House Subcommittee Advances FY 23 LHHSED Funding Bill

On Thursday, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHSED) advanced its FY 23 funding bill. The House allocations for the 12 subcommittees provide more than $1.6 trillion in funding, a nine percent increase over the FY22 enacted level. The LHHSED bill provides $242.1 billion, an increase of $28.5 billion (13 percent) above FY 22 enacted. Like FY 22, the House funding levels will be the highwater mark in negotiations with the Senate on reaching a topline spending agreement. The LHHSED bill provides a total of $86.7 billion in discretionary appropriations for ED, an increase of $10.3 billion above the FY 2022 enacted level; a total of $15 billion in discretionary appropriations for DOL, an increase of $1.9 billion above the FY 22 enacted level and $125 million above the President’s budget request; and a total of $124.2 billion for HHS, an increase of $15.6 billion above the FY 22 enacted level and $298 million below the President’s budget request. The bill provides a total of $9.6 billion for HRSA, an increase of $683 million above the FY 2022 enacted level and $792 million above the President’s budget request. The bill includes an increase of $132 million to grow and prepare the behavioral health workforce and $25 million to develop and disseminate best practices for Preventing Burnout in the Health Workforce. The LHHSED full committee markup is scheduled for June 30 at 10am Eastern and we expect the explanatory statement report to be released on June 29.

Chair Rosa DeLauro’s (D-CT) opening remarks at the Subcommittee markup are here. Ranking Member Kay Granger’s (R-TX) opening remarks are here. A summary of the bill is here. The text of the draft bill is here. The included earmarks (Community Project Funding) in the bill are here.

Older Americans Act: Overview And Funding

The Older Americans Act (OAA) supports a wide range of social services and programs for individuals aged 60 years or older. A report released on June 23, 2022 from the Congressional Research Service provides an overview that briefly describes the act’s titles, highlighting selected provisions, followed by FY 2022 appropriations and funding history. 

The report can be obtained at https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/R43414.pdf.

Meeting America’s Public Health Challenge

In a new report released today, the nonpartisan Commonwealth Fund Commission on a National Public Health System laid out a vision for transforming public health in the United States to better protect lives and provide robust, coordinated responses to health emergencies. 

The report can be obtained at MEETING AMERICA’S PUBLIC HEALTH CHALLENGE: Recommendations for Building a National Public Health System That Addresses Ongoing and Future Health Crises, Advances Equity, and Earns Trust (commonwealthfund.org).

Who Pays For Long-Term Services And Supports? [June 16, 2022]

A new updated report from the Congressional Research Service provides data for personal health expenditures by payer for long-term services and supports, which are a broad range of health services and other types of assistance that are needed by individuals over an extended period of time. 

The report can be obtained at https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/IF10343.pdf.

Advancing Health Equity Through Federal Payment And Delivery System Reform

A blog from the Commonwealth Fund discusses how the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) can move health equity forward through payment and delivery system reform. 

The blog can be obtained at Advancing Health Equity Through Federal Payment and Delivery System Reforms | Commonwealth Fund.

State Funding for Higher Education Rose in 2021

The “State Higher Education Finance Report, FY 2021”, released today by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO), found that state funding in fiscal year 2021 increased by 4.5 percent above inflation. State and local funding for all higher education totaled $113.2 billion in fiscal year 2021, including $3.7 billion in federal stimulus funding (3.2%). SHEEO’s report notes that 2021 marks the tenth straight year of declining enrollment.

The report may be accessed here. Coverage from Inside Higher Ed may be accessed here.

Improving Race and Ethnicity Data Collection

Without accurate data on patients’ race and ethnicity, efforts to make health care more equitable can achieve only limited success. A blog from the Commonwealth Fund explores how state-based insurance marketplaces can improve data collection by making changes to their application processes and by working with insurers to fill gaps.  

