DCMedical News: Thursday, April 26, 2018
DCMedical News
Washington, D.C.
Thursday, April 26, 2018
DCMedical News is published every day either the House or the Senate is in session. Want to subscribe? See below. Add our new domain (dcmedicalnews.org) to your white list. Welcome to our new “courtesy trial” recipients.
THE BIG STORY TODAY IN HEALTH CARE
Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems (IPPS) Proposed Rule: Reaction continues to one or another of the proposed rule’s 1,883 pages (here) of provisions for FY2019. CMS published a summary (here) which explains the “market basket” update of payments based on the cost of goods and services used by hospitals. Leaders of the House Ways and Means Committee applauded those aspects of the proposed rule they found echoing their “Red Tape Initiative,” stating “[T]he proposal to improve quality reporting amounts to an estimated $75 million in savings to hospitals and a reduction of 2 million hours of administrative burden for hospitals.” See especially EHR incentive programs, eCQMs, both reduced in scope, but not eliminated. Hospital industry reaction thus far has focused on the challenges involved in publishing prices. The proposed rule will be officially published in the May 7 Federal Register, with a comment period ending June 25.
Spending, continued: Senate appropriations proceed apace, may have 12 orderly bills, while OMB Director Mulvaney tells House that $25 billion in rescissions may be requested, including some from mandatory benefits (e.g. Medicare).
DOCTORS, NURSES, HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
Follow up on power morcellation warning: A study in JAMA Surgery (here) summarizes the history: “In November 2014, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a black box warning against the use of power morcellation for excision of uterine fibroids to decrease the risk of disseminating malignant cells and worsening survival outcomes of patients with unexpected malignant neoplasms,” and now the unintended follow on, “Major and minor 30-day complication rates among women undergoing hysterectomy for uterine fibroids increased following the FDA-issued statement.”
HOSPITALS AND HEALTH CARE FACILITIES
Veterans Choice: House VA Committee action coming early in May, according to the Committee’s Chairman. The program has been continually short of funds since its beginning in 2014, due to its popularity with veterans. The program would become a discretionary appropriation under the Administration’s budget, but legislators appear to support an “entitlement,” currently about $5 billion per year for private sector treatment.
HEALTH INSURANCE, MEDICARE, MEDICAID
Anthem reported on its first quarter, profit up 30% compared to the same quarter one year ago, the result of dropping ObamaCare exchange business, growing Medicare Advantage business.
National Clinical Care Commission: Looking for nominees, the new body (nomination process here) will “[E]valuate and make recommendations to the HHS Secretary and Congress regarding improvements to the coordination and leveraging of federal programs related to awareness and clinical care for complex metabolic or autoimmune diseases that result from issues related to insulin that represent a significant disease burden in the United States, which may include complications due to such diseases.”
PHARMA
Opioid legislation: moving too fast, or just right: House and Senate pursuing paths previously reported here (DCMN April 19, March 7, 8, 9, 12, click on “Past Issues” in your browser). Report on Canadian government actions in NEJM (here), highlights include “Although naloxone is also increasingly available in many regions of the United States, laws in 14 states provide no immunity from criminal prosecution for health care providers who prescribe or distribute it to laypersons. Furthermore, in 36 states, existing laws make possession of naloxone without a prescription illegal. The Canadian government has also passed legislation aimed at facilitating the development of medically supervised injection facilities.”
Recent HHS opioid initiatives and program additions here.
EVENTS & MEETING
April 26
10:00 a.m., Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health holds hearing on “Identifying Innovative Practices and Technology in Health Care.”
Health Datapalooza (AcademyHealth, HHS), Washington Hilton, continuing April 27, CMS’s Seema Verma to speak.
May 2
8:00 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. National Academy of Medicine Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-Being
and Resilience, Washington, DC.
May 3
8:30 a.m., HRSA, Advisory Committee on Training in Primary Care Medicine and Dentistry, continuing
on May 4th; conference call-in number: (800) 857-9729, Passcode: 1318150.
Description and additional information in the Federal Register, here.
May 6
American Hospital Association Annual Membership Meeting (Washington, DC), through May 9.
May 8
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations (House E&C) will hear testimony from the chief executives of AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal and McKesson, concerning pill dumping in W. Virginia and other matters.
May 16
11:00 a.m., National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice (Federal Register here).
June 19
AHIP Institute & Expo, San Diego, through June 22.
June 24
HFMA Annual Conference, Las Vegas, through June 28.
AcademyHealth, through June 26, Convention Center, Seattle, Washington.
FOR REFERENCE
Members of the Senate (here) and Members of Senate Committees (here), Senate Calendar (here).
Members of the House with their House Committees (here), House Calendar (here).
PUBLICATION SCHEDULE FOR DCMEDICAL NEWS
DCMedical News is published every day that either the House of Representatives or the Senate is in session.
Past issues can be accessed by clicking on “View this email in your browser.” Subscription information is found at the bottom of these pages. Trial subscriptions may end without notice.
Additional April publication dates: 27.
May publication dates: 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25.
June publication dates: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29.
July publication dates: 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 30, 31.
August publication dates: 1, 2, 3.
Notes to: Fred Hyde, MD, JD, MBA; fredhyde@aol.com