Newswire Archives
As part of the Biden Administration’s continued commitment to improve the safety and quality of care for nursing home residents, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is increasing scrutiny and oversight over the country’s poorest-performing nursing facilities in an effort to improve the care they deliver immediately.
More information can be obtained at FACT SHEET: Protecting Seniors by Improving Safety and Quality of Care in the Nation’s Nursing Homes - The White House.
ASAHP recently recognized numerous higher education health professionals from across the country for their leadership, contributions and excellence in the fields of health sciences and health professions. The awards were presented at ASAHP’s annual conference. “Leading the Charge - Advancing Innovation in Higher Education and the Health Professions” which took place October 19-21, 2022 at the Westin Long Beach hotel in Southern California.
Today, the student loan debt relief application officially launched. The program provides eligible borrowers with full or partial discharge of loans up to $20,000 to Federal Pell Grant recipients and up to $10,000 to non-Pell Grant recipients.
The application is available here.
As a result of the continued consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, Xavier Becerra, Secretary of Health and Human Services, renewed for another 90 days, effective October 13, 2022, the January 31, 2020 determination by former Secretary Alex M. Azar II that a public health emergency exists and has existed since January 27, 2020, nationwide.
For generations, racism and mistreatment at the hands of medical professionals have left many people of color distrustful of the health care system. How do clinicians rebuild trust with their patients? The Commonwealth Fund has a new interview a senior behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation regarding this matter.
The interview can be obtained at Understanding & Addressing Medical Mistrust Interview Laura Bogart | Commonwealth Fund.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2023 Star Ratings for Medicare Advantage (Medicare Part C) and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans to help beneficiaries compare plans ahead of Medicare Open Enrollment, which begins on October 15.
Medicare enrollees can use the Plan Finder tool that is available on Welcome to Medicare | Medicare to compare plan quality through the Star Ratings, along with other information, such as cost and coverage.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was not lawful, but preserved the district court’s stay, which permits current enrollees to continue renewing their status. The ruling refers the case back to the lower court for reconsideration in light of the Biden administration’s release on August 30, 2022 of the final version of regulations designed to strengthen the DACA program.
The regulations can be viewed at https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2022-18401.pdf.
A data brief presents findings from the Commonwealth Fund Biennial Health Insurance Survey to describe the state of Americans’ health insurance coverage in 2022.
The data brief can be obtained at State of U.S. Health Insurance in 2022: Biennial Survey | Commonwealth Fund.
On Thursday, Members of the Senate Finance Committee released a discussion draft of legislation aimed at expanding the mental health workforce. This discussion draft is the third legislative draft the Finance Committee has released since kicking off its bipartisan mental health initiative.
The press release, with links to the discussion draft text and a two-page summary, may be accessed here.
A report from the Urban Institute provides a national picture of the extent to which adults with full-year private coverage, full-year public coverage, and who were uninsured all year perceive they are being treated unfairly because of their type of health insurance coverage and other reasons when seeking care.
The report can be obtained at https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/2022-09/Publicly%20Insured%20and%20Uninsured%20Patients%20Are%20More%20Likely%20to%20Be%20Treated%20Unfairly%20in%20Health%20Care%20Settings%20Because%20of%20Their%20Coverage%20Type.pdf.
According to a new research brief from the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, despite the historic lure to community colleges during previous recessions, Black student enrollment steadily has declined over time and has worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the role of community colleges during economic downturns and the disproportionate enrollment of Black students, it is essential to understand how community colleges can be tools for economic recovery in the context of COVID-19 when Black adults continue to face high unemployment rates.
The brief can be obtained at https://jointcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/The-State-of-Black-Students-at-Community-Colleges.pdf.
On Thursday, House Education & Labor Chair Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) and Higher Education and Workforce Investment Subcommittee Chair Frederica Wilson introduced the Lowering Obstacles to Achievement Now (LOAN) Act. The LOAN Act would double the federal Pell Grant, improve the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, make loans less expensive, and lower interest rates.
The bill text is available here, a one-page fact sheet is available here, and a section-by-section is available here.
The House Ways and Means Committee released a report detailing the role the U.S. health system plays in climate change. The report, “Health Care and the Climate Crisis: Preparing America’s Health Care Infrastructure”, was based on respondents to a Request For Information that includes climate innovators, providers, and trade associations. A hearing entitled, “Preparing America’s Health Care Infrastructure for the Climate Crisis ” was held on Thursday.
The report and more information may be accessed here. The hearing may be accessed here.
A report issued by the American Hospital Association indicates that as labor shortages and inflation drive up expenses, U.S. hospitals and health systems this year face the worst financial crisis since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
The report can be obtained at https://www.aha.org/system/files/media/file/2022/09/The-Current-State-of-Hospital-Finances-Fall-2022-Update-KaufmanHall.pdf.
Although behavioral health and physical health are profoundly linked, behavioral health care in the U.S. is usually delivered separately from primary care and the two often are poorly coordinated. A report from the Commonwealth Fund indicates that integrating behavioral health care with primary care can help address this crisis and promote equitable access to behavioral health services.
The report can be obtained at Integrating Primary Care and Behavioral Health to Address Crisis | Commonwealth Fund.
The Interprofessional Task Force (IPTF) of the Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions (ASAHP) is pleased to announce that Bowling Green State University, Seton Hall University, and University of Alabama at Birmingham are the three recipients of its 2022 Interprofessional Innovation Grant Program.
ASAHP’s Research Committee has developed a Research Repository for Health Professions. The page is broken down into 4 sections with specific details, links, and opportunities:
Federal Grant Opportunities
Nonfederal Grant Opportunities
Grant Writing
Managing Grant Funds
Please contact Kristen at media@asahp.org for access to the repository. It is open only to ASAHP members.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the Medicare Shared Savings Program, through its work with Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), groups of doctors, hospitals and other health care providers, saved Medicare money while continuing to deliver high-quality care. Specifically, the program saved Medicare $1.66 billion in 2021 compared to spending targets, marking the fifth consecutive year the program has generated overall savings and high-quality performance results.
More information can be obtained at Shared Savings Program | CMS.
Globally, the WHO reported that the number of new weekly cases decreased by 9% during the week of 15 to 21 August 2022, as compared to the previous week, with over 5.3 million new cases reported. The number of new weekly deaths decreased by 15%, as compared to the previous week, with over 14,000 fatalities reported. As of 21 August 2022, 593 million confirmed cases and 6.4 million deaths have been reported globally
The report can be obtained at https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/weekly-epidemiological-update-on-covid-19---24-august-2022.
