Updating Interoperability Efforts to Advance Public Health Reporting

Posted on by kow5101

  In final changes to its payment program for acute care and critical access hospitals in 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) included policies to advance nationwide health information exchange, also known as interoperability of electronic health records.  Reporting measures included in the 2023 Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program require hospitals to use certified health IT to capture and share public data – e.g., immunization reporting, syndromic surveillance, reportable lab tests and results, case reporting – that support nationwide early warning of emerging outbreaks and threats, faster public health response, and greater visibility into immunization uptake which, in turn, can inform tailored vaccine distribution strategies.

The Involvement of Rural Health Clinic Practitioners in Cancer Treatment Decisions and Survivorship Care

Posted on by kow5101

The Rural and Minority Health Research Center surveyed Rural Health Clinics (RHC) to examine how practitioners are involved in their patient’s cancer treatment and survivorship decisions. Among the findings: more than a third of RHC practitioners were involved in primary decision-making about treatment; and more than 90 percent were involved in ongoing care for survivors, such as smoking cessation and treatment for depression/anxiety.

SPACECAT: Addressing the Intersection of Suicide, Overdose, and ACEs

Posted on by kow5101

Last year, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) launched a resource meant to help local health departments (LHD) prevent or mitigate potentially traumatic events, known as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).  The Suicide, Overdose, and Adverse Childhood Experiences Prevention Capacity Assessment Tool (SPACECAT) allows LHDs to make an internal assessment of their capacity to address and prevent a still-growing public health issue.  After the assessment, the SPACECAT Toolkit provides online information and guidance for strengthening local efforts.  Since its launch in October 2021, NACCHO has collected data from more than 100 LHDs who completed the assessment tool.  This week, the organization released a report on what they learned from small (serving 50,000 people or less), medium (serving 50,000-499,999 people), and large (serving 500,000 or more people) local health departments.

How Postpartum Care Differs Across Health Insurance, Geography, and Race

Posted on by kow5101

  Researchers used data reported by 138,073 patients to learn more about factors that may contribute to differences in the care they received two to six months after childbirth.  Specifically, they looked at two standard components recommended by national quality standards – depression screening and contraceptive counseling.  The highest receipt of these two components was among privately insured White urban individuals; they were both significantly lower for Medicaid-insured patients, rural residents, and people of racially minoritized groups.  But for individuals in these last three groups, receipt of other postpartum components – e.g., screening for smoking or abuse, birth space counseling, and discussions about eating and exercise – was significantly higher.  Published in the JAMA Health Forum, the study is the work of the HRSA/FORHP-supported University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center.

CDC Releases the Suicide Prevention Resource for Action

Posted on by lad3

Suicide is a serious public health issue that affects individuals, families, and communities across the nation. Fortunately, we know that suicide can be prevented. To help states and communities plan and prioritize suicide prevention activities, CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control is releasing the Suicide Prevention Resource for Action (Suicide Prevention Resource). The Suicide Prevention Resource was previously known as Preventing Suicide: A Technical Package of Policy, Programs, and Practices. It is now updated, expanded, and renamed and includes strategies with the best available evidence to make an impact on saving lives. Strategies include those that prevent risk for suicide in the first place and those to lessen the immediate and long-term harms of suicidal behavior for individuals, families, and communities.

The Suicide Prevention Resource has three components:

  1. Strategies are the collection of actions to achieve the goal of preventing suicide.
  2. Approaches are the specific ways to advance each strategy.
  3. Policies, programs, and practices show evidence of impact on suicide, suicide attempts, or risk and protective factors.

States and communities can use the Suicide Prevention Resource to prioritize and tailor activities that are most likely to reduce suicide.

The new Suicide Prevention Resource provides a roadmap for action under CDC’s Comprehensive Suicide Prevention program. This program currently funds 15 states and 2 universities to implement and evaluate a comprehensive public health approach to suicide prevention. These funded programs use strategies from CDC’s new Suicide Prevention Resource to focus on activities with the greatest potential to prevent suicide among populations that are disproportionately impacted by suicide. CDC recently published Program Profiles and success stories to show how these funded programs have implemented and evaluated a comprehensive public health approach to suicide prevention.

