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Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, January 6

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The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Thursday, January 6.  Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents.

Provider Relief Fund

The White House

Department of Health and Human Services

COVID-19 Hospital Data Reporting Requirements

  • HHS has written to health care providers to inform them of changes in its COVID-19 hospital data reporting requirements guidance; it has suspended reporting on some data elements and added some new ones.  The letter summarizes the changes, lists dates and times for webinars to learn about and ask questions about the changes, and offers telephone numbers and emails for support.  Find the letter here and find the revised reporting requirements here; changes in those requirements are highlighted.  HHS provided a preview of these changes to state officials; find its presentation to the states here.

COVID-19

  • HHS has amended a past COVID-19-related emergency declaration to authorize licensed pharmacists and pharmacy interns in good standing to order and administer flu vaccines in states in which they are not currently licensed and for such individuals to have liability protection under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act.  See the amended order in this Federal Register notice.

Health Policy Update

  • HHS’s Health Services and Resources Administration (HRSA) offers a number of funding opportunities with application deadlines in the coming weeks.  Go here to learn more about the various programs, what they offer, who can apply, and when applications are due.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Health Policy Update

  • CMS has issued guidance to states and health insurers on state external review processes regarding requirements in the No Surprises Act, the federal surprise medical billing law that took effect on January 1.  See that guidance here.
  • CMS has published the latest edition of MLN Connects, its online newsletter with information about Medicare reimbursement issues.  The new issue includes items about changes in how Medicare Advantage plans will submit claims for monoclonal antibody treatments, the updated ambulatory surgical system payment system, a revised enrollment application for Medicare-covered opioid treatment, and more.  Go here to see the latest edition of MLN Connects.
  • CMS is seeking nominations for individuals to serve on several of its technical panels:  its technical expert panel for the Measurement Gaps and Measure Development Priorities for the Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing Program; for the CMS Quality Measure Development Plan and Quality Measure Index; and for its Dialysis Facility Quality of Patient Care Star Ratings Technical Expert Panel.  All of the nominations are due in the next few weeks.  Go here for further information about the individual panels, project summaries, and nomination criteria and deadlines.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

  • The CDC has updated its recommendation for when many people should receive a booster shot, shortening the interval from six months to five months for people who received the Pfizer vaccine.  This means that people can now receive an mRNA booster shot (Pfizer or Moderna) five months after completing their Pfizer primary series.  The booster interval recommendation for people who received the Johnson and Johnson vaccine (two months) and the Moderna vaccine (six months) has not changed.  Learn more from this CDC news release.
  • The CDC has endorsed its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ recommendation to expand eligibility of booster doses to those 12 to 15 years old.  The CDC now recommends that adolescents ages 12 to 17 years old should receive a booster shot five months after their initial Pfizer vaccination series.  Find that announcement here.
  • The CDC now recommends that moderately or severely immunocompromised children between five and 11 years of age receive an additional primary dose of vaccine 28 days after their second shot.  At this time, the CDC has authorized only the Pfizer vaccine for this age group.  Learn more from the same CDC news release.
  • The CDC has updated its general guidance on COVID-19 vaccines and boosters for people who are moderately or severely immunocompromised.
  • The CDC has posted an explanation of why it has shortened its isolation and quarantine recommendations for individuals who are asymptomatic and mildly ill with COVID-19.  See the explanation here and the revised recommendations here.
  • The CDC has updated its overview and safety information about the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
  • The CDC has updated its guidance on when people should be tested for COVID-19, when they do not need to be tested, and what they should do based on the results of such tests.
  • The CDC has published research on severe outcomes from COVID-19 among people who completed a primary vaccination regimen.  The research found that risk factors for severe outcomes included age 65 years or older, an immunosuppressed state, and six other underlying conditions.  All persons with severe outcomes had at least one risk factor; 78 percent of persons who died had at least four.  Go here to see the CDC’s report.

