Top News
CMS Issues FY 2023 Proposed IPPS and Long-Term Care Hospitals Rule
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued the fiscal year (FY) 2023 Proposed Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) rule. For acute care hospitals paid under the IPPS that successfully participate in the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program and are meaningful electronic health record users, the proposed increase in operating payment rates is projected to be 3.2%. In this proposed rule, CMS seeks stakeholder input related to documenting social determinants of health in inpatient claims data. CMS also seeks comment on the transition to digital health measures, the future definition of digital quality measures, and the use of the Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR®) standard for eCQMs. To view the CMS Fact Sheet on the proposed rule, click here.
Administration
HHS Announces Plan to Advance Equity
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra recently announced a new Equity Action Plan to advance equity in the delivery of health and human services. A response to Executive Order 13985 that President Biden signed at the beginning of his term, the plan, which details some of the ways HHS is building on equity work already underway, specifically focuses on a main tenet of the executive order, that advancing equity must be a central component of the decision-making framework that all agency functions are routed through (e.g. grants, acquisitions, capacity building). For more information, see Advancing Equity at HHS.
CMS Health Equity Symposium
The Office of Minority Health will address operationalizing health equity across Medicare, Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program, and the Health Insurance Marketplaces April 28; 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. ET. Also on the agenda is discussion of the importance of data collection to improve health equity. Register for this webinar.
FDA Issues Draft Guidance to Increase Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Clinical Trials
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a draft guidance, “Diversity Plans to Improve Enrollment of Participants from Underrepresented Racial and Ethnic Subgroups in Clinical Trials,” in which it recommends that sponsors of medical products develop and submit a Race and Ethnicity Diversity Plan to the agency early in clinical development. Comments on this draft guidance may be submitted to FDA at any time; instructions are in the link to the guidance document.
FDA Issues Draft Guidance on Cybersecurity in Medical Devices
FDA recently announced the availability of an updated guidance document for industry regarding quality system considerations and content of premarket submissions. Comment deadline is July 7, 2022. Click here for details.
CDC Launches Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics
On April 19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the launch of the Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics. A goal of the Center is to improve outbreak response using infectious disease modeling and analytics. Click here for more information.
Feedback Period for USCDI v3 Open Until April 30
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) continues to seek feedback on which data classes and elements should be included in the final USCDI v3 via the Draft USCDI v3 website. Feedback will be accepted until April 30. ONC plans to release the final USCDI v3 this summer.
Legislation & Politics
- Hayes Introduces Bill to Protect Patients Against 'Junk' Health Plans | Representative Jahana Hayes
- Booker, Warren, Casey, Moore Introduce Mamas First Act to Combat Maternal Mortality Crisis
Around the Web
- HHS IT coordinator researching algorithmic bias and implications for health equity, FedScoop
- HHS Distributing $1.75 Billion in Provider Relief Fund Payments to Health Care Providers Affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic, HHS
- Using Measurement-Based Care to Turn Patient Data Into Treatment, HealthLeaders
AMIA's Washington Download is your source for health informatics policy news and information from around the Beltway, covering action from the Hill, the Administration and important AMIA collaborators.