- Announcing the 2030 Census Disclosure Avoidance Research Program
- CMS: Medicare Program; Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems for Acute Care Hospitals and the Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System and Policy Changes and Fiscal Year 2026 Rates; Requirements for Quality Programs; and Other Policy Changes; Correction
- CMS: Medicare Program; Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems for Acute Care Hospitals and the Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System and Policy Changes and Fiscal Year 2026 Rates; Requirements for Quality Programs; and Other Policy Changes; Correction
- CMS: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Contract Year 2026 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage Program, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program, Medicare Cost Plan Program, and Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly; Correction
- CMS: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Contract Year 2026 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage Program, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program, Medicare Cost Plan Program, and Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly; Correction
- CMS: Medicare Program; Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities; Updates to the Quality Reporting Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2026
- CMS: Medicare Program; FY 2026 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements
- Public Inspection: CMS: Medicare Program: Fiscal Year 2026 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements
- Public Inspection: CMS: Medicare Program: Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities; Updates to the Quality Reporting Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2026
- CMS: Request for Information; Health Technology Ecosystem
- CMS: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; CY 2025 Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Changes to Part B Payment and Coverage Policies; Medicare Shared Savings Program Requirements; Medicare Prescription Drug Inflation Rebate Program; and Medicare Overpayments; and Appeal Rights for Certain Changes in Patient Status; Corrections and Correcting Amendment
- CMS: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; CY 2025 Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Changes to Part B Payment and Coverage Policies; Medicare Shared Savings Program Requirements; Medicare Prescription Drug Inflation Rebate Program; and Medicare Overpayments; and Appeal Rights for Certain Changes in Patient Status; Corrections and Correcting Amendment
- VA: Staff Sergeant Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program Funding Opportunity
- State: 60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: J-1 Visa Waiver Recommendation Application
- HHS: Request for Information (RFI): Ensuring Lawful Regulation and Unleashing Innovation To Make American Healthy Again
White House Unveils Sweeping Health Care Safety Efforts: 8 Notes
From Becker’s Clinical Leadership
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, a division of HHS, has partnered with other federal agencies and health systems to create a national safety alliance as part of broader commitments from the federal government to reduce preventable harm and improve care quality industrywide.
The alliance was among efforts shared at the White House Sept. 17 during a forum on patient safety hosted by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology — a working group of more than two dozen thought leaders in the academic, government and private sectors. AHRQ first shared the concept of a national safety alliance in 2023, with more details emerging at the forum.
Eight things to know:
- The National Action Alliance for Patient and Workforce Safety is a collective of federal agencies, heath systems, medical associations, policymakers and patient groups that will work together to apply evidence-based harm reduction strategies across all populations and settings, according to an AHRQ overview. The first area of focus will be hospital care settings.
- The alliance will rely on a total-systems approach to safety improvement and align with the National Action Plan to Advance Patient Safety, which aims to reduce preventable harm by 50% by 2026. Participating systems will conduct a baseline safety assessment to identify priority areas for improvement. Through the alliance, they’ll have access to implementation support, funding opportunities and other resources to support improvement efforts.
- On Nov. 1, the alliance will release an initial version of a dashboard to monitor the nation’s progress toward eliminating preventable patient and workplace harms across all settings.
- As part of the federal government’s broader efforts to improve safety in healthcare, the CDC has also released new guidance to support hospitals in reducing diagnostic errors — which are responsible for nearly 800,000 deaths per year. The CDC will also develop new measures to advance recognition and treatment of sepsis.
- The White House also secured commitments from 22 national and regional organizations to promote a “whole-of-society approach” to healthcare safety. For example, Press Ganey has committed to building an AI-backed analytics dashboard next year that will integrate key safety data points on patient outcomes, the workforce, safety culture and more. The Association of American Medical Colleges also plans to share a revised set of education competencies that focus on safety and quality improvement skills for physicians.
- In addition, the White House said 16 systems have committed to safety improvement actions. Together, these systems provide healthcare to more than 30 million patients and employ hundreds of thousands of workers
- In another initiative, the Veterans Health Administration, a component of the Department of Veterans Affairs, will roll out a new national program next year to prevent falls across care settings. All VA health system leaders will also sign a safety culture commitment by mid-2025.
- The patient safety alliance’s launch comes a little over a month after CMS added seven new measures to its hospital inpatient quality reporting program as part of its Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System final rule released Aug. 1. The patient safety measure will take effect in 2025. The patient safety structural measures assess whether hospitals have a structure and culture that prioritize safety through five domains: leadership committed to eliminating preventable harm; strategic planning and organizational policy; a culture of safety and learning; accountability and transparency; and patient and family engagement, according to a CMS final rule.
New Release: State of Oral Health Equity in America 2024
The CareQuest Institute for Oral Health just released key findings from their annual survey, “State of Oral Health Equity in America” and includes perceptions, attitudes, and experiences with oral health from more than 9,000 adults in the United States. Among other findings, the survey found that “adults with less than a high school education were nine times more likely to report seeking dental care through an emergency department than those with a postgraduate or professional degree.” A comprehensive report with additional findings will be released soon.
New Rural Hospital Workforce Toolkit Published
The Flex Monitoring Team (FMT) has released a new product, the Workforce Toolkit to Support Critical Access Hospitals and Rural Providers. This toolkit provides background on health care workforce challenges in the U.S., describes common workforce challenges faced by Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), and provides examples and links to external resources that CAHs may use to address their own workforce needs and enhance recruitment and retention.
The toolkit includes five modules, which each discuss key workforce challenges and resources by topic. These include an introductory module that summarizes broad challenges in the rural health care workforce as well as modules on organizational culture and leadership, leveraging partnerships, emergency medical services workforce, and administrative and support staff workforce.
