- 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: Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities; Updates to the Quality Reporting Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2026
- Public Inspection: CMS: Medicare Program: Fiscal Year 2026 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements
- 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
New Study Released: Oral Health and Patients with Intellectual Disabilities
In a cross-sectional study published in Clinical Oral Investigations, investigators used data from the 2023 Special Olympics World Games to analyze the relationship between dental visits and oral health habits among more than 2,100 athletes with intellectual disabilities who took part in voluntary dental screenings. The findings highlighted the critical need for initiatives to minimize barriers to oral health care in this patient population.
Emergency Medicine Experts Separate ‘Myth’ from Reality in ED Boarding
From Becker’s Hospital Review
There’s a longstanding notion in healthcare that patients with low-acuity conditions are a key driver of overcrowding and boarding in emergency departments (ED) — one that emergency medicine experts describe as a misconception that distracts from real solutions.
“I’m not really sure how that myth has been given any legs,” Michael Bublewicz, MD, vice president and chief medical officer of emergency medicine at Houston-based Memorial Hermann Health System, said on a recent episode of the Becker’s Healthcare Podcast.
For years, efforts to ease strain on emergency departments have centered on the idea that healthcare providers should do more to educate patients on when it is appropriate to visit the ED versus an urgent care clinic, or that more urgent care centers should be built near high-volume EDs.
While well intentioned, emergency medicine experts say these efforts are ineffective because they are solely focused on ED input factors, rather than systematic issues across the broader healthcare delivery ecosystem.
“Programs to keep low-acuity patients out of the ED do not reduce boarding because low-acuity patients are rarely admitted to the hospital,” said the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in a recently published report summarizing key outcomes from its October 2024 summit on ED boarding. The event brought together hospital and health system executives, patients, clinicians and policymakers who emphasized that input-focused interventions alone are ineffective at addressing the systemic throughput failures and misaligned incentives that drive boarding.
The perception that low-acuity patients tie up resources in EDs also ignores the reality that today’s health systems are increasingly caring for patients with complex medical needs. In the U.S., utilization rates of emergency services are highest among homeless individuals, nursing home residents and infants under the age of 1, according to an analysis of national data from the Emergency Department Benchmarking Association (EDBA). Demand for emergency services is only expected to grow as the nation’s population ages.
Estimates vary on the exact share of ED visits that are low acuity, but analyses from EDBA — which pulls data from more than 1,000 emergency departments across the country — indicate these cases account for a relatively small share of overall visits. National data consistently indicate that the share of high-acuity and medically complex ED visits has been rising over time, reflecting broader demographic and clinical trends.
“The low acuity folks that present to EDs are pretty few and far between and they tend to present in hours where access isn’t available,” such as weekends, late-nights and holidays, Dr. Bublewicz said.
James Augustine, MD, vice president of the EDBA, said that EDs today are caring for a much different patient population than in decades past.
“Our ED patients are increasingly senior and they’re increasingly medical – meaning that injured patients occupy less and less of the ED volume,” he told Becker’s. “In my career, we used to see a lot of industrial injuries, sprained ankles and lacerations. The injury population is very much shrinking.”
At AHRQ’s summit, stakeholders unpacked several systemic factors that drive ED boarding, including reduced inpatient bed capacity, financial incentives that prioritize high-revenue surgical cases, administrative issues, and burdensome payer requirements that lead to delays in discharging patients.
Emergency medicine leaders say addressing these root causes requires coordinated efforts that go beyond ED-specific fixes. Hospital-led strategies proven to be effective include smoothing elective surgery schedules across the full week to even out inpatient demand, establishing discharge lounges and protocols to streamline patient flow, and using inpatient bed managers to expedite bed assignments.
Beyond hospital-level efforts, leaders emphasized the need for broader policy changes, including revised payment incentives, public reporting of boarding metrics, development of real-time regional bed tracking systems and expanded access to timely behavioral health services.
Applications Open Now: Appalachian Leadership Institute
Appalachians are leading the way to economic development in their communities!
We’re accepting applications now for our Appalachian Leadership Institute (ALI), which trains people who live or work in the region to:
🌳 Recognize and utilize unique assets in their communities
💡 Identify and implement strategies to improve infrastructure, workforce development, tourism and more
🤝 Collaborate with other leaders to plan for Appalachia’s growth
ALI — at no cost to participants — focuses on skill-building, mentoring and cooperation. Six multi-day seminars will take place across the region from October to June 2026.
Applications are open until June 15, 2025! Learn more and apply now.
