- CMS: Request for Information; Health Technology Ecosystem
- VA: Staff Sergeant Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program Funding Opportunity
- State: 60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: J-1 Visa Waiver Recommendation Application
- Public Inspection: CMS: Request for Information: Health Technology Ecosystem
- HHS: Request for Information (RFI): Ensuring Lawful Regulation and Unleashing Innovation To Make American Healthy Again
- VA: Solicitation of Nominations for the Appointment to the Advisory Committee on Tribal and Indian Affairs
- GAO Seeks New Members for Tribal and Indigenous Advisory Council
- VA: Staff Sergeant Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program Funding Opportunity
- Telehealth Study Recruiting Veterans Now
- USDA Delivers Immediate Relief to Farmers, Ranchers and Rural Communities Impacted by Recent Disasters
- Submit Nominations for Partnership for Quality Measurement (PQM) Committees
- Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation of the Medicare Program (Executive Order 14192) - Request for Information
- Dr. Mehmet Oz Shares Vision for CMS
- CMS Refocuses on its Core Mission and Preserving the State-Federal Medicaid Partnership
- Social Factors Help Explain Worse Cardiovascular Health among Adults in Rural Vs. Urban Communities
Dental Sealant Benefits Outlined in American Dental Association White Paper
The ADA Council on Advocacy for Access and Prevention released a white paper listing the benefits of using dental sealants in children and adolescents and providing guidance on prevention, quality and efficacy measures on the use of sealants, according to ADA News. The white paper, which was created by the council’s Advisory Committee on Dental Sealants with Irene Hilton, D.D.S., as chair, found that sealants can effectively prevent and arrest pit-and-fissure/ occlusal carious lesions of primary and permanent molars and reduce the progression of noncavitated occlusal carious lesions.
Full Story: ADA News
Population Fell In Three Quarters Of US Counties In 2021
From the Washington Post
Almost three-quarters of all U.S. counties reported more deaths than births last year, a development largely caused by the pandemic, which contributed to a dramatic slowing in the nation’s overall population growth, according to data released Thursday by the Census Bureau. Low fertility rates, which have persisted since the end of the Great Recession, and the nation’s continuing demographic shift toward an older population also combined to create the smallest population increase in 100 years, said Kenneth M. Johnson, a sociology professor and demographer at the University of New Hampshire. He said he expected the data to show a natural decrease but was surprised at its scale. Natural decrease occurs when a population records more deaths than births. (Kunkle, 3/24)
Click here to read the article.
2022 Colgate Bright Smiles Kids Award Nominations Being Accepted
In 2022, Colgate is encouraging children ages 6-14 to unleash their optimism and creativity to inspire the kind of future we can all smile about. Now, until April 8, 2022, Colgate BSBF will be accepting video entries (up to 2-minutes) of musical, scientific, artistic, journalistic, technology-focused, culinary, or other projects highlighting how optimism can positively impact our lives and futures. Ideas and inspiration can be found on their website, along with contest rules and regulations. Finalists will be determined by an advisory panel and winners will be selected by a live audience. The first-place national award winner will receive $10,000 for their school or organization. Second and third-place winners will be awarded $5,000 and $2,500 respectively. Ideas and inspiration can be found on the Colgate Bright Smiles Bright Future website, along with contest rules and regulations.
Teledentistry Helps Provide the Right Care at the Right Time
The CareQuest Institute for Oral Health presents a report on the best uses of teledentistry. This research report discusses the use of teledentistry for dental triage, follow-up care, and in place of in-person visits for patients with less access to care, such as those in rural areas.
ICYMI: “Oral Health for All: Realizing the Promise of Science”
Dr. Vivek Murthy, U.S. Surgeon General, co-authored an editorial focusing on oral health. The highest burden of dental and oral disease is shouldered by marginalized and chronically underserved groups. Moving forward, we will need to forge a path for oral health care that prioritizes overall health, prevention, expanded access, affordability, and equity.
