The Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ) announced a funding opportunity focused on the telehealth expansion and the role of primary care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The opportunity is open to broad eligibility. The AHRQ is seeking applications from the health systems research community that examine the innovations and challenges encountered in the expansion of telehealth due to... Read More
House: Nutrition Policies Included in the House Democrats' Heroes Act
In follow-up to our broader summary (here) of the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (Heroes Act) (H.R. 6800), we wanted to provide some additional detail regarding the nutrition program policies sought by Democrats in Title VI of the bill. We would note, again, that the Heroes Act is largely a “marker” bill that stakes out House Democrats’... Read More
CMS: Informational Bulletin Outlines Medicaid Managed Care Options in Responding to COVID-19
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued an Informational Bulletin to provide states guidance on how to temporarily modify provider payment methodologies and capitation rates under Medicaid managed care contracts to address the impacts of the public health emergency while preserving systems of care and access to services for Medicaid beneficiaries. Specifically, the guidance outlines three options that... Read More
Senate: At Hearing, Senators Discuss Importance of Broadband Infrastructure Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation convened a hearing to discuss the state of broadband during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Senators and the hearing’s witnesses used this opportunity to discuss the current state of access to broadband in the U.S., highlighting specific concerns around the recent surge of internet usage and the persisting lack of access to... Read More
CMS: Agency Releases New Toolkit to States in Supporting Nursing Home Infection Control
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a new toolkit intended to provide states with strategies and “innovative solutions” for mitigating the spread of COVID-19 in nursing home facilities. CMS collected this information through their contracted Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs), who sought to capture emerging best practices from a variety of stakeholders, including Governors’ offices, state and county... Read More
KFF: Issue Brief Finds Provider Relief Funds Favored Hospitals with Higher Private Insurance Revenue
The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) published an issue brief examining the distribution of COVID-19 Provider Relief funds. KFF demonstrates that funding favored hospitals with the highest share of private insurance revenue as a percent of total net patient revenue. The analysis finds that the top 10 percent of hospitals with private insurance revenue received $44,321 per hospital bed, while hospitals... Read More
FDA: Revised Guidance Issued on COVID-19 Diagnostic Tests
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued revised guidance regarding the policies for COVID-19 testing during the public health emergency (PHE). The guidance describes four policies intended to help facilitate the development and use of SARS-CoV-2 tests, including two policies for accelerating the development of certain laboratory tests; a policy for commercial manufacturers to more rapidly distribute tests to laboratories... Read More
E&C: Ranking Member Burgess Requests Hearing on Provider Relief Fund
House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health Ranking Member Michael Burgess (R-TX) sent a letter to Subcommittee Chairwoman Anna Eshoo (D-CA), requesting a hearing on how funds are being distributed to providers from the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund (PHSSEF) (i.e., "Provider Relief Fund"). Specifically, Ranking Member Burgess urges the Health Subcommittee to examine the following: Methodology the... Read More
IRS: Guidance Issued to Permit Mid-Year Changes to Employer-Sponsored Health Plan Elections
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently issued guidance to allow flexibility with respect to mid-year elections under employer-sponsored health plans during the 2020 calendar year (press release). Additionally, the guidance provides increased flexibility with regard to health Flexible Spending Arrangements (FSAs) and dependent care assistance programs The IRS notes that due the COVID-19 pandemic... Read More
KFF: Issue Brief Examines Employer-Based Insurance Loss Due to COVID-19
The Kaiser Family Foundations (KFF) has published an issue brief examining job loss, and therefore insurance loss, due to COVID-19 and eligibility for other health insurance options. KFF estimates that 26.8 million people in the United States will become uninsured due loss of to job-based health coverage if they do not sign up for other coverage. Based on their analysis,... Read More
SAMHSA: COVID-19 Emergency Response Suicide Prevention Funding Opportunity Announced; Applications Due May 22
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced a funding opportunity for COVID-19 emergency response suicide prevention. SAMHSA notes that the public health emergency is contributing to urgent need to address mental health, including suicidality, and the purpose of the program is to support states and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic in advancing efforts to prevent suicide attempts... Read More
HHS: ASPR Establishes a New National Advisory Committee on Children and Disasters; Applications Due June 27
The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) announced the establishment of the National Advisory Committee on Children and Disasters (NACCD) and a request for nominations for members. The NACCD will provide advice and consultation to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary on pediatric medical disaster planning, preparedness, response, and recovery related to the... Read More
HELP: Members Examine COVID-19 Response; Discuss Reopening the Country
