ASAHP NEWSWIRE ARCHIVES

White House Proposal To Reorganize The Federal Government

A new report from the White House recommends structural realignment of the executive branch, including renaming the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as the Department of Health and Public Welfare. Other changes call for moving three HHS research entities – the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research – to the National Institutes of Health.

The report can be obtained at https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Government-Reform-and-Reorg-Plan.pdf.

Consumer And Provider Views On Virtual Care

Regardingthe benefits of virtual care, physicians and health care consumers agree that technology could improve access and increase convenience. But, according to a new survey by Deloitte, the findings show that consumers’ interest in virtual care outpaces physician adoption.

 

An infographic can be obtained at https://www2.deloitte.com/insights/us/en/multimedia/infographics/virtual-health-care-survey-infographic.html?id=us:2em:3na:4di4630:5awa:6di:062118&sfid=0033000001OcSbrAAF

ACA Marketplace Enrollment Rates In 2018

Enrollment in ACA insurance marketplaces was expected to decline in 2018, compared to 2017. Yet, 15 states actually saw higher enrollment while others did experience declines). To understand why these dual trends emerged, the Urban Institute interviewed state officials, insurers, and other key players in five states (Rhode Island, Washington, New York, West Virginia, Louisiana).

The results of the interviews can be obtained at https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/98650/marketplace2018_2001877.pdf.

Fall 2018 IPEC Institute Announcement

The Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) is holding its 15th faculty development institute focused on Advancing & Sustaining Your Program for Collaborative Practice on October 3-5, 2018 at the Sheraton Crescent Hotel in Phoenix, AZ. Faculty teams are invited to come together for dedicated time to advance actionable plans for implementing projects that further interprofessional curricula, clinical training and population health experiences, and student assessment.

The agenda and registration link may be accessed here.

U.S. Department of Education Plans Accreditation Experimentation

The U.S. Department of Education is preparing to take a “deep dive” into accreditation, Diane Auer Jones, a special adviser to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, said Tuesday. Jones said that current regulations are hampering colleges’ efforts to offer non-degree-level credentials. The department announced earlier this year that it is planning to amend federal rules related to accrediting agencies and accreditation procedures through negotiated rule making. Notice of the public hearings for this process will come out in the Federal Register this summer, said Jones. “We take these public hearings very seriously, and we want you to come to these hearings with ideas,” she said.

The full Inside Higher Ed article may be accessed here. 

How To Build An Analytics-Driven Campus

In an effort to understand how higher education leaders plan to use analytics and what is preventing them from implementing enterprise analytics programs, a survey was conducted of 200 presidents, provosts, CFOs, and CIO/CTOs from four-year, two-year, public and private institutions.

Survey results can be obtained at https://www.ellucian.com/White-Papers/What-will-it-take-to-build-an-analytics-driven-campus-Ovum/.

Community Health Rankings

U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in rankings and civic journalism, in collaboration with the Aetna Foundation, the independent charitable and philanthropic arm of Aetna, announced the inaugural Healthiest Communities rankings. The new report evaluated nearly 3,000 communities nationwide across 10 categories, from education and population health to infrastructure and economy.

The rankings can be obtained at https://www.usnews.com/news/healthiest-communities.

Projected Consequences Of Terminating The Affordable Care Act

A case before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas about the individual mandate could open the door to ending the ACA. An analysis from the Urban Institute shows that if the entire law were eliminated, the number of uninsured individuals would increase by 17.1 million, or 50 percent, in 2019.

The report can be obtained at https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/98634/aca-remains-critical_2001873_1.pdf.

CMS Will Not Update Overall Hospital Star Ratings In July

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it will not update its overall hospital quality star ratings on Hospital Compare in July. CMS decided to postpone the ratings update to allow time for additional analysis of the impact of changes to some measures on the star ratings and to address concerns of affected parties. CMS will seek feedback from a multi-disciplinary technical expert panel, a provider leadership work group, and a public comment period.

