The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) made the announcement last week and invites nominations to bring perspectives from outside the government to help inform federal action.  Committee activities will focus on health equity, needing a diverse membership of persons with multidisciplinary expertise – clinical, medical, public health, behavioral health, human services, employment, data science, and research – as well as those with Long COVID experience.  Researchers and even insurers have already considered that long COVID could be “a mass disabling event” affecting economic productivity. A more recent study suggests a higher prevalence among nonmetropolitan adults. As of December 2022, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that the top five states for self-reported symptoms are mostly rural: Montana, Wyoming, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Alaska.

Read the full article here.

As announced by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in January 2023, clinicians no longer need a federal waiver to prescribe buprenorphine for treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD). Clinicians are still required to register with the federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to prescribe controlled medications. On June 27, the DEA began to require that applicants, both new and seasoned, must affirm they have completed a new, one-time, eight-hour training when registering. Exceptions for the new training requirement are practitioners who are board certified in addiction medicine or addiction psychiatry, and those who graduated from a medical, dental, physician assistant, or advanced practice nursing school in the United States within five years of June 27, 2023. Watch this 11-minute video that explains the changes. Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) can still apply for a $3,000 payment on behalf of each provider who trained between January 1, 2019, and December 29, 2022 (when Congress eliminated the waiver requirement). Approximately $889,000 in program funding remains available for RHCs and will be paid on a first-come, first-served basis until funds are exhausted.

Send questions to DATA2000WaiverPayments@hrsa.gov.

In 2011, a San Francisco program targeting low-income families put $50 deposits into 600 children’s bank accounts. Now, 12 years later, members of that cohort have an average savings balance of $1,422, which is about 28 times that initial deposit, the Wall Street Journal reports. The program has a dual purpose: to teach smart financial habits and serve as a start to college savings. And so far, it’s been replicated in 39 states due to its success, including Pennsylvania. In Pennsylvania, ALL children born in 2019 and after to PA residents, including children who are adopted, have a Keystone Scholars account in their name with $100 for postsecondary education expenses. The commonwealth’s universal rollout to approximately 140,000 children each year makes Keystone Scholars the largest such program in the country to date. While the $100 is available to all eligible families, the Treasury advises parents to register their child for the program so that they can claim the funding.

Visit the Keystone Scholars website for more information on the program, including a video on how to activate a child’s account.

Many have been watching and waiting for the impact of CVS Health on the current healthcare system. The company’s strong financial results for the third quarter, $2.3 billion in profit, indicate it could have major impacts. Those impacts include market disruption, diversification, and innovation; ability to adapt; capture the Medicare market with announcement by CVS of Aetna’s 2024 Medicare products; a high CMS star rating; and of course, financial considerations. Being aware of and adapting to the evolving healthcare landscape is essential to remain competitive in the face of disruptive market forces.

Over the years, Amazon has slowly continued to add exclusive offerings for its Prime members, ranging from rapid delivery to access to curated services. Last week the company announced the latest addition to Prime: access to primary care services through its One Medical platform for $9 per month. One Medical provides access to 24/7 virtual care, expedited care for common concerns such as cold symptoms and skin issues, and same- or next-day remote or in-person appointments at One Medical primary care offices. Notably, virtual care users will not have any additional costs, as the entire service is included in the membership fee. Alternatively, patients that prefer office visits can use insurance or pay out of pocket. Though One Medical is normally available to the wider public for $199, Prime Members can now get it for $99 annually, with the option to include additional members for $66 each. Amazon acquired One Medical last year in a deal valued at nearly $3.9 billion, illustrating the significant interest that the retail giant has in the healthcare delivery business and primary care.

HRSA released the fiscal year (FY) 2024 Budget Period Progress Report (BPR) Non-Competing Continuation (5-H80-24-006) for Health Center Program award recipients with a June 1 budget period start date. These award recipients have a BPR submission available for completion in EHBs with a deadline of 5:00 pm on Friday, Dec. 29. Technical assistance materials and deadlines for all FY 2024 BPRs are available on the BPR TA webpage.