2018/10/17/secretary-azar-highlights-recognition-of-hhs-as-top-agency-for-regulatory-reform.html.
A new brief from the Urban Institute calculates the “mix-match” between the shares of individuals with postsecondary education and of jobs requiring it in 387 metropolitan areas. None of these areas has a higher share of jobs requiring “some college” than residents with that level of education and 87% percent of metros have a similar labor market “mix-match” for those with at least a four-year degree.
The brief can be obtained at https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/99185/the_education-jobs_mix-match_1.pdf.
A new post by the Commonwealth Fund discusses a proposed "public charge" rule by the Trump Administration that could affect millions of legal immigrants enrolled in Medicaid.
The post can be obtained at https://www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2018/new-public-charge-rule-affecting-immigrants-has-major-implications-medicaid?omnicid=EALERT1491507&mid=thomas@asahp.org.
The American Council on Education’s (ACE’s) Center for Policy Research and Strategy (CPRS) has released a brief that addresses hateful incidents on campus and explores how institutional leaders can balance free speech rights with providing a safe, inclusive, and welcoming environment for students, faculty, and staff.
The brief can be obtained at https://www.acenet.edu/news-room/Documents/To-The-Point-Hateful-Incidents.pdf.
A commentary from the RAND Corp discusses the potential advantages of being able to use a personal smartphone to tap into a doctor’s office computer system to upload medical history information safely, securely, and accurately. Moreover, the ability to do so could help solve a serious but lesser-known problem that plagues hospitals and clinics: providers aren't always able to pull together records for the same patient reliably that are held in different hospitals, clinics, and other health professionals’ offices.
The commentary can be obtained at https://www.rand.org/blog/2018/10/how-smartphone-apps-could-help-keep-health-records.html.
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) has released a report detailing how state funding cuts to higher education institutions during the recession have not recovered. Tuition continues to rise threatening the affordability of higher education to many individuals and families.
Read the full report here.
A brief from the Urban Institute highlights key components of the return to higher education investments for both individual students and state taxpayers.
The brief can be obtained at https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/99078/evaluating_the_return_on_investment_in_higher_education_0.pdf.
According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), 64 rural hospitals closed between 2013 and 2017, which is more than twice the number during the prior five-year period. The closures disproportionately occurred in the South, involved facilities that received the Medicare Dependent Hospital payment designation, and were hospitals affected by financial distress.
The report can be obtained at https://www.gao.gov/assets/700/694125.pdf.
Compared with whites, members of racial and ethnic minorities are less likely to receive preventive health services and often receive lower-quality care. They also have worse health outcomes for certain conditions. A report from the Commonwealth Fund offers examples of health systems that are making efforts to identify implicit bias and structural racism in their organizations, and developing customized approaches to engaging and supporting patients to ameliorate their effects.
The report can be obtained at https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/newsletter-article/2018/sep/focus-reducing-racial-disparities-health-care-confronting?omnicid=%25%25jobid%25%25&mid=%25%25emailaddr%25%25.
The Great Recession of 2008 changed the course of higher education and still affect decision making today. Tuition rates that previously dropped after the recession continue to remain; however, students still have to take out loans to afford college. Students focus more on majors, such as healthcare and business, rather than humanities in hopes of better job placement after graduation. College presidents and boards shifted their focus to short-term visible goals, rather than long-term goals that may not show results immediately.
To read the full article, click here.
U.S. adults with disabilities often have difficulty locating accessible providers with expertise in their conditions. Compared with other Americans, adults with disabilities receive less preventive care, have a higher incidence of chronic conditions, and visit the hospital and emergency department more often — leading to much higher health care spending. A new Commonwealth Fund report highlights model health plans and clinics around the U.S. that focus on preventing and identifying complications; seek to engage patients and earn their trust; and integrate long-term services and supports to promote independence and social inclusion.
The report can be obtained at https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/case-study/2018/sep/systems-care-adults-disabilities?omnicid=EALERT1480062&mid=thomas@asahp.org.
