HHS Secretary Alex Azar has appointed two advisors to help advance Department strategy to address prescription drug pricing and the opioid crisis. Daniel M. Best, the new Senior Advisor to the Secretary for Drug Pricing Reform, is charged with leading the HHS initiative to lower the cost of prescription drugs. He recently served as Corporate … Continue Reading
Alex Azar was sworn in as Secretary of Health and Human Services on January 29, 2018. He fills the position left by former Secretary Tom Price, M.D., who resigned last fall in the wake of a controversy over his travel expenses. … Continue Reading
The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology has released a draft trusted exchange framework that proposes policies, procedures, and technical standards to further Congressionally-mandated efforts to establish a nationwide, interoperable health system under the 21st Century Cures Act of 2016. Currently, there are dozens of Health Information Networks (HINs) that operate … Continue Reading
On January 18, 2018, HHS announced it has established a new Conscience and Religious Freedom Division within the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR). The Division will focus on enforcement of (1) existing protections for health care providers who refuse to perform certain health care services on religious or moral grounds, and (2) laws that … Continue Reading
On January 17, 2018, the Senate Finance Committee voted to advance the nomination of Alex Azar to be Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) by a vote of 15-12. The nomination now moves to the full Senate.… Continue Reading
The HHS Departmental Appeals Board (DAB) is inviting the public to submit recommendations for precedential Medicare Appeals Council (Council) decisions that will be binding on all CMS, HHS, and Social Security Administration components that adjudicate matters under CMS jurisdiction. The designation of precedential decisions was authorized by regulations adopted earlier this year; the DAB will … Continue Reading
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