ARC Awards Nearly $11.5 Million to Support Appalachians in Recovery from Substance Use Disorder
The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) awarded nearly $11.5 million to 39 projects through its Investments Supporting Partnerships in Recovery Ecosystems (INSPIRE) Initiative, which aims to address the impact of substance use disorder (SUD) in Appalachia with investments in projects that create or expand services in the recovery ecosystem leading to workforce entry and re-entry.
ARC’s 2024 INSPIRE grantees will strengthen the SUD recovery ecosystem in 127 counties in nine Appalachian states—Kentucky, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia—by expanding recovery-focused partnerships, peer support and other wraparound services, and skills and workforce training programs that help prepare individuals in recovery for meaningful job opportunities.
“Substance use disorder is a region-wide epidemic that impacts Appalachian families and community workforces,” said ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin. “I commend our 2024 INSPIRE grantees for their dedication in helping Appalachians who have struggled with substance use disorder regain a sense of hope and purpose by enabling them to rejoin their communities, bolster workforce development, and make positive impacts on the region.”
“In order to truly address substance use disorder, we must create an environment that includes support for wrap-around services such as housing, job training, and counseling,” said ARC States’ Co-Chair Tennessee Governor Bill Lee. “INSPIRE funding helps make this possible by empowering organizations to make an impact across the Appalachian region. We are proud of Tennessee’s nine grantees who are focused on this important work.”
Federal Co-Chair Manchin made the award announcement with North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley, grantees, and state partners during a press conference at the headquarters of Land of Sky Regional Council—INSPIRE grantee and local development district—in Asheville, North Carolina.
“Communities in the Appalachian region, especially rural towns, have borne the brunt of the disease of addiction,” said Secretary Kinsley. “We are grateful to our federal partners for tackling these disparities head-on by investing in behavioral health services and supports.”
With this award package, ARC has invested $53.6 million in 166 projects across all 13 Appalachian states since INSPIRE was established in April of 2021. Together, ARC’s INSPIRE investments will impact 360 Appalachian counties, improve over 3,000 businesses and help prepare nearly 16,200 individuals for new opportunities in the workforce.
New Data Reveals Reduction in SUD-related Deaths in Appalachia
SUD recovery-to-work initiatives may be starting to make an impact, according to a new ARC research report that examines trends in diseases of despair including overdose, suicide, and liver disease. From 2021 to 2022, the overall diseases of despair mortality rate decreased 4 percent in the Appalachian Region while remaining virtually unchanged in the rest of the United States. However, work remains to be done, as these rates—in both Appalachia and the rest of the country—remain much higher than the pre-pandemic figures of 2019.
ARC expects to issue a Notice of Solicitation for Applications (NOSA) for the next round of INSPIRE funding in early 2025.
Learn more about ARC’s INSPIRE Initiative and the newest INSPIRE grantees
2023 ACS 1-Year Estimates Released
The latest research brief highlights key findings from the 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 1-Year Estimates. This report provides updates on Pennsylvania’s demographic, social, and economic trends, covering topics such as household income, housing, educational attainment, and internet access. Additionally, the brief discusses changes in housing burdens across different racial and ethnic groups.
CDC Office of Rural Health Releases Inaugural Rural Health Plan
The CDC Office of Rural Health has released its inaugural Rural Public Health Strategic Plan to protect and improve the health of America’s rural communities.
This plan outlines key priorities that provide a blueprint for CDC’s rural public health work for the next five years. Please take a look at the plan and share it with colleagues who work in rural public health and related areas.
Just Published! Trauma-Informed Care: The Role of Dental Hygienists
Children and adults with a trauma history are more likely to have poor oral health and increased dental care-related fear and anxiety.
An article from the CareQuest Institute for Oral Health was recently published in the Journal of Dental Hygiene. “Trauma-Informed Care in Oral Health Care: The Role of Dental Hygienists,” examines the critical role of dental hygienists to ensure patients feel heard and make them feel comfortable enough to return for regular dental care.
Health Policy Institute Publishes Dental Education Map
The American Dental Association Health Policy Institute (HPI) developed a map based on data from the Commission on Dental Accreditation’s 2022-2023 Survey of Dental Education. The map includes profile information of each accredited DDS/DMD program in the United States.
NRHA Releases Election Year Rural Health Advocacy Toolkit
NRHA recently released an advocacy toolkit on how to prioritize rural health advocacy during an election year amidst changes in local and federal congressional offices. Additionally, NRHA Chief Policy Officer Carrie Cochran-McClain recently appeared on Michelle Rathman’s Rural Impact podcast to discuss top-of-mind rural health policy issues.
ARC Funds Projects to Advance Appalachia
At the Appalachian Regional Commission’s 2024 annual conference, Advancing Appalachia, Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin announced the latest round of investments in multi-state projects through our Appalachian Regional Initiative for Stronger Economies (ARISE): $16.9M to five projects in 10 states.
These projects will benefit at least 270 counties and bring together 60 regional partners — including one of Appalachia’s federally recognized Tribal Communities, the Seneca Nation of Indians. Check out each new investment below! 🌄
$8M to Save the Children Federation to grow the childcare and early education workforce 🏫
$4.5M to the Beneficial Electrification League to modernize electricty infrastructure 💡
$3.9M to the Appalachian Investors Alliance to establish funds for small businesses 🏦
$500K to Carnegie Mellon University to develop job skills matching and career support 💼
$72,219 to the Pennsylvania Environmental Council to boost outdoor tourism 🏞️