Food and Drug Administration

  • The FDA has approved an abbreviated new drug application for albuterol sulfate inhalation solution, which is used for the relief of bronchospasm in patients two to 12 years of age with asthma.  This preparation is sometimes used in the treatment of COVID-19.  See the FDA announcement of this approval here and technical information about albuterol sulfate here.

Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC)

  • The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is now accepting nominations for individuals to serve as MACPAC commissioners.  Learn more from this Federal Register notice.  Nominations are due by January 27.
  • MACPAC has published the new issue brief “Medical Loss Ratios in Medicaid Managed Care,” which provides an overview of federal capitation rate setting standards and specific guidance regarding the medical loss ratio for Medicaid managed care plans and describes variations among the states that employ Medicaid managed care.  Find it here.

Stakeholder Events

MedPAC – January 13-14

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) will hold its next public meeting on January 13 and 14.  Watch this space for a meeting agenda and information about virtual participation.

MACPAC – January 20-21

The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) will hold its next public meeting on January 20 and 21.  Watch this space for a meeting agenda and information about virtual participation.

 

Federal Health Policy Update for Monday, December 27

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The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Monday, December 27.  Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents.

Surprise Medical Billing Law Implementation Update

  • CMS has published an FAQ about the implementation of regulations governing the No Surprises Act, the surprise medical billing law enacted late last year.  The FAQ specifically addresses providers’ roles and responsibilities in developing the good-faith price estimates established by the law.  Find the FAQ here.

The White House

Provider Relief Fund

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Health Policy Update

  • CMS has published a new edition of MLN Connects, its online newsletter that presents information about Medicare reimbursement matters.  The latest edition includes articles about updated billing instruction changes that take effect on January 1 for the hospital outpatient prospective payment system, coding changes for pneumonia vaccines, an increase in the FQHC base rate, and an update on COVID-19 vaccine access in long-term-care facilities.  Find these items and more in the latest edition of MLN Connects.
  • CMS has published its Medicare Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS) final rule.  This rule establishes methodologies for adjusting the DMEPOS fee schedule using information from the Medicare DMEPOS competitive bidding program for items furnished on or after the effective date specified in this final rule or the date immediately following the duration of the emergency period described in the Social Security Act, whichever is later.  Learn more from this CMS fact sheet and the final rule itself, which takes effect in 60 days.

COVID-19

Department of Health and Human Services

COVID-19

  • HHS’s Office for Civil Rights has issued guidance tied to legal standards and best practices for improving access to COVID-19 vaccine programs and ensuring non-discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin.  The new guidance seeks to ensure that entities covered by civil rights laws understand their obligations under provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Affordable Care Act that require federally assisted health care providers and systems to ensure fair, equitable access to vaccines and boosters.  Learn more from this HHS news release and from the guidance itself.

Health Policy Update

  • HHS has announced the availability of $48 million in American Rescue Plan funding for community-based organizations to expand public health capacity in rural and tribal communities through health care job development, training, and placement.  Successful applicants will be able to use this funding to address workforce needs related to the long-term effects of COVID-19, health information technology needs, and other workforce issues.  Learn more from this HHS news release and from HHS’s official grant opportunity listing.  The deadline for applications is March 18.
  • The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project of HHS’s Agency for Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has posted the new Statistical Brief “Overview of Major Ambulatory Surgeries Performed in Hospital-Owned Facilities, 2019.”
  • HHS has released the annual update of its “National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease.”  Find an announcement about the report and a summary here and find the report itself here.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Food and Drug Administration

