The Pennsylvania Department of Health is seeking feedback from providers across the state to guide the development of educational materials for communities at-risk of mpox transmission, as well as for providers. The Mpox Outreach & Education (O&E) Materials Questionnaire gives providers and team members the opportunity to provide insight into the types of materials that would be most beneficial for services providers and the communities your teams serve. Additionally, if you feel like materials should include messaging about both mpox and other STIs or HIV, please elaborate on that in the questionnaire as well.
Updated Risk Assessment Toolkit Was Released
See this redesigned toolkit from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. The Risk Identification and Site Criticality (RISC) Toolkit is an objective, data-driven, all-hazards risk assessment that can inform emergency preparedness planning, risk management activities, and resource investments. It’s designed to aid public and private organizations in the health care and public health sector to identify threats and hazards, assess vulnerabilities, and determine the consequences of disruptions. The toolkit can be used by health centers to support emergency preparedness planning; improve communication and coordination at the community, county, state, and federal levels; and improve preparedness and response efficiencies through a data-sharing model.
Telehealth Visit with Regular PCP Is Less Likely to Lead to ED Visit
Patients who had telehealth visits with someone other than their usual primary care provider were 66% more likely to visit the emergency department (ED) within seven days compared with patients who saw their regular primary care provider via telehealth, according to a study published Dec. 27, 2023, in JAMA Network Open. In the study of more than five million telehealth visits in Ontario, Canada, researchers matched 942,983 patient pairs who saw either their own regular provider or an outside provider. The study’s findings suggest that telehealth services in the context of primary care may be most effective when they occur within an existing clinical relationship.
Funding Available for FQHC Physicians to Become Certified in Lifestyle Medicine
At a 2022 White House conference, the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) made a $24.1 Million commitment to improving nutrition training for medical professionals. Their upcoming National Training Initiative is part of that effort. It offers scholarships for one primary care physician at every FQHC to become certified in lifestyle medicine. Learn more or express interest on ACLM’s site. ACLM also offers a free CME/CE-accredited course on prescribing nutrition — using food as medicine — and other lifestyle modalities. Visit ACLM’s site for information or to register. Up to 5.5 CME/CE available.
Is Vaccination Approaching a Dangerous Tipping Point?
Vaccination is one of the most highly effective public health interventions, responsible for saving millions of lives each year. Despite the care taken in the development and deployment of vaccines and their clear and compelling benefit of saving individual lives and improving population health outcomes, an increasing number of people in the US are now declining vaccination for a variety of reasons, ranging from safety concerns to religious beliefs. The situation has now deteriorated to the point that population immunity against some vaccine-preventable infectious diseases is at risk, and thousands of excess deaths are likely to occur this season due to illnesses amenable to prevention or reduction in severity of illness with vaccines. Read more in this Feb. 15 JAMA article.
Pennsylvania Consumers Have New Option to Appeal Insurer Denials
Thanks to a 2022 law, consumers across the commonwealth have a new option if a healthcare claim is denied. Consumers can now file an online appeal of insurer denials of healthcare coverage to the Pennsylvania Insurance Department (PID) using PID’s new appeal website. Pennsylvania took over the independent external review process from the federal government under Act 46 of 2022, which took effect January 1, 2024. According to PID, only a small number of individuals challenged claim denials in the past three years and a significant number of those appeals resulted in decision reversals. PID encourages individuals who believe that they were inappropriately denied coverage for a service to utilize the new process and appeal the decision.
HRSA Approves 340B Duplicate Discount Audit
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has approved a request from drug maker Eli Lilly to audit a rural, multi-site community health center regarding how it prevents duplicate discounts on 340B drugs reimbursed under Medicaid managed care. This approval is notable as it is the first time that either a HRSA or manufacturer 340B audit will look at Medicaid managed care drugs. (Previous audits around Medicaid have been limited to fee for service drugs.) The rationale behind HRSA’s change in policy is unclear.
Medicaid Unwinding Report from the Field Released
Nationally, over 15 million people have been disenrolled from Medicaid since April 1, 2023 and over 28 million have had their coverage renewed. Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) has published a Medicaid Unwinding Brief that summarizes information gathered from stakeholder interviews to highlight key observations and themes from the field, including perspectives from Pennsylvania. With the growing concern over such large disenrollment numbers, the federal government issued additional guidance with strategies to help states protect coverage and prevent additional procedural terminations. Pennsylvania has disenrolled more than 575,000 recipients from coverage since April 1, renewed coverage for 1.3 million, and terminated 44% for procedural issues.
National Stakeholder Call Will Highlight Accomplishments and 2024 Strategic Plan
Join Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as she highlights CMS’ key 2023 accomplishments and reviews the 2024 priorities to advance CMS’ Strategic Plan. CMS’s focus for the coming year includes advancing health equity, expanding coverage, and improving health outcomes while engaging communities for input and feedback during the process. RSVP for the January 23, 1:00 – 2:00 pm call here.
Summer EBT Funding for Millions in Pennsylvania Announced
The PA Departments of Human Services (DHS) and Education will operate the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (Summer-EBT) program in the summer 2024, allowing children to access nutritious meals during the summer months when school is not in session. An increase in the state’s budget will provide universal free breakfast to Pennsylvania’s public school students. Every public school student regardless of income will be eligible to receive free breakfast. The funding also provides free lunch to all 22,000 Pennsylvania students who are eligible for reduced-price lunches through the National School Lunch Program.