Dental Workforce Numbers Continue to Plague Pennsylvania
The PA Coalition for Oral Health (PCOH) recognizes the dental workforce challenges facing our state and is currently working with private consultants and student interns to do a complete analysis of the extent of these issues, both for licensees and Medicaid providers. Be on the lookout for upcoming webinars throughout the remainder of the year when we will share our findings.
New Statistics Available: 2016–2020 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
The U.S. Census Bureau released new statistics from the 2016–2020 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates. Following pandemic-related data collection disruptions, the Census Bureau revised its methodology to reduce nonresponse bias in data collected in 2020. After evaluating the effectiveness of this methodology, the Census Bureau determined the standard, full suite of 2016–2020 ACS 5-year data are fit for public release, government and business uses.
Median Household Income
- The newly released 2016–2020 ACS 5-year data shows that Pennsylvania’s median household income increased to $63,627 when compared to the 2011–2015 ACS 5-year data adjusted for inflation.
- Between the two nonoverlapping periods, median household income increased in 66 of the state’s 67 counties. The largest increase was in Chester County (+$10,205) and the largest decline in Bradford County (-$1,180).
Poverty
- From 2011–2015 to 2016–2020, the overall poverty rate for Pennsylvania decreased from 13.5% to 12.0%.
- From 2011–2015 to 2016–2020, the poverty rate decreased in 59 of the state’s 67 counties, with the largest decrease in Juniata County (-3.8%). The rate increased in 7 counties, with the largest increase in Cameron County (+5.2%). There was no change in Schuylkill County (remained at 13.1%).
The revised methodology improves the 2020 weighted survey responses by comparing characteristics for responding and nonresponding households using administrative, third-party and decennial census data. The resulting 2020 input data were then integrated with the inputs from 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 (processed using standard ACS methodology) to produce the 5-year data products. To learn more about changes to the methodology, view the methodology user note.
It is important to note, the ACS 5-year estimates are not designed to measure rapid change during short periods because the data come from a 5-year period. Although the most recent estimates contain data that include the economic shock from the COVID-19 pandemic, they also contain data collected in the final years (2016–2019) of the longest expansion in the history of U.S. business cycles. These data only reflect a small part of the impact of the pandemic on social, economic and housing measures.
Data users should use caution when comparing 2016–2020 5-year estimates to earlier ACS data. For more information, visit comparison guidance. To learn more about the ACS 5-year period estimates, read Period Estimates in the American Community Survey.
Changes to Race and Hispanic Origin
The findings on race and ethnicity from the 2016–2020 ACS were similar to the 2020 Census results.
- The White population remained the largest race or ethnicity group in the state, however this population declined by 2.6% between 2011–2015 and 2016–2020. The American Indian and Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander populations also declined during this period.
- The multiracial (the Two or More Races) population increased by 58.8% between 2011–2015 and 2016–2020.
- The Some Other Race population increased 23.6% between 2011–2015 and 2016–2020 while the Asian population increased 14.4% and the Black or African American population increased 1.2% during this period.
- The Hispanic or Latino population, which includes people of any race, increased by 19.2% between 2011–2015 and 2016–2020.
The 2016–2020 ACS 5-year estimates also reflect planned changes made to the design, processing and coding of the race and Hispanic origin questions.
Beginning in 2020, the Census Bureau implemented changes to the Hispanic origin and race questions based on extensive research and outreach over the past decade. The improvements made to the design, processing and coding of the Hispanic origin and race questions are similar to changes made in the 2020 Census.
The differences in the overall racial distributions relative to 2011–2015 ACS data are largely due to improvements in the design of the two separate questions for Hispanic origin and race data collection and processing as well as some demographic changes.
The Census Bureau is also set to release the ACS 5-year Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) and the Variance Replicate Estimates (VRE) on March 31, 2022.
New Release: An Update on Cancer Deaths in the United States
A new report on cancer, An Update on Cancer Deaths in the United States, uses the latest cancer death data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s National Center for Health Statistics. In 2020, almost 603,000 people died of cancer in the United States, but cancer death rates have continued to drop. Cancer deaths have dropped 27% over 20 years from 2001 to 2020. In other findings:
- Cancer remained the second leading cause of death, after heart disease in 2020. COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death.
