President Trump has named Eric Hargan to serve as Acting HHS Secretary, replacing Don Wright (who was just named to the post on September 29, 2017). The HHS Secretary vacancy was created when Tom Price, MD resigned the post September 29. Hargan, an attorney who served at HHS during the George W. Bush Administration, was … Continue Reading
In the wake of the resignation of former Secretary Tom Price, MD over concerns about his travel expenses, President Trump has named Don Wright, MD, MPH, as Acting Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Wright previously served as Acting Assistant Secretary for Health. The Administration has not yet indicated who will … Continue Reading
President Trump has released his FY 2018 budget proposal, which the Administration dubs “A New Foundation for American Greatness.” The proposed budget – which received a generally chilly reception on Capitol Hill – offers a mixed bag for the health care industry. On the one hand, a document summarizing the Department of Health and Human … Continue Reading
The Trump Administration is calling for deep cuts to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) funding for fiscal year (FY) 2018 along with a $1 billion hike in Food and Drug Administration (FDA) user fees in its “budget blueprint,” dubbed “America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again.” The blueprint — which … Continue Reading
In her first act as CMS Administrator, Seema Verma joined HHS Secretary Tom Price in writing to the nation’s Governors to urge collaboration on improving the Medicaid program, with an emphasis on services for “truly vulnerable” populations. Price and Verma contend that the “expansion of Medicaid through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to non-disabled, working-age … Continue Reading
The Senate has approved the nomination of Seema Verma to be CMS Administrator on a vote of 55 to 43. In other nomination news, President Trump has nominated Scott Gottlieb to be Commissioner of Food and Drugs. Dr. Gottlieb is a physician, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and venture capital firm partner who … Continue Reading
Medicare providers with pending cases at the administrative law judge (“ALJ”) level received positive news last week as a federal judge for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia (the “Court”) granted summary judgment in favor of the American Hospital Association (“AHA”) in its case against the Secretary of the Department of … Continue Reading
The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) established the Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC) to provide recommendations on arrangements that meet the criteria for a physician-focused payment model (PFPM) under the reformed system for updating the Medicare physician fee schedule. The PTAC has announced that it will begin accepting letters … Continue Reading
This month the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has launched an initiative “to more widely investigate the root causes” of HIPAA breaches affecting fewer than 500 individuals, according to an August 18, 2016 OCR email announcement. While Regional Offices will retain discretion to prioritize investigation of smaller breaches, each office is directed to “increase … Continue Reading
HHS has announced a series of actions to address the nation’s opioid epidemic, as Congress has cleared the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act for the President’s signature. As part of the HHS activities, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has published a final rule to expand from 100 to 275 the number … Continue Reading
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has issued new guidance to help long-term care facilities comply with anti-discrimination obligations when they administer the Minimum Data Set (MDS) patient assessment tool so that the facilities’ residents receive care in the most integrated setting appropriate to their needs. Those … Continue Reading
HHS is forming a new “Health Care Industry Cybersecurity Task Force” as part of the Administration’s effort to improve preparedness for cybersecurity threats affecting the health care industry. HHS is accepting nominations for the Task Force until March 9, 2016. Key qualifications for panelists include:… Continue Reading
On January 6, 2016, HHS published a final rule to modify the HIPAA Privacy Rule to expressly permit certain HIPAA covered entities to disclose to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) the identities of individuals who are subject to a federal “mental health prohibitor” that disqualifies them from shipping, transporting, possessing, or receiving … Continue Reading
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has released its final 2016 Interoperability Standards Advisory, which catalogs the “best available” interoperability standards and implementation specifications for industry use to fulfill specific clinical health information technology (IT) interoperability needs. The Advisory focuses only on clinical health IT systems’ interoperability; it does not … Continue Reading
The HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has released its final “Roadmap” to promote the secure exchange and use of electronic health information. The document, “Connecting Health and Care for the Nation: A Shared Nationwide Interoperability Roadmap Version 1.0,” describes policy and technical actions needed to meet ONC’s “vision of … Continue Reading
The HHS Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals (OMHA) has announced that it is expanding its Settlement Conference Facilitation pilot’s eligibility criteria to include more pending appeals. As previously reported, this pilot program is designed to bring the appellant and CMS together to discuss the potential of a mutually-agreeable resolution to claims appealed to an … Continue Reading
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has released its final Federal Health IT Strategic Plan for 2015-2020. The 50-page document details how the federal government intends to effectively use health information technology (IT) “to help the nation achieve high-quality care, lower costs, a healthy population, and engaged individuals.” The strategic … Continue Reading
Earlier this year, President Obama launched a high-profile “Precision Medicine Initiative” (PMI) to develop treatments, diagnostics, and prevention strategies tailored to the individual genetic characteristics of each patient. On July 8, 2015 the White House released for public comment a draft document entitled “Precision Medicine Initiative: Proposed Privacy and Trust Principles,” which provides broad guidance … Continue Reading
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has released a revised Guide to Privacy and Security of Electronic Health Information. The guide is intended to help health care providers – especially those from smaller organizations – address federal health information privacy and security requirements in their practices. The new version updates … Continue Reading
On March 27, 2015, the Obama Administration released its National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria (NAP), a five-year, government-wide plan to address the spread of resistant bacteria. The main components of the strategy, which identifies roles for the public and private sectors, are as follows: Slow the emergence of resistant bacteria and prevent the … Continue Reading
On March 25, 2015, CMS formally launched the Health Care Payment Learning and Action Network, a public-private partnership intended to support HHS’s goal of moving Medicare and the broader health industry from a fee-for-service model towards alternative payment models that emphasize value. According to CMS, more than 2,800 entities have registered to join the Network, … Continue Reading
In 2013, CMS adopted an expedited administrative process to remove certain national coverage determinations (NCDs) older than 10 years since their most recent review. In December 2014, CMS removed seven NCDs under this process. On March 18, 2015, CMS proposed removing two more NCDs under this process, addressing coverage of Apheresis (therapeutic pheresis) and Smoking and Tobacco-Use … Continue Reading
On February 2, 2015, the Obama Administration released its proposed federal budget for fiscal year (FY) 2016. The budget would impact all types of health care providers, health plans, and drug manufacturers if adopted as proposed – which is unlikely given Republican control of the House and Senate. Nevertheless, Congress can be expected to consider … Continue Reading
On January 30, 2015, the HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) released a draft “Roadmap” to promote safe and secure exchange and use of electronic health information. The document “Connecting Health and Care for the Nation: A Shared Nationwide Interoperability Roadmap Version 1.0,” focuses on actions intended to reach the … Continue Reading