  • The FDA has issued emergency use authorization (EUA) for the first oral treatment for COVID-19:  the Pfizer drug Paxlovid, which is for adults and pediatric patients at least 12 years of age and 88 pounds who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death.  The drug should be initiated as soon as possible after diagnosis of COVID-19 and within five days of symptom onset.  Learn more from the following resources:
  • Shortly thereafter the FDA issued an EUA for another treatment for COVID-19:  Merck’s molnupiravir, which is a treatment for mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults with COVID-19 who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death, and for whom alternative COVID-19 treatment options are not accessible or clinically appropriate.  Molnupiravir should be initiated as soon as possible after diagnosis of COVID-19 and within five days of symptom onset and is not authorized for use in patients younger than 18 years of age, for pre-exposure or post-exposure prevention of COVID-19, or for initiation of treatment in patients hospitalized due to COVID-19.  Learn more from the following resources:
  • The FDA updated its “SARS-CoV-2 Viral Mutations:  Impact on COVID-19 Tests” web page with new information on the COVID-19 omicron variant and the impact of that variant on antigen diagnostic tests.  The update also revises the FDA’s recommendations for clinical laboratory staff and health care providers and shares information about the impact of the omicron variant on molecular diagnostic tests.  Find the updated information here.
  • The FDA and HHS’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) have released a joint statement on COVID-19 variants, including omicron, and how the variants may be associated with resistance to monoclonal antibodies.  The statement explains that

Circulating SARS-CoV-2 viral variants, including Omicron, may be associated with resistance to monoclonal antibodies.  Health care providers should review the Antiviral Resistance information in the Healthcare Provider Fact Sheet for each authorized therapeutic for details regarding specific variants and resistance.

The statement also explains that

FDA updated the Health Care Provider Fact Sheets for bamlanivimab and etesevimab administered together, REGEN-COV, and sotrovimab with specific information regarding expected activity against the Omicron variant (B.1.1.529/BA.1).  These data show that it is unlikely that bamlanivimab and etesevimab administered together or REGEN-COV will retain activity against this variant.  Based on similar cell culture data currently available, sotrovimab appears to retain activity against the Omicron variant.  Based on this information, ASPR will pause any further allocations of bamlanivimab and etesevimab together, etesevimab alone, and REGEN-COV pending updated data from the CDC.  Shipments of sotrovimab did resume this week, and delivery of 55,000 doses of product has begun.  An additional 300,000 doses of sotrovimab will be available for distribution in January.

Find the complete statement here.

  • The FDA has announced its first approval of a long-acting HIV prevention medication for use by adults and adolescents weighing at least 77 pounds who are at risk of sexually acquiring HIV.  Until now, the only FDA-licensed medications for HIV were daily oral pills.  Learn more from this NIH news release.

MACPAC (Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission)

MACPAC has published an issue brief that reviews the sources and uses of Medicaid section 1115 demonstration budget neutrality savings based on the agency’s review of spending reported in FY 2019 and discusses current policy issues related to section 1115 demonstration budget neutrality.  Learn more from the MACPAC issue brief “Section 1115 Demonstration Budget Neutrality.”

Federal Health Policy Update for Monday, December 6

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The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Monday, December 6.  Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents.

NASH Advocacy

  • NASH has submitted formal comments to the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Labor, Department of the Treasury, and federal Office of Personnel Management in response to those agencies’ publication of a second regulation describing how the No Surprises Act will be implemented. In its letter NASH focuses on problems with the manner in which providers will be required to prepare good-faith estimates for those seeking care without benefit of insurance, the regulation’s Independent Dispute Resolution process, and the manner in which the regulation addresses resolving fee disputes between providers and patients.  NASH raises concerns about all of these processes, suggests better approaches to addressing them, and asks the federal agencies to suspend enforcement of the new requirements while they consider ways to improve the current approach to implementing the surprise billing law that was enacted late last year.  Go here to read NASH’s comment letter.

The White House

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

COVID-19

  • CMS has announced that it will require states to cover COVID-19 vaccine counseling during which health care providers talk to families about the importance of vaccines for children. Under this policy CMS will now consider certain COVID-19 vaccine counseling visits for children and youth to be COVID-19 vaccine administration for which state expenditures can be federally matched at 100 percent through the last day of the first quarter that begins one year after the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency.  CMS will match COVID-19 vaccine counseling-only visits at the 100 percent federal match rate only when they are provided to children and youth under age 21 as part of the Medicaid Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit.  Learn more from this CMS news release.
  • CMS has announced a series of steps it will take to encourage Medicare beneficiaries to receive COVID-19 vaccines. Read about these steps in this CMS news release.

