Administration Updates
CMS: CMS Releases Calendar Year 2025 Home Health Prospective Payment System Proposed Rule (06/26) - CMS released the calendar year (CY) 2025 Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) Rate Update proposed rule, which updates Medicare payment policies and rates for home health agencies. CMS is proposing to collect four new items as standardized patient assessment data elements in the social determinants of health (SDOH) category, and to modify one item collected as a standardized patient assessment data element in the SDOH category, beginning with the CY 2027 HH QRP via the OASIS. As part of CMS' work in developing potential equity measures, CMS is also exploring potential definitions to use for defining historically underserved communities.
FDA: Diversity Action Plans to Improve Enrollment of Participants from Underrepresented Populations in Clinical Studies (06/26) - The FDA issued draft guidance to increase the enrollment of participants from underrepresented populations in clinical studies. Comments are due September 26, 2024.
USPSTF: Draft Recommendation Statement and Draft Evidence Review: Screening for Food Insecurity (06/26) - The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force seeks comments on a draft recommendation statement and draft evidence review on screening for food insecurity. The Task Force found limited evidence on how screening in primary care can help address food insecurity. The draft recommendation statement and draft evidence review are available for review and public comment from June 25, 2024, to July 22, 2024.
CMS: District of Columbia Section 1115 Medicaid Demonstration Waiver (06/25) - CMS announced that the District of Columbia submitted a request to renew its section 1115 demonstration waiver which will broaden the focus from behavioral health transformation to also address social determinants of health and further improve health outcomes. This includes implementing new Medicaid services for justice-involved individuals up to 90-days pre-release and health-related social needs (HRSN) services, specifically housing supports and nutrition supports. The federal public comment period is open through July 24, 2024.
USDA: USDA Releases 2024 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program State Options Report (06/24) - The "16th State Options Report" by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service provides an overview of various policy choices and waivers that states can adopt for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). It highlights the flexibility states have in administering SNAP to cater to local needs and improve program efficiency. The report includes details on policy options related to eligibility, benefits, and program integrity, emphasizing state-level innovations and practices that enhance the delivery of SNAP benefits while maintaining federal standards​.
CMS: CMS Releases Third Annual Evaluation Report on Maternal Opioid Misuse Model (06/17) - CMS released the third annual Maternal Opioid Misuse (MOM) Model evaluation report. The MOM Model aims to address care fragmentation, quality of care, and costs in the care of pregnant and postpartum people with opioid use disorder who are enrolled in Medicaid through the transformation of state-driven care delivery systems. The report found that awardees encounter several implementation challenges, including low enrollment, barriers to health-related social needs care, and stigma.
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