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee convened a hearing to examine the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and discuss challenges and strategies to safely reopen the country. Opening Statements In his opening statement, Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) described what the country has done on testing as “impressive but not nearly enough.” He reiterated that more widespread... Read More
Democrats Introduce Coronavirus Relief Package: The Heroes Act
On May 12, House Democrats introduced The Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (Heroes Act) (H.R. 6800) – a $3 trillion package to provide additional coronavirus relief (press release; legislative text; summary; section-by-section). The Heroes Act appears to be a marker bill that stakes out House Democrats’ starting position in a debate between both chambers and the White... Read More
Senate Judiciary: Liability Protections for Employers During COVID-19 Pandemic Considered; Senators Express Support for Standard Federal Guidelines for Reopening Businesses
The Senate Judiciary Committee convened a hearing to discuss liability protections for employers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Witnesses representing various industries testified about efforts to resume business and the necessity for employee and employer protections during the public health emergency. Members of the committee questioned the witnesses on the need for standard federal guidelines regarding reopening businesses and whether liability... Read More
FDA: New Guidance Issued to Accelerate COVID-19 Prevention and Treatment Options
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued two guidance documents to accelerate the development of novel prevention and treatment options for COVID-19. The FDA notes that these guidance documents aim to streamline the application submission process for new drugs and biological products and provide recommendations on clinical trial design. The first guidance, “COVID-19 Public Health Emergency: General Consideration for Pre-Investigational... Read More
WHG - Weekly, May 11-15
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is expected to unveil a draft $1.2 trillion coronavirus relief package ahead of a floor vote that could be as soon as this Friday. Speaker Pelosi also indicated that she wants to move soon on a resolution to allow remote voting by proxy in the House. While the package is likely to be viewed as... Read More
HHS: 50 Portable Kidney Dialysis Machines Distributed to New York for COVID-19 Patients With Acute Kidney Injury
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the distribution of 50 portable kidney dialysis machines and supplies to New York City and Long Island Intensive Care Units (ICUs). The machines are intended to provide surge capacity for facilities caring for patients with COVID-19, which has caused acute kidney injury and requires dialysis in some ICU cases. The HHS... Read More
HHS: ASPR Sends Remdesivir to States; Health Departments to Determine Distribution to Hospitals
On May 3, 2020, Gilead Sciences, Inc. donated 607,000 vials of the drug remdesivir to the U.S. to treat hospitalized COVID-19 patients in areas hit hardest by the pandemic. The drug received an Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration after preliminary results from a randomized controlled trial suggested that remdesivir was associated with a faster recovery... Read More
FDA: Consolidated Notice of Availability of Guidance Related to COVID-19 Announced
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the availability of all guidance documents related to the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE). This FDA notes that all guidances have been implemented without prior comment in order to rapidly disseminate agency recommendations and polices. Additionally, the agency details that instead of publishing a separate notice of availability (NOA) for each guidance document,... Read More
CDC: Study Reveals Decline in Pediatric Vaccination Rates amid COVID-19 Pandemic
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently published a study in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly showing the effects of the pandemic response on routine pediatric vaccines, including measles. The report uses Vaccines for Children program order and Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) vaccine administration data. It shows a “notable decrease” in provider orders and doses administered for both non-influenza... Read More
House Appropriations: Subcommittee Receives Expert Testimony on Public Health Capacities Needed for COVID-19 Response
On Wednesday, May 6, 2020, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies convened a hearing to discuss the ongoing U.S. government response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The committee heard from two expert witnesses who provided insights into how the country should proceed from a policy standpoint, including: Dr. Tom Frieden, President and CEO... Read More
CMS: Agency Describes New Nursing Home COVID-19 Reporting Requirements in Memorandum; Includes Updated Survey Tools
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a new memo that outlines requirements formalized in an interim final rule (to be published tomorrow, May 8, 2020 and available for public inspection here). These requirements pertain to new COVID-19 reporting requirements for nursing home facilities. As previewed last month, CMS outlines new reporting requirements with which nursing homes will... Read More
HELP: Senators Discuss Initiatives to Innovate and Expand COVID-19 Testing Technologies
The Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee convened a hearing to discuss the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) initiatives to accelerate access to innovative diagnostic testing technology for COVID-19. NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins and BARDA Acting Director Dr. Gary Disbrow testified about ongoing efforts to expand access to... Read More
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