Health Policy Update

Department of Health and Human Services

Health Policy Update

  • A new HHS report found a significant increase in the use of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic, with specialists like behavioral health providers seeing the highest telehealth utilization relative to other providers. The report found that the share of Medicare visits conducted through telehealth in 2020 increased 63-fold, from approximately 840,000 in 2019 to 52.7 million.  States with the highest use of telehealth in 2020 included Massachusetts, Vermont, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Connecticut while states with the lowest use of telehealth that year were Tennessee, Nebraska, Kansas, North Dakota, and Wyoming. The report also identified trends in the kinds of services Medicare beneficiaries sought through telehealth.  Learn more from this HHS news release and go here to see the report itself.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Food and Drug Administration

Stakeholder Events

CMS – Open Door Forum on No Surprises Act – December 8

CMS will host an open door forum to discuss provider requirements under the No Surprises Act on Wednesday, December 8 at 2:00 p.m. (eastern).  The forum will be held by conference call only and interested parties can dial into the event at 1-888-455-1397; the conference ID is 8604468.

Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation – Roundtable on Health Equity Strategy – December 8

CMMI will hold a roundtable event on Wednesday, December 8 at 1:30 p.m. (eastern) to discuss how it can carry out its strategic objective of advancing health equity.  The agency also invites written comments on the subject.  For further information about the roundtable and to register to participate, go here.

CDC – Molecular Approaches for Clinical and Public Health Applications to Detect Influenza and COVID-19 Viruses – December 9

The CDC will hold a webinar on Thursday, December 9 to share with clinicians information about molecular approaches for clinical and public health applications to detect the influenza virus and COVID-19.  Go here to learn more about the webinar and how to participate.

MEDPAC – commission meeting – December 9-10

Members of the Medicare Payment Advisory Committee will meet virtually on December 9 and 10.  The two days of meetings will consist of four separate sessions.  For agendas for those sessions and information on how to register to participate, go here.

MACPAC – commission meeting – December 9-10

Members of the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission will meet virtually on December 9 and 10.  To see the meeting agenda and register to participate, go here.

Federal Health Policy Update for Wednesday, December 1

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The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 1.  Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents.

Omicron Variant

  • The CDC has confirmed the first case of the COVID-19 omicron variant on U.S. soil.  Learn more from this CDC news release.

Health Care Employee Vaccine Mandate

COVID-19

  • A federal court has issued a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of the federal government’s requirement that health care workers receive COVID-19 vaccines by December 6.  Find the court’s ruling here.  The ultimate ruling will be made by a higher court.

No Surprises Act

  • CMS has released a series of documents addressing implementation of the No Surprises Act, the surprise medical billing law that takes effect on January 1.  Go here for a link to a zip file of those documents.
  • A reminder:  stakeholder comments on the most recent regulation implementing the No Surprises Act are due this coming Monday, December 6,

The White House

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

COVID-19

  • CMS has issued guidance to inform Medicare Part D sponsors of permissible flexibilities during the COVID-19 public health emergency related to oral antiviral drug(s) for COVID-19 if such drug(s) become available under FDA emergency use authorization and are procured by the federal government.  Find that guidance here.
  • CMS has updated its compendium of Medicare emergency declaration blanket waivers for health care providers with two changes:  one, on page 21, addresses requirements for individuals employed as directors of food and nutrition services in long-term-care facilities and another, on page 33, alters Medicare ground ambulance data collection reporting requirements.  Find the revised blanket waivers document here.