- Lung cancer was the leading cause of cancer death, attributing to 23% of all cancer deaths.
- Cancer death rates differed by cancer type, sex, racial and ethnic group, and residence in an urban or rural county.
UPMC Launches First Tele-ED in Pennsylvania at UPMC Kane
From the Bradford (PA) Era
UPMC is leveraging its clinical expertise and innovative technology to launch the first tele-Emergency Department (Tele-ED) in Pennsylvania at UPMC Kane in McKean County.
In line with the Pennsylvania Department of Health guidelines announced on March 2 to increase patient access to care through innovative delivery models, UPMC created a first-of-its kind in Pennsylvania rural health care approach that will allow access to excellent emergency medical care at UPMC Kane.
“UPMC is committed to advancing access to quality health care for all our patients, wherever they live and work,” said Donald M. Yealy, M.D., UPMC chief medical officer and chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. “This new model of care will meet the needs of the community, today and into the future, while using all available resources across our deep and talented workforce.”
UPMC Kane is partnering with UPMC Hamot in Erie to create an emergency medicine collaboration using advanced telemedicine technology. Board certified emergency medicine physicians located at UPMC Hamot, 94 miles away in Erie, partner with on-site, trained advanced practice providers (APPs) at UPMC Kane, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to provide the best care for all who seek it.
“Bedside care is delivered by physician assistants (PAs) and certified registered nurse practitioners (CRNPs) at UPMC Kane using advanced video, audio and examination technology to connect patients seamlessly and quickly with board-certified emergency medicine physicians at UPMC Hamot,” said Mark Papalia, UPMC Kane president. “Together, the APP and physician diagnose and care for the patient.”
UPMC Kane is an acute care hospital located in a remote, rural community with an average daily inpatient census of five to six hospitalized patients and approximately 6,000 total emergency department visits each year.UPMC Hamot is the advanced tertiary care regional hub for UPMC in northwest Pennsylvania and southwest New York caring for nearly 70,000 patients in the emergency department annually. UPMC Hamot provides high-level specialized care and is a Level II trauma center, the only accredited trauma center in the Erie region.
“Accessibility and long-term sustainability are the driving forces behind UPMC Kane’s innovative model,” said Yealy. “In rural communities across the country, the ratio of physicians to patients is approximately half that of suburban and urban areas. More than 100 rural hospitals closed across the country over the past decade in part because of recruitment challenges. Much of rural America is medically underserved creating the necessity for new models of care to improve access to and quality of health care.”
This innovation for rural health care delivery results from careful planning and training within the UPMC Kane transformation plan to improve rural health care and enhance access, as part of its enrollment in the Pennsylvania Rural Health Model. As a participating hospital of the initiative, the Pennsylvania Department of Health and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) permitted UPMC Kane to pursue Tele-ED program development and launch in Pennsylvania in advance of the Commonwealth’s March 2 rural health guidelines announcement.
“UPMC Kane has been successfully operating a similar inpatient tele-hospitalist program since May of 2021,” said Papalia. “The program is in partnership with the UPMC Center for Community Hospitalist Medicine. Through this technology innovation, inpatients receive virtual rounds and on-demand consultation access with UPMC’s vast network of physicians and advanced clinical resources.”
Alike to a Tele-ED, the tele-hospitalist program enhances and improves rural health care through a sustainable, vibrant and transformational new model of care. “UPMC remains committed to creating the highest levels of access and quality care for patients in every community we serve,” added Yealy. “This new model of Tele-ED care represents looking ahead by designing sustainable models of health care delivery for the future that also serve our patients’ needs today. We are here to care for our communities and provide even greater access to the excellent care and expertise of UPMC.”
Healthy People 2020 Final Review
The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) released the Overview of Health Disparities, the final component in the Healthy People 2020 Final Review suite of products. This component displays changes over time in disparities for a subset of measurable objectives by six selected characteristics: sex, race and ethnicity, educational attainment, family income, disability status, and geographic location.
The Overview of Health Disparities is interactive and includes a chart and table that can be filtered by Healthy People 2020 topic area(s) and population characteristic(s).