A major objective of the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions (ASAHP) is to be a leading interprofessional voice for improvements in health and health care. An essential belief is that all health professions programs and schools should provide interprofessional education (IPE) opportunities for students from several health disciplines in order to foster competencies beyond clinical care, including leadership, advocacy, and evidence-based practice. Another significant step in that direction is the upcoming 2019 ASAHP Summit, a project co-sponsored by the ASAHP Interprofessional Subcommittee and the ASAHP Clinical Education Task Force, and co-hosted by Kindred Healthcare and Saint Louis University. In preparation for this event scheduled to occur on May 31, 2019 at Saint Louis University, Association members are being requested to complete a survey regarding some recommendations made by the Clinical Education Task Force. Information derived from the study will enhance Summit activities.
Developments in interprofessional education involving allied health are featured in the Association’s Journal of Allied Health. A new section called “Interprofessional Practice and Education” was created in this publication beginning with the Fall 2017 issue. Eleven IPE articles appeared in the four issues of the journal distributed in 2018. Two more appeared in the Spring 2019 issue and another two are scheduled for the Summer 2019 issue. Also, the recipient of the ASAHP Excellence and Innovation in Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Health Care Award will be announced later this year.
Secretary Devos Testifies At House Hearing On Department Of Education Policies And Priorities
Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos testified on April 10, 2019 at a House Education and Labor Committee hearing entitled “Examining the Policies and Priorities of the U.S. Department of Education.” The purpose of the hearing was to consider the Department’s fiscal year 2020 budget request and other Department initiatives. She discussed the Administration’s proposals to create a single income driven repayment (IDR) plan capped at 12.5% and to eliminate the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. She opined that the current loan program provides an after-the-fact benefit that fails to help students complete their program and does not take into account borrower earnings in their chosen professions. The aim of the Administration’s proposed plan is to support all borrowers pursuing any career through the single IDR plan, which will allow them to make affordable monthly payments based on their income.
Negotiated Rulemaking On Accreditation, Innovation, And Other Topics
The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) released draft consensus language from its negotiated rulemaking on accreditation, innovation, and other topics on April 17, 2019. Negotiated rulemaking is the process used by the USDE to negotiate the terms of a proposed administrative rule or regulatory change. The negotiated rulemaking full committee met four times between mid-January and early April, 2019. Three subcommittees that addressed distance education, faith-based institutions, and TEACH Grants made recommendations to the full committee. Consensus language pertaining to revised regulatory proposals will affect accreditation in some of the following ways:
Require more transparency regarding where regional accreditors operate
Provide more flexibility for innovation for institutions and accreditors
Protect students through enhanced disclosure and teach-out requirements
Simplify and balance the recognition process for both USDE and accrediting organizations
Require arbitration of accreditation decisions prior to going to court
Make it easier for new accreditors to gain recognition
Next, USDE will publish a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in the Federal Register and provide for a public comment period. For the rule to take effect on July 1, 2020, the final rule must be published in the Federal Register by November of this year.
More Articles from TRENDS April 2019
VARIETIES OF PLAGUES BOTH OLD AND NEW
Examples are provided of infectious diseases as well as another kind of plague resulting from doubts and uncertainties about purported advantages of contemporary life. Read More
PRESIDENT’S CORNER—ASAHP MEMBER FOCUS
Yasmen Simonian, Dean and Brady Distinguished Professor at Weber State University, is featured in this issue of TRENDS. Read More
100TH DAY OF THE 116TH CONGRESS
A summary of important accomplishments during the first 100 days of the 116th Congress is described. Read More
HEALTH REFORM DEVELOPMENTS
Discusses: the Medicare For All Act Of 2019, provision of non-medical services for social needs that affect health, and reaction in the House of Representatives to a lawsuit to invalidate the Affordable Care Act. Read More
QUICK STAT (SHORT, TIMELY, AND TOPICAL)
Disparities In Prevalence Of Major Cancer Risk Factors And Screening Test Use In The U.S.
Foreign-Body Ingestions Of Young Children Treated In U.S. Emergency Departments: 1995-2015
Morning Exercise Is Better Than Evening Exercise Except When It Is Not
Using Voice Analysis To Evaluate And Predict Human Behaviors And Identify Health Risks Read More
AVAILABLE RESOURCES ACCESSIBLE ELECTRONICALLY
Hospitals’ Use Of Electronic Health Records Data, 2015-2017
Care Coordination
Strengthening The Connection Between Health Professions Education And Practice Read More
PER SCIENTIAM AD SAPIENTIAM: SOME KEY STEPS IN THE JOURNEY
Furnishes examples from the professional literature that serve as stepping stones on the road from knowledge to wisdom. Read More
PLACING A MAN ON THE MOON AND SOME RELATED MUSINGS
Refers to health hazards associated with lengthy periods of time in outer space and implications for improving health status on earth’s inhabitants. Read More