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More than three decades ago, Congress created the 340B program to help safety-net hospitals and clinics expand resources and care for underserved communities. By requiring pharmaceutical companies to offer deep discounts on outpatient drugs, the program has become a hallmark resource to help health systems support vulnerable patients. In recent years, however, the program has drawn scrutiny from federal lawmakers as several drugmakers have introduced alternative rebate and drug pricing models, raising questions about the direction of the program.
The Department of Health and Human Services has signaled its intent to de-recognize employee unions, a move that would take away collective bargaining rights for thousands of its staff. In a statement to the Associated Press on Friday, HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said the move “ensures that HHS resources and personnel are fully focused on safeguarding the health and security of the American people.” HHS will also reclaim office space and equipment that had been allotted for union activities.
Medicare patients have increasingly checked themselves out of the hospital against the advice of medical staff since 2006, with a temporary spike in self-discharges coinciding with the COVID-19 public health emergency, according to a new claims review conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS OIG).
With discharge to post-acute care often seen as an unanticipated and costly surgical outcome, researchers are proposing that discharge to post-acute care could be used as a benchmarking metric in care for older adults. Because discharge to post-acute care can add more than $5,000 to care costs and is associated with worse outcomes for older patients, a study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons (JACS) suggests it may be a valuable benchmark to help hospitals evaluate how they are serving older adult surgical patients.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will seek external experts for a new committee tasked with providing strategic guidance on the care provided by government insurance programs. The CMS is currently accepting nominations for committee members and is looking for experts in chronic disease management, financing in federal health programs and delivery system reform.
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