The recent national news coverage of postpartum mental health underscores both the need for compassionate, accessible resources and the important role maternal and child health programs play in helping mothers and families know where to turn.

The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline provides free, confidential support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Individuals can call or text 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262) or webchat to connect with a trained counselor who will listen, provide support, and connect them with resources.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently taken enforcement actions focusing on Medicare laboratory payments. This includes multiple types of lab fraud, such as billing for services with no established relationship to the ordering provider, billing for services not rendered, and up-coding services.

CMS attributes the savings to advanced analytics, AI, and machine learning models that flagged unusual billing patterns before claims were paid.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health proposed updating its disease outbreak regulations for the first time in 25 years.

Proposed changes include improved disease reporting, a new birth defects registry, disease outbreak response changes, updated childcare vaccine guidelines, and a statewide vaccine tracking system. The move comes while public health strategies for responding to such outbreaks has become politicized and the proposal has already triggered a fierce backlash from Republican officials and members of the public.

More than 100 comments have been submitted to the Independent Regulatory Review Commission since the proposed regulations were published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin on August 8. Comments are due by September 22.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s new Executive Order, Modernizing Emergency Management in Pennsylvania, launches a statewide effort to strengthen disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation capabilities and prepare the Commonwealth for increased emergency management responsibilities.

The order establishes an Emergency Readiness Advisory Group and directs state agencies to improve coordination and resource management. For community health centers, the initiative underscores the importance of emergency preparedness, healthcare coalition collaboration, and maintaining continuity of care during disasters and public health emergencies.

Beginning January 1, 2027, some Medicaid recipients will be required to complete and report work requirements. Renewals will be every six months instead of annually to maintain benefits.

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services has released a toolkit designed to help recipients, and those supporting them with enrollment and compliance, understand the upcoming changes. The toolkit includes outreach letters, flyers, social media graphics and downloadable FAQs. 

The Department of Justice released a memorandum stating its intent to equip the fraud division with new data analysis technology to target health care fraud in Medicare and Medicaid. Areas of focus include telemedicine, illegal prescribing of opioids, and other controlled substances.

Headquartered in Camp Hill, PA, the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation (PTSF) is the accrediting body for trauma centers in Pennsylvania and supports hospitals in advancing trauma care to injured patients. From accreditation, to education, to trauma registry operations, and research support, the PTSF team is dedicated to supporting hospitals that serve injured patients in their region.

Click here for the most recent list of Trauma Centers in Pennsylvania, including Critical Access Hospitals that have been accredited as Level IV Trauma Centers.

The PTSF website includes information for Trauma Accreditation, the Trauma Registry, Research, and Performance Improvement.