Health Policy Update

  • CMS has published a request for public comments on potential changes in the requirements that transplant programs, organ procurement organizations, and end-stage renal disease facilities must meet to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs.  Learn more about what CMS seeks in this Federal Register notice.  Stakeholder comments are due in 60 days.
  • CMS has announced that it will not move forward with the Seriously Ill Population component of its Primary Care First Model.  That component was designed to have advanced primary care practices coordinate care for high-need, seriously ill beneficiaries.  After review, CMS concluded that the program’s outreach methodology was unlikely to result in sufficient beneficiary participation to allow for model evaluation.  Learn more from this CMS announcement.
  • CMS has published two documents addressing Medicaid and CHIP in the post-COVID-19 world:  “Strategies States and the U.S. Territories Can Adopt to Maintain Coverage of Eligible Individuals as They Return to Normal Operations” and “Connecting Kids to Coverage: State Outreach, Enrollment and Retention Strategies.”
  • CMS has posted the latest edition of MLN Connects, its online publication addressing Medicare payment matters.  This edition includes items on new 2022 web pricers for inpatient prospective payment system hospitals, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, and long-term-care hospitals; information about the 2022 physician fee schedule rule; news about telehealth originating site facility payments; information about disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments; and more.  Go here for the new MLN Connects.

Department of Health and Human Services

Health Policy Update

  • HHS has launched a website for the HHS 405(d) Aligning Health Care Industry Security Approaches Program.  The purpose of the site is to provide the health care and public health sectors “…with useful, impactful, and vetted resources, products, videos, and tools that help raise awareness and provide cybersecurity practices, which drive behavioral change and move toward consistency in mitigating the most relevant cybersecurity threats to the sector.”  The website features health care-focused resources such as cybersecurity posters and infographics, installments of a bi-monthly newsletter, webinar recordings, and threat-specific products to support cybersecurity awareness and training.  Learn more from this HHS news release and go here to find the new site.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Food and Drug Administration

  • The FDA has updated its guidance on the use of the monoclonal antibodies amlanivimab and etesevimab when administered together, expanding their authorized use to all U.S. states and territories.  Find that guidance here.
  • The FDA has issued emergency use authorization for the emergency use of the unapproved monoclonal antibody product sotrovimab for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults and pediatric patients with positive results of direct COVID-19 viral testing who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death.  Go here for an FDA fact sheet on the drug’s use.
  • The FDA has issued a statement outlining its efforts to investigate and address the potential impact of the COVID-19 omicron variant.  Find that statement here.

Stakeholder Events

CMMI – The Value-Based Insurance Design Health Equity Business Case for Medicare Advantage Organizations – December 2

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) is sponsoring a series of webinars for current and potential Medicare Advantage Organization participants in its Value-Based Insurance Design Model.  The first webinar in the series will provide an overview of the model’s health equity incubation sessions effort, articulate a business case for Medicare Advantage organizations to leverage Value-Based Insurance Design Model components to address health inequities in their member populations, and provide specific guidance and clarification on the full extent of health equity-focused flexibilities that fall under the model’s waiver authority.  The first webinar will be held on Thursday, December 2 at 2:30 p.m. (eastern).  Go here for more information about the webinar and to register to participate.

Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation – Roundtable on Health Equity Strategy – December 8

CMMI will hold a roundtable event on Wednesday, December 8 at 1:30 p.m. (eastern) to discuss how it can carry out its strategic objective of advancing health equity.  The agency also invites written comments on the subject.  For further information about the roundtable and to register to participate, go here.

CDC – Molecular Approaches for Clinical and Public Health Applications to Detect Influenza and COVID-19 Viruses – December 9

The CDC will hold a webinar on Thursday, December 9 to share with clinicians information about molecular approaches for clinical and public health applications to detect the influenza virus and COVID-19.  Go here to learn more about the webinar and how to participate.

MEDPAC – commission meeting – December 9-10

Members of the Medicare Payment Advisory Committee will meet virtually on December 9 and 10.  Information about how to join the meeting will be forthcoming; when it is, that information will be posted here.

Federal Health Policy Update for Tuesday, November 23

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The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 23.  Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents.

The White House

Provider Relief Fund

  • HHS announced that it has begun distributing $7.5 billion in American Rescue Plan rural payments to providers and suppliers that serve rural Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and Medicare beneficiaries.  The average payment is $170,700, with payments ranging from $500 to $43 million for an entire health system.  More than 40,000 providers in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and six territories will receive these rural provider payments.  Learn more from this HHS news release.  In addition, go here for a state-by-state breakdown of the payments and here for a data set with all of the recipients of this $7.5 billion in rural provider payments.
  • HHS’s Health Resources and Services Administration, which administers the Provider Relief Fund, has established a 60-day grace period for complying with the fund’s Reporting Period 1.  The grace period began on October 1, 2021, and will end on November 30, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. (eastern).  Learn more here, under “60-Day Grace Period – Reporting Period 1.”

