Top News
AMIA Supports Funding to ONC
Partnering with other organizations, a letter to the Appropriations Committee of both chambers of Congress urging to fully fund ONC at the President&'s proposed FY24 budget request of $103.6 million. ONC has long served as the key partner to public and private sector stakeholders to advance the health information and technology ecosystem. This $37 million increase in funding would provide ONC with the necessary resources to help achieve nationwide, standards-based health information exchange. Read letter of support.
Health Breach Notification Rule
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to propose changes to the Health Breach Notification Rule (HBNR) to clarify the rule&'s applicability to health apps and other direct-to-consumer health technologies. See the Health Breach Notification Rule.
President Biden Announces NIH Director Nominee
President Biden has nominated Monica Bertagnolli, MD, to become the next Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Bertagnolli currently serves as Director of the National Cancer Institute. View the announcement.
Regulatory
HHS Telehealth Updates for End of the PHE
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued an updated Fact Sheet on the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE). The Fact Sheet provides essential details on topics such as Medicare and Medicaid coverage, and application of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) enforcement discretion. Read the updated HHS Fact Sheet.
COVID-19 Still High Priority for FDA
Robert M. Califf, MD, Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Hilary Marston, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer, recently wrote that although the PHE for COVID-19 expired May 11, 2023, COVID-19 remains a high priority for the Agency. The FDA will continue to support efforts on future COVID-19 vaccine and treatment needs, and use lessons learned to inform response to future public health emergencies. Take a look at Lessons Learned.
FDA Releases AI Discussion Papers
Recently, the FDA released two discussion papers on AI in drug development and manufacturing, discussing a host of issues including ethical and security considerations, transparency in algorithms, and data bias. View discussion papers.
AHRQ CDS Webinar June 15
Join AHRQ for the Clinical Decision Support (CDS) at the Point of Care webinar on June 15 from 1:30-3:00 pm ET. Hear from panelists on how they implemented patient-focused CDS tools using modern, shareable, and interoperable technologies. Register now.
Economic Burden of Health Disparities
A recent study funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), revealed that in 2018, racial and ethnic health disparities cost the U.S. economy $451 billion, a 41% increase from the previous estimate of $320 billion in 2014. The study found the total burden of education-related health disparities for persons with less than a college degree in 2018 reached $978 billion, about two times greater than the annual growth rate of the U.S. economy in 2018. Learn more about the economic burden placed on specific racial and minority groups, and by educational level. Read the study.
Healthy People 2030 Releases SDOH Infographics
The HHS Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion recently released five new social determinants of health (SDOH) infographics. Each infographic covers one of the following topics: employment; early childhood development and education; access to health services; access to foods that support healthy dietary patterns; and civic participation. See all five SDOH infographics.
CMS Innovation Center Progress on Health Equity
In 2022, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center announced a health equity initiative aiming to develop new models and revise existing models to promote and incentivize equitable care; increase participation of safety net providers; increase collection and analysis of equity data; and monitor and evaluate models for health equity impact. Check out the new blog post by Dora Hughes, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer at the CMS Innovation Center, outlining the center&'s health equity strategy, progress made over the last year, and additional areas of focus in the future. Read the blog post.
Legislation and Politics
Spotlight on Maternal Health
Representative Jahana Hayes (D-CT) introduced H.R. 3322, the Social Determinants for Moms Act, a bill to improve maternal health data collection processes and quality measures. The bill would establish a task force to develop comprehensive strategies to eliminate preventable maternal morbidity and maternal health disparities. Additionally, the legislation establishes a dedicated funding source for community-based organizations and local entities to address social determinants of health during and after pregnancy. Learn about this and 11 other related pieces of legislation.
Around the Web
- Speech by Robert M. Califf, MD, to the National Health Council's 2023 Science for Patient Engagement Symposium -- Patient Empowerment in the Digital Health Era - 05/08/2023; U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- To regulate artificial intelligence, Congress has a lot to learn; National Public Radio
- Burnout: it&'s not just for doctors; MedicalEconomics.com
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.