DCMedical News: Thursday, November 29, 2018
DCMedical News-DCMN
Washington, D.C.
Thursday, November 29, 2018
DCMedical News is published every day either the House or the Senate is in session. Subscribe to ensure continued receipt of your copy.
DOCTORS, NURSES AND OTHER HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
One More Study Linking Nursing Resources to Improvements in Patient Safety and Quality of Care: In today’s AHRQ PSNet (here). Also from AHRQ, a study of the association of nurse workload with missing nursing care in a neonatal intensive care unit (here) and a study of patient outcomes after the introduction of statewide ICU nurse regulations (here).
Note Bloat, a Strategy on Reducing Regulatory and Administrative Burden Relating to the Use of Health IT and EHRs: HHS publishes a study, here, for comment, required by the 21st Century Cures Act. In a companion “blog” post, here, ONC officials write “When using their EHRs, clinicians increasingly rely on checkboxes, templates, cut-and-paste functionality, and other workarounds that may counter the intended benefits of EHRs. We have heard from many clinicians that they continue to spend more time entering data, leaving less time for patient interaction. Required documentation elements and the ease with which electronic systems can increase the length of notes via ‘cut and paste’ or similar mechanisms have led to ‘note bloat’ in health records, making it difficult to find relevant patient information and effectively coordinate a patient’s care.”
HOSPITALS AND OTHER HEALTH CARE FACILITIES
U.S. News Hospitals Highly Ranked in Cardiology: A study in JAMA Cardiology (here) found that “USNWR top-ranked hospitals for cardiovascular care had lower 30-day mortality rates for AMI, HF, and CABG and higher patient satisfaction ratings compared with nonranked hospitals. However, 30-day readmission rates were either similar (for AMI and CABG) or higher (for HF) at top-ranked compared with nonranked hospitals. This discrepancy between readmissions and other performance measures raises concern that readmissions may not be an adequate metric of hospital care quality.” The study, however, had 50 “top ranked” hospitals and for each measure about 3,000 not ranked.
MEDICARE, MEDICAID AND COMMERCIAL HEALTH INSURANCE
More Accountability Problems for Medicaid Managed Care: OIG (the Office of Inspector General of HHS, report here) chronicles security vulnerabilities at Medicaid managed care organizations audited in Arizona. The OIG report notes that MCOs aren’t required to adhere to federal security standards, nor are states required to ensure that the MCOs comply with federal standards. The report does not make clear how the privacy of patient medical records is to be protected.
Senate HELP Committee Holds Hearing #5 on Health Costs: Testimony on employer innovation, here; local government innovation, here; HCA innovation, here; and physician innovation, here.
READING & REFERENCE
“Detecting BS in Health Care,” (here) by Burns and Pauly from the Wharton School. The authors chronicle what they regard as “deceptive, misleading, unsubstantiated and foolish statements – what we will call ‘BS’ – in the health care industry.” Not mentioned: value-based payment, population health management.
MACPAC Issue Brief on Rural and Urban Health Care, here, focus on access.
Prior Authorization: InsideHealthPolicy report on Senate deliberations, here; a JAMA blog, with comments, on the Cleveland Clinic’s $10 million bill for prior authorizations, here; the AMA proposes prior authorization changes for MA programs and for Medicaid, here.
Reference: CMS publishes a third quarter (2018) list of CMS manual instructions, substantive and interpretive regulations, and other Federal Register notices that were published from July through September 2018, relating to the Medicare and Medicaid programs and other programs administered by CMS, together with names and phone numbers for the staff responsible for each, here.
Medicare Advantage Checkup: In this week’s New England Journal of Medicine, here.
EVENTS & MEETINGS (Events Newly Added to This List Noted in Bold)
Nov. 28
10:00 a.m., Senate HELP Committee Hearing: Reducing Health Care Costs: “Improving Affordability Through Innovation,” 430 Dirksen Senate Office Building, announcement here.
12:00 to 1:30 p.m., Understanding the Role of Rebates in Prescription Drug Pricing, Alliance for Health Policy, (Stars: Gerard Anderson, Hopkins; Jack Hoadley, Georgetown), Dirksen Room G-50, 50 Constitution Ave NE, Washington. Open to public, lunch served at 11:30 a.m. www.allhealthpolicy.org.
1:00 to 2:00: CMS briefing on proposed rulemaking for Medicaid and CHIP managed care regulation Comments, due January 14, 2019, register here: https://meetings.cms.gov/orion/joinmeeting.do?MTID=a5c77db9a01b8e77f7d5d03ab672ef0e
Nov. 29
The “Office of the National Coordinator” annual meeting, continuing November 30, two day tentative agenda (Jared Kushner!) here.
8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., STAT Plus correspondents in a discussion of drug pricing, at Hogan Lovells in Washington, information at https://www.statnews.com/conversation-drug-pricing-2019/?utm_source=STAT+Newsletters&utm_campaign=bb45b691af-STATPlus_1113_event_subs_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8cab1d7961-bb45b691af-149691333
10:30 a.m.: Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee marks up S.2076 (here), on dementia and Alzheimer’s; H.R.315, “Improving Access to Maternity Care” (here); reauthorization of “Emergency Medical Services for Children” (here) and reauthorization of the “Traumatic Brain Injury Program” in Room 430 Dirksen SOB.
Dec. 4
9:00 a.m., CMS sponsors a “Town Hall” meeting “To discuss fiscal year (FY) 2020 applications for add-on payments for new medical services and technologies under the hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS).” Registration required by 11-19-2018, Federal Register notice here.
Dec. 6
9:30 a.m., Bipartisan Policy Center, “Bipartisan Leadership in Health Care: Chronic Care Act of 2018,” with Senators Hatch, Wyden. Register at https://bipartisanpolicy.org/events/bipartisan-leadership-in-health-care-chronic-care-implementation
Dec. 7
Noon, Alliance for Health Policy, “Aging in America,” information at 202-789-2300 info@allhealthpolicy.org
Dec. 18
First meeting, the HHS Deputy Secretary’s Innovation and Investment Summit. Program announced, here; participants selected, list here; FAQs here.
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
November publication dates: 30
December publication dates: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
Notes to: Fred Hyde, MD, JD, MBA; fredhyde@aol.com