Department of Health and Human Services

COVID-19

  • HHS’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response has posted a presentation titled “Monoclonals and More:  Issues and Opportunities with Early COVID-19 Treatment Options.”  The presentation includes information about therapeutics and their use and distribution, guidelines for determining appropriate treatments, and links to presentations and other resources.  Find the presentation here.

Health Policy Update

  • HHS has announced that it will be awarding an additional $1.5 billion to help grow and diversify the nation’s health care workforce and bolster equitable health care in the communities that need it most.  These awards are supporting the National Health Service Corps, Nurse Corps, and Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery programs, which address workforce shortages and health disparities by providing scholarship and loan repayment funding for health care students and professionals in exchange for a service commitment in hard-hit and high-risk communities.  Learn more about these new resources for health care workforce development in this White House news release and another news release from HHS.
  • HHS has announced the availability of $35 million in American Rescue Plan funding to enhance and expand the telehealth infrastructure and capacity of Title X family planning providers.  HHS plans to use funds to award an estimated 60 one-time grants to active Title X grantees.  Applicants can begin the application process on Grants.gov and must apply by February 3.  Learn more from this HHS news release.
  • A new HHS report concludes that millions of Americans with private health insurance experience some kind of surprise medical billing.  The report found that surprise medical bills are relatively common among privately insured patients and can average more than $1,200 for services provided by anesthesiologists, $2,600 for surgical assistants, and $750 for childbirth-related care.  HHS has issued the report as it continues to develop regulations implementing the No Surprises Act, which was enacted earlier this year.  Learn more about the report from this HHS news release and see the full issue brief “Evidence on Surprise Billing: Protecting Consumers with the No Surprises Act.”
  • HHS has announced the creation of a new federal advisory committee, the Ground Ambulance and Patient Billing Advisory Committee.  As mandated by the No Surprises Act, the new advisory committee will be charged with providing recommendations to the secretaries of HHS, Labor, and Treasury on ways “to protect consumers from exorbitant charges and balance billing when using ground ambulance services.”  Learn more about the new Ground Ambulance and Patient Advisory Committee, its composition, and its scope of endeavor from this HHS news release and this Federal Register notice.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

COVID-19

Health Policy Update

  • CMS’s Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation has published an evaluation of year six of its Independence at Home Demonstration, in which selected primary care practices provide home-based primary care to targeted chronically ill beneficiaries for a three-year period, with CMS tracking beneficiaries’ care experience through quality measures and paying incentives to practices that meet quality measures while generating savings for Medicare.  Go here to learn more about the program and find a link to the program’s year-six evaluation.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC)

Stakeholder Events

CMMI – The Value-Based Insurance Design Health Equity Business Case for Medicare Advantage Organizations – December 2

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) is sponsoring a series of webinars for current and potential Medicare Advantage Organization participants in its Value-Based Insurance Design Model.  The first webinar in the series will provide an overview of the model’s health equity incubation sessions effort, articulate a business case for Medicare Advantage organizations to leverage Value-Based Insurance Design Model components to address health inequities in their member populations, and provide specific guidance and clarification on the full extent of health equity-focused flexibilities that fall under the model’s waiver authority.  The first webinar will be held on Thursday, December 2 at 2:30 p.m. (eastern).  Go here for more information about the webinar and to register to participate.

CDC – Molecular Approaches for Clinical and Public Health Applications to Detect Influenza and COVID-19 Viruses – December 9

The CDC will hold a webinar on Thursday, December 9 to share with clinicians information about molecular approaches for clinical and public health applications to detect the influenza virus and COVID-19.  Go here to learn more about the webinar and how to participate.