Suicide is an urgent public health crisis in the United States. Despite a decrease in suicide rates in 2020 compared to 2019, nearly 46,000 lives were lost to suicide. Provisional 2021 data are showing that suicide is once again increasing, with more than 48,000 people dying by suicide. Further, every year, millions of people think about, make a plan, and attempt suicide.  Suicide has devastating consequences on individuals, families, schools, workplaces, and entire communities. Importantly, we know there is no single cause of suicide. Factors increasing suicide risk occur at the individual, relationship, community, and societal levels. These include job/financial, health, criminal/legal, and relationship problems. Substance use, loss of a friend or loved one to suicide, a history of suicide attempts, and mental health concerns may also increase a person’s risk for suicide.

We can all #BeThere to prevent suicide by taking actions that can promote healing and help and give hope. Many people find it difficult to talk about suicide and especially difficult to know how to talk to someone that is having thoughts of suicide. But there are clear actions that we can take. We can all learn the five steps for how to talk to someone who might be suicidal.

In addition to what we can each do individually, CDC’s comprehensive public health approach to suicide prevention helps address the range of risk factors. You can read more about CDC’s suicide prevention strategies, access and download the Suicide Prevention Resource, access and download the Suicide Prevention Resource summary, and read the CSP Program Profiles.

Learn more:

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org.  Connect with a trained crisis counselor. 988 is confidential, free, and available 24/7/365.  Visit the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for more information at 988lifeline.org.

From CMS: Updated Coverage to Care Resources Now Available in Additional Languages!

Posted on by lad3

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health (CMS OMH) released updated Coverage to Care (C2C) resources in additional languages to help the consumers you serve understand their health coverage and receive needed primary care and preventative services.

Just in time for Open Enrollment, these resources will help consumers select the best coverage option for their unique health needs and assist them in understanding how to best utilize their health plan.

Now available on the C2C website, updated translations are available for:

To complement the Roadmap to Better Care, four supplemental materials were developed to help explain the important components into more digestible pieces:

Roadmap to Behavioral Health – Serves as a companion guide for mental health and substance use service, to be used in conjunction with the Roadmap to Better Care. Ukrainian is now available, and additional languages will be available by the end of October.

Getting the Care You Need: Guide for People with Disabilities – Provides information to ensure that people with disabilities understand their rights so that they receive equal access to quality health care services. (Arabic | Chinese | Haitian Creole | Korean | Russian | Spanish | Vietnamese)

Managing Diabetes: Coverage & Resources – Includes tips to help patients manage diabetes, as well as information on Marketplace and Medicare coverage. (Arabic | Chinese | Haitian Creole | Korean | Russian | Spanish | Vietnamese)

My Health Coverage at-a-Glance – Shows how to keep track of health plan information and payment in a customizable format. (Arabic | Chinese | Haitian Creole | Korean | Russian | Ukrainian (new!) | Spanish | Vietnamese)

Health literacy is an essential part of health equity. To learn more about health equity related initiatives, visit CMS OMH at go.cms.gov/omh or the C2C initiative at go.cms.gov/c2c.

Federal Administration Launches Window-Shopping for Affordable and Accessible Health Care Marketplace

Posted on by lad3

The Biden-Harris Administration has made expanding access to health insurance and lowering health care costs for America’s families a top priority, and, starting today, consumers can preview their health care coverage options and see the savings available to them in the most competitive Marketplace in history. Consumers can now visit HealthCare.gov to view detailed information about 2023 health insurance plans and prices offered in their area in advance of the 2023 Marketplace Open Enrollment period that begins November 1, 2022.

Under the Biden-Harris Administration, the national uninsured rate has reached an all-time low, and more Americans than ever before have health insurance through the Marketplace. As we begin the 10th Open Enrollment period, the Marketplace is stronger than ever – with continuing record affordability, robust competition, and unprecedented outreach efforts.

