CMS Underreported Nursing Home Quality Issues, New $5B Vaccine Project
A government report found that CMS didn’t report nursing home quality issues, and the federal government will launch a new $5 billion coronavirus vaccine project.
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By - In healthcare policy news this week, an inspector general report found massive underreporting of quality issues at nursing homes by CMS. Meanwhile, the Biden Administration is launching a $5 billion coronavirus vaccine program dubbed Project NextGen.
HHS Launches New Cybersecurity Resources
Newly released resources from the HHS 405(d) Program and the Health Sector Coordinating Council Cybersecurity Working Group aim to update best practices for reducing cybersecurity risk. The 2023 edition of Health Industry Cybersecurity Practices includes current knowledge on cybersecurity threats from 150 experts and cost-effective methods for mitigating risk. The HHS Cybersecurity Task Force is also launching a new educational platform called Knowledge on Demand that includes free training for healthcare organizations. READ MORE.
DEA Issues Public Health Alert for New Illicit Drug Combo
Last week, the Drug Enforcement Agency issued a public safety alert warning about the dangers of the illicit use of fentanyl and xylazine.
“Xylazine is making the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, fentanyl, even deadlier,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram in the safety alert. “DEA has seized xylazine and fentanyl mixtures in 48 of 50 States. The DEA Laboratory System reports that in 2022 approximately 23% of fentanyl powder and 7% of fentanyl pills seized by the DEA contained xylazine.” READ MORE.
New $5 Billion Federal Vaccine Project
Coined Project NextGen, the Operation Warp Speed successor, will use $5 billion in federal funds to create new COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. The program also hopes to fight future coronavirus outbreaks by creating the foundation for quicker deployment of monoclonal antibodies and mucosal vaccines. Funds will be doled out in public-private collaborations to catalyze the initial investments in technology and research needed to develop drugs and vaccines. READ MORE.
CMS Nursing Home Program Underreported Quality Info
A recent HHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) report found that CMS failed to share accurate information about nursing home issues on its Care Compare sites. The OIG assessment found that 67% of sampled nursing homes lacked accurate information about health, fire safety, and emergency preparedness issues. According to the study, as many as 10,303 nursing homes may have inaccurate information on the Care Compare website. READ MORE.
IPPS 2024 Proposed Rule Will Increase Payments
The proposed rule for the fiscal year 2024 Inpatient Prospective Payment System would increase acute care hospital payments by $3.3 billion and allocate additional resources for hospitals that see more homeless patients.
“With this proposed rule, CMS is more accurately paying hospitals and recognizing for the first time that homelessness, as a social determinant of health, also impacts resource utilization,” CMS Deputy Administrator Meena Seshamani, MD, said in a statement. READ MORE.
