On January 19, 2022, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) published the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) for health information exchange. The Trusted Exchange Framework established a set of non-binding, foundational principles for trust policies and practices to help facilitate
ONC’s Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) Announces First Cohort of Participants
On January 19, 2022, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) published the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) for health information exchange. The Trusted Exchange Framework established a set of non-binding, foundational principles for trust policies and practices to help facilitate
Health Sector Efforts to Address Health Equity and Affordability in 2023
As we move into 2023, the impact of the pandemic on marginalized groups continue. The COVID 19-pandemic has exacerbated longstanding racial and ethnic disparities in health care. In terms of national healthcare spending, healthcare inequities make up about $230 billion in annual spending; and that amount could potentially reach $1 trillion by the year 2040 if inequities persist or worsen. In 2021, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a new strategic vision to guide the Centers’ model testing and priorities toward a vision of achieving equitable outcomes through high-quality, affordable, person-centered care. But it is important to also highlight what other federal agencies, states, and health plans are doing to address health inequity especially as our healthcare system, as a whole, is moving towards value-based care initiatives.
Continue Reading Health Sector Efforts to Address Health Equity and Affordability in 2023Medicaid Redetermination & Unwinding Updates
Initiated in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) requires Medicaid programs to keep beneficiaries continuously enrolled through the end of the public health emergency (PHE). The PHE is expected to end on May 11, 2023. Despite FFCRA’s initial timeline, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (CAA 2023) established the end of the continuous enrollment provision to be March 31, 2023, in effort to reduce the enhanced federal Medicaid matching funds through December 2023. Accordingly, as of April 1, 2023, states can resume Medicaid disenrollment. The unwinding of the Medicaid continuous enrollment provision has raised concerns about the number of people who will lose coverage.
Continue Reading Medicaid Redetermination & Unwinding UpdatesThe FDA Releases New Draft Guidance on Considering Health Care Disparities When Reviewing Proposed Devices
On October 21st, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a draft guidance that, if finalized, will update the agency’s 2018 guidance on its Breakthrough Devices Program (the “Program”). In the draft guidance, the FDA announced that when reviewing the eligibility of medical devices for the Program, the agency will also consider whether a