“Under President Biden’s leadership, the Marketplace is stronger than ever,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “We are delivering what Americans deserve: high-quality health care at affordable cost. We have been tireless in our efforts to increase competition, drive down costs, and connect people to coverage. We urge everyone to visit HealthCare.gov and find an affordable health plan that best meets their needs.”

“All families have the right to quality, affordable health care coverage. During this Open Enrollment period, consumers will have access to a variety of quality plan options at an affordable price.  We encourage consumers to visit HealthCare.gov and their state-based Marketplaces to preview plans and premiums now so that they’re ready to make selections when Open Enrollment begins on November 1,” said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure.

This year, thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, more people will continue to qualify for help purchasing quality health coverage. Thirteen million Americans will continue to save an average of $800 per year on their health insurance. Four out of five customers will be able to find a plan for $10 or less after subsidies. Consumers with coverage through HealthCare.gov are encouraged to return and shop to see if another plan better meets their needs at a lower cost.

This year, consumers will also benefit from a highly competitive Marketplace and continuing access to affordable coverage. According to a new report CMS published today of Marketplace plans available in HealthCare.gov states for plan year 2023, 92% of enrollees will have access to options from three or more insurance companies when they shop for plans. Also, new standardized plan options are available in 2023, which offer the same deductibles and cost-sharing for certain benefits, and the same out-of-pocket limits as other standardized plan options within the same health plan category. Most of these standardized plan options offer many services pre-deductible, including primary care, generic drugs, preferred brand drugs, urgent care, specialist visits, mental health and substance use outpatient office visits, as well as speech, occupational, and physical therapy.

Also new this year, families who may not have previously been eligible for tax credits may now be eligible for financial assistance – for the first time ever – thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration. Earlier this month, the Administration finalized a rule which will help about 1 million Americans who are offered employer insurance either gain coverage or see their coverage become more affordable through the Marketplace. To take advantage of the new policy, families who have found employer insurance unaffordable in the past should look at new opportunities for savings on HealthCare.gov.

To help connect people to coverage, the Biden-Harris Administration also made the single largest investment ever in the Navigators program. The $98.9 million this year builds on the Administration’s quadrupling of Navigators last year, which helped contribute to the record-breaking 14.5 million people who signed up for 2022 health care coverage through the Marketplaces, including nearly 6 million people who newly gained coverage. This continuation of historic levels of funding will help Navigators continue their work informing consumers about the enhanced tax credits and coverage available on HealthCare.gov.

Consumers in states operating their own Marketplace platform can also enroll in a 2023 Marketplace plan starting on November 1. Consumers in these states should visit or call their state’s Marketplace for information about available plans and prices, how to obtain in-person or virtual help, and news on local enrollment events. State-based Marketplace enrollment deadlines and other information are available in the State-based Marketplace Open Enrollment Fact Sheet.

The Marketplace Open Enrollment Period on HealthCare.gov runs from November 1, 2022 to January 15, 2023. Consumers who enroll by midnight on December 15, 2022 can get full year coverage that starts January 1, 2023.

To view the Plan Year 2023 Marketplace Open Enrollment Fact Sheet for more information, visit: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/102622-landscape-and-window-shopping-508.pdf

To view the Plan Year 2023 Qualified Health Plan Choice and Premiums in HealthCare.gov States Landscape Report, visit: https://www.cms.gov/CCIIO/Resources/Data-Resources/Downloads/2023QHPPremiumsChoiceReport.pdf

To see the Plan Year 2023 Health Insurance Marketplace Public Use Files, visit: https://www.cms.gov/CCIIO/Resources/Data-Resources/marketplace-puf

To see the Plan Year 2023 Quality Rating System Public Use Files, visit: https://www.cms.gov/medicare/quality-initiatives-patient-assessment-instruments/qualityinitiativesgeninfo/aca-mqi/aca-mqi-landing-page

To see the Plan Year 2023 State-based Marketplace Open Enrollment Fact Sheet, visit: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/state-exchange-open-enrollment-chart.pdf