The blog can be obtained at Improving Race and Ethnicity Data Collection: A First Step to Furthering Health Equity Through the State-Based Marketplaces | Commonwealth Fund.

Hospital Community Benefits Far Exceed Federal Tax Exemption

Tax-exempt hospitals and health systems provided over $110 billion in community benefits in fiscal year 2019, almost nine times the value of their federal tax exemption, according to an analysis by Ernst & Young. 

The report can be obtained at https://www.aha.org/system/files/media/file/2022/06/E%26Y-Benefit-of-of-Tax-Exemption-Report-FY2019-FINAL-with-links.pdf.

CMS National Quality Strategy

Given the urgent need for action within the health care system and lessons learned during the pandemic, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is taking an aggressive step forward as a national voice for quality. On April 12, 2022, the agency launched the CMS National Quality Strategy, an ambitious long-term initiative that aims to promote the highest quality outcomes and safest care for all individuals. The initiative consists of eight core goals. 

More information became available on June 6 and can be obtained at The CMS National Quality Strategy: A Person-Centered Approach to Improving Quality | CMS. 

Deadline Extended - Interprofessional Innovation Grant Program

The Interprofessional Task Force (IPTF) of the Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions (ASAHP) developed the Interprofessional Innovation Grant (IIG) Program to provide support for interprofessional collaboration research among the ASAHP membership. The intent is to provide recipients a competitive edge in securing additional funding by supporting pilot projects and further developing grantsmanship skill sets. The intent of the IIG Program is that proposals submitted can be used to develop larger, more extensive interprofessional research projects that further engage faculty and ASAHP members in research endeavors. The IPTF expects to fund 3 awards up to $2,000 per award for projects between September 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023. Deadline to apply is June 10, 2022 (extended from June 1).

Learn more here.

2022 Nexus Innovation Challenge

Registration is now open for the 2022 Nexus Innovation Challenge. The Challenge is a catalyst for teams to learn and apply National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education NexusIPETM tools and resources, and the powerful methodology of Design Thinking to solve challenges and design opportunities within their clinical and educational environments. This program, created through a unique partnership between the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education, SmithGroup (nationally renowned architecture firm), and the National Collaborative for Improving the Clinical Learning Environment (NCICLE), blends key principles developed from decades of deep experience in IPE, the clinical learning environment, and Design Thinking to create innovation.

More details are available here.

Invitation: ASAHP Regional Summit Virtual Harvest

With innovations in interprofessional education and practice along with the recent changes in healthcare, there is a need to reconsider health professions clinical education. The 2022 ASAHP Regional Summits will provide an opportunity for dialogue and action between representatives in academia and the healthcare industry to discuss improvements to clinical education.

The Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions (ASAHP) is hosting the 2022 ASAHP Regional Summit on June 3, 2022. The Summit will be in-person at each of the hubs, and registration is limited. The Summit culminates where all 4 hub sites convene in a virtual "Harvest" session consensus event designed to continue the local dialogue on a national level. 

ASAHP members unable to attend in-person are invited to join the virtual harvest session from 4:30pm-5:15pm ET to hear about the key takeaways from each hub and national trends. Learn more about the Summit here.

ASAHP Spotlight Interview: Dr. Gary Hu, PhD, RN

The ASAHP Spotlight Interview Series highlights research and initiatives in the health professions from our fellow members. Yesterday, we interviewed Gary Hu, PhD, RN, the recipient of ASAHP's 2021 Interprofessional Collaboration Research Grant and also the Director of Research and Global Outreach at Virginia Commonwealth University. We learned more about his background and heard about the inspiration behind his $25,000 grant winning research project "Contextual factors influencing implementation of interprofessional collaborative family-centered care (IPC FCC) for neonates during intensive care: A mixed methods study."

The 2022 Call for Proposals for the Interprofessional Collaboration Research Grant is now open and available here. ASAHP is expected to award 2-3 grants up to $25,000 per award.

Watch the full interview here.