Supreme Court Appears to Reject Conservative Argument over ACA Provision
A majority of the Supreme Court appeared inclined Monday to reject a conservative challenge to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), leaving in place the federal government’s authority to require insurers to cover everything from depression screenings to HIV prevention drugs at no cost to patients. Source: Politico
Public Health Officials in Pennsylvania Won’t Say How They’d Handle a $500M Cut Sought by Trump Admin
Pennsylvania health officials are facing down a potential $500 million loss of federal funding but are tight-lipped about which programs and how many people might be affected by the Trump administration’s decision. The funding helps Pennsylvania purchase and administer vaccines, monitor the spread of infectious diseases like measles and influenza, and contact people who might have been exposed to dangerous pathogens. Source: Spotlight PA
PA Health Alert Network: Lyme Disease and Other Tickborne Diseases
Tick-bite-related emergency department visits have increased recently in Pennsylvania. Healthcare providers should have a heightened clinical suspicion for tickborne diseases in persons with clinically compatible symptoms. Rare tickborne diseases, including hard tick relapsing fever and Powassan virus, continue to be found in ticks in multiple Pennsylvania counties, and human cases have been reported. Alpha gal allergy syndrome has been reported in Pennsylvania residents; health care providers should consider alpha gal allergy syndrome in persons presenting with mammalian meat allergies. The full HAN is available.
CMS Requests Information on Medicare Burden Reduction
CMS issued a request for information on regulatory relief in the Medicare program. CMS seeks public input on approaches and opportunities to streamline regulations and reduce administrative burdens on providers, suppliers, beneficiaries, Medicare Advantage and Part D plans, and other stakeholders participating in the Medicare program. Responses are due June 10, 2025, via this form.
Senate HELP Committee Chair Cassidy Releases Report on 340B Reform, Calls for Congressional Action
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released a report detailing findings from his years’ long investigation into how covered entities use and generate revenue from the 340B Drug Pricing Program. Cassidy also outlined potential reforms needed to improve the program to better serve patients. “This investigation underscores that there are transparency and oversight concerns that prevent 340B discounts from translating to better access or lower costs for patients. Congress needs to act to bring much-needed reform to the 340B Program,” said Dr. Cassidy. “I look forward to continuing my efforts to bring transparency and improvements to the 340B Program.” As part of his investigation into the 340B Program, Cassidy requested information from hospitals, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), contract pharmacies, and drug manufacturers to better understand how revenue flows throughout the 340B Program and how covered entities use 340B revenue to benefit patients. Cassidy laid out potential reforms for Congress to improve transparency in the 340B Program and ensure vulnerable patients directly benefit from revenue created by discounted drugs:
· Require covered entities to provide detailed annual reporting on how 340B revenue is used to ensure direct savings for patients, providing a more transparent link between program savings and patient benefit.
· Address potential logistical challenges caused by increased administrative complexity, leading to burdens that may impede patient benefit from the program.
· Investigate the types of financial benefits contract pharmacies and TPAs receive for administering the 340B Program to ensure that increasing fees do not disadvantage covered entities and patients.
· Require transparency and data reporting for entities supporting participants in the 340B Program (i.e., contract pharmacies and TPAs).
· Provide clear guidelines to ensure that manufacturer discounts actually benefit 340B-eligible patients, including examining legislative changes to the definition of eligible patient and contract pharmacies’ use of the inventory replenishment model.
Read the full report here.
Critical Condition: How Medicaid Cuts Would Reshape Rural Health Care Landscapes
Authors: Michelle Mills, Chief Executive Officer, Colorado Rural Health Center; Kevin J. Bennett, Professor, University of South Carolina School of Medicine-Columbia
A defining theme in early 2025 has been reducing federal government expenditures, with the health care sector not being spared from the discussions. The withdrawal or reduction of federal support for Medicaid will have potentially devastating impacts on access to essential healthcare services, particularly for vulnerable rural populations such as the elderly, low-income families, and those with chronic conditions. Thus, the National Rural Health Association (NRHA), along with multiple partners both at the federal and state levels have been advocating for maintaining the federal support for Medicaid.
In rural communities, more people receive and rely on Medicaid coverage than their urban counterparts, due to lower incomes, greater percentage of older adults, higher cost of private insurance, and fewer private coverage options. Nearly 40% of children living in rural communities are covered by Medicaid and CHIP, while almost 20% of non- elderly adults are covered.i Cuts to these populations covered under Medicaid and CHIP would be devastating for rural families. Costs of care for our most vulnerable rural residents would rise to unsustainable levels.
If Medicaid funding is reduced, then it will result in higher rates of uninsurance across the US, with a higher impact in our most vulnerable rural areas. These are parents, children, and working adults who would no longer be able to obtain needed health care due to it being unaffordable. These are our neighbors, many of whom have chronic diseases that have to be regularly managed. Without coverage, many would go without care and end up in the emergency room or inpatient facility, resulting in uncompensated care that they will not be able to pay.
Ultimately, reductions in Medicaid funding will force rural facilities to shut their doors and rural residents to lose access to necessary care. NRHA calls on Congress to act as a unified, bipartisan voice to protect Medicaid funding that is vital to the health and economic sustainability of rural communities across the nation.
Pennsylvania Broadband Funding Resources Available
The PBDA held two webinars providing an overview of the Digital Connectivity Technology (DCTP) Program. These webinars also included presentations from Round One successful applicants, who offered insight to their projects and answered questions from webinar attendees. You can now view the recording of one of those webinars and the presentation utilized during the webinar, on the PBDA’s program page.
As a reminder, the applications for the DCTP will close at 11:59 PM, on Friday May 30, 2025. Additional resources to include updated FAQs can be found on the program page.
Any questions regarding the program, please do not hesitate to contact the PBDA.