Postsecondary Enrollment Before, During, And Since The Great Recession

The Great Recession of 2007 to 2009 influenced significant changes in American postsecondary education, according to a new report by the U.S. Census Bureau.  The number of students enrolled in college in the United States increased from 2.4 million in 1955 to 19.1 million in 2015. From 2006 to 2011, total college enrollment grew by 3 million, contributing to the overall growth of postsecondary enrollment during the Great Recession period.

The report can be obtained at https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2018/demo/p20-580.html?eml=gd&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery.

Senate HELP Committee Hearing on Lowering Drug Prices

The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions discussed the issue and potential solutions of drug prices. Providing more transparency for patients, lower drug prices, and prohibiting gag clauses were areas of bipartisan agreement. Specific topics discussed were drug rebates, how HHS is handling refugee children, drug negotiations, and drug pricing transparency. Committee Democrats acknowledged that there are ideas in the President’s blueprint that they could agree with.

Full memo can be accessed here.

Best Practices For Increasing Academic Completion Rates By Students

A new report from the education research group, Third Way, provides an extensive review of completion initiatives across a spectrum of institutions. Using IPEDs data, the report shows that almost 600 of the nation’s approximately 3,000 four-year campuses report that less than one-third of their freshmen earned a four-year bachelor’s degree in six years. 

The report can be obtained at http://thirdway.imgix.net/pdfs/completion-reforms-that-work-how-leading-college-are-improving-the-attainment-of-high-value-degrees.pdf.

 

Impact Of Alternative Measures Of Age On Research Conclusions

As average life spans have lengthened, age is no longer the best measure to compare well-being and behavior between different generations. A report from the Urban Institute proposes two alternative measures of “age” based on life expectancy that can provide better insights into the conditions and future needs of older adults.

The report can be obtained at https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/98523/how_alternative_measures_of_age_can_affect_research_conclusions_1.pdf.

House Committee Holds Hearings with Sec. DeVos and Sec. Azar

This week the House Education and the Workforce Committee held hearings examining the policies and priorities of the Department of Education and separately of the Department of Health and Human Services. Secretary Betsy DeVos and Secretary Alex Azar, respectively, provided testimony. 

ASAHP's memo on the Sec. DeVos hearing may be accessed here. ASAHP's memo on the Sec. Azar hearing may be accessed here. 

Graduate STEM Education For The 21st Century

The U.S. system of graduate education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has served the nation and its science and engineering enterprise. Continuous, dramatic innovations in research methods and technologies, changes in the nature and availability of work, shifts in demographics, and expansions in the scope of occupations needing STEM expertise raise questions about how well the current STEM graduate education system is meeting the full array of 21st century needs. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine released a new report that provides recommendations to advance graduate STEM education.

The report can be obtained at https://www.nap.edu/login.php?record_id=25038&page=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nap.edu%2Fdownload%2F25038.

Medicare Trust Fund Solvent Until 2016

The Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund will have sufficient funds to cover its obligations until 2026, three years earlier than projected last year, according to the latest annual report from the Medicare Board of Trustees. The projected 75-year actuarial deficit in the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund is 0.82% of taxable payroll, up from 0.64% in last year’s report. Medicare’s total costs under current law will rise steadily from their current level of 3.7% of gross domestic product in 2017 to 5.9% in 2042. 

The report can be obtained at https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/ReportsTrustFunds/Downloads/TR2018.pdf.

Improving Care At The End Of Life

While the expanded use of hospice in recent years is helping to better meet the needs of these patients, Medicare limits hospice benefits to those with a life expectancy of less than six months. A post from the Commonwealth Fund discusses advanced illness management programs, which seek to fill the gap in end-of-life care for patients who need help earlier.

The post can be obtained at http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/blog/2018/may/advanced-illness-management.

Challenges Facing The Poorest Medicaid Beneficiaries

Medicaid expansion has brought health coverage to many low-income, childless adults who previously didn’t qualify for public insurance programs. A new Commonwealth Fund issue brief examines the complex needs of this population in Minnesota, one of the handful of states that opted to broaden Medicaid eligibility prior to the Affordable Care Act’s expansion of the program in 2014.

The issue brief can be obtained at http://www.commonwealthfund.org/~/media/files/publications/issue-brief/2018/may/shippee_complex_needs_mn_medicaid_expansion_ib.pdf.