Abortion restrictions are forcing some medical residents to travel from their home state to learn how to perform an abortion as a part of their medical training. Some experts fear that if OB-GYN residents can’t access comprehensive abortion training, handling complicated pregnancies later in their careers could be challenging. Read more.
Mobile Dental Tour Will Provide Free Onsite Dental Services in Pennsylvania
Highmark and United Concordia have embarked on mobile dental tours across Pennsylvania with the expectation of caring for more than 1,000 children, young adults, and senior citizens. The tours will be providing free onsite dental services, including exams, cleanings, fluoride treatments, and oral cancer screenings to underserved communities this summer. The tours use volunteer dentists and dental hygienists from United Concordia’s network to provide dental services. If care in addition to onsite services is needed, referrals will be provided. Dental services for each tour require pre-registration.
Healthcare Costs Expected to Rise to $1 in $5 Spent by U.S.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Office of the Actuary projects that national health expenditures will hit $7.17 trillion by 2031. That means about $1 out of every $5 spent in the U.S. will be on health care. Read more.
A Free HRSA-Funded Health Center Performance Tracking Toolkit Has Been Released
Capital Link, a HRSA National Training & Technical Assistance Partner (NTTAP) has a toolkit that provides guidance in applying data analysis tools to help health centers more effectively track performance, understand key drivers, and incorporate operational insights for financial sustainability. This resource was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) so is available to you for free download and use. Download Performance Benchmarking Toolkit for Health Centers: Tracking Data to Improve Financial Performance. There is also a Debt Capacity Calculator on the Capital Link website for health centers considering capital projects.
HRSA Proposed Changes and Announced to Oral Health Performance Measures
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is proposing to transition oral health from an NPM (National Performance Measure) to an SPM (State Performance Measure). HRSA believes that states are better equipped to measure and improve oral health than the federal government. This newly imposed rule may reduce the visibility of oral health, no longer presenting this issue as a national priority, which could lead to reduced funding and support. Comments on the proposed change should be received by July 5. Please submit your comments here.
New Proposed Rule on Prescription Drug Transparency in Medicaid Has Been Announced
CMS released a proposed rule that impacts the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program and other Medicaid drug pricing, reimbursement, and data collection issues. Among the proposals, addressing spread pricing by pharmacy benefit managers and identification of 340B drugs on managed care pharmacy identification cards are of the most interest to FQHCs. NACHC will host office hours later this month to go over the proposed rule – details to come. Comments on the rule are due by July 25.
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Goes into Effect Next Week
Mark your calendar: The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) goes into effect on June 27. Under the PWFA, employers with 15 or more employees must engage in the interactive process with pregnant employees and make reasonable accommodations for pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions — as long as the accommodations do not pose an undue hardship on the employer. Read this article on the PWFA from HRMorning.
New Pennsylvania Human Services Federal Unwinding Reports Have Been Published
The Department of Human Services (DHS) has published two reports required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Pennsylvania’s Medicaid unwinding. The first report is a point-in-time baseline report with pending data. The second report is a monthly snapshot of data. Both reports are for the entire Medicaid population. A third document called the Continuous Eligibility Unwinding Plan explains how DHS will process all Medicaid and CHIP renewals. The May 2023 monthly report shows 247,827 total beneficiaries for whom a renewal was initiated during the reporting period with 254,287 due for renewal. Of those renewed and retained, 10,584 were renewed on an ex parte basis, 90,297 were renewed using a pre-populated form, 29,120 were transferred to Pennie, 24,144 individuals were terminated for procedural reasons and 100,142 renewals were not completed. To view these reports, visit the PA DHS Federal Unwinding Reports webpage.
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is Set to Conduct Substance Use Disorder Treatment Survey
The HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) is asking for participation by HRSA-funded health centers in an upcoming survey about substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. OIG is conducting a study examining the provision of SUD treatment at HRSA-funded health centers. They will survey a sample of 450 HRSA-funded health centers on issues related to medications for opioid use disorder, drug counseling, and mental health services. In addition, they will collect information on the barriers and successful strategies that impact the provision of these services. Visit their website for more information about this study (report expected in 2024) and OIG’s other work to improve access to SUD treatment. If your health center is selected to participate, you will receive an email from healthsurveyinquiry@oig.hhs.gov with important information about completing the survey. Please make sure your voices and experiences are heard. Your responses are crucial to help OIG develop recommendations for program improvements and to ensure access to SUD treatment.
HRSA Pediatric Specialty Loan Repayment Program Has Launched
A new program from HRSA’s Bureau of Health Workforce makes a $15 million investment to recruit and retain clinicians who provide health care to children and adolescents. Deadline to apply is July 20. The program is open to eligible clinicians providing pediatric medical subspecialty, pediatric surgical specialty, or child and adolescent behavioral health care, including substance use prevention and treatment services, and provides up to $100,000 in loan repayment support. Clinicians must commit to serving three years at an approved site in a health professional shortage area, medically underserved area, or to providing care to a medically underserved population.