CMS App Displays What Medicare Covers

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched a new app that gives consumers a modernized Medicare experience with direct access on a mobile device to some of the most-used content on Medicare.gov., such as whether Medicare covers a specific medical item or service and how to obtain accurate, consistent Original Medicare coverage information in the doctor’s office, hospital, or anywhere else a  mobile device can be used.  

The free app is available in Google Play at:  

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gov.medicare.coverage, and in the Apple App Store at: 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/whats-covered/id1444143600?mt=8.

Call for Nominations Reminder: 2019 USPHS IPEC Award

The third U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) Award will showcase interprofessional efforts to positively impact community health. The annual USPHS IPEC Award recognizes a team of health-professional school based collaborators working on IPE projects that establish a relationship between interprofessional practice and outcomes (community practice, public health education, and/or research). One overall National Awardee will be selected and receive their award at the Summer 2019 IPEC Council Meeting in Washington, DC. The winning interprofessional team will receive a $2,000 travel stipend and will work with IPEC and USPHS on a webinar or continuing education publication highlighting their work.

The submission deadline is 5:00 p.m. Eastern on Friday, February 1, 2019. All award applicants will receive notification emails by Friday, March 15.

To submit a nomination and to view the application criteria and process, visit the USPHS IPEC Award website.

How High-Need, High-Cost Patients And Their Caregivers Experience The Health System

To improve the experiences of Americans who rely on the health care system the most, the Commonwealth Fund was a partner with the nonprofit Healthwise to identify gaps in care and capture patients' needs in their own voices. “Personas" are developed to depict the experiences, motivations, and goals of high-need patients with similar profiles, as well as the common barriers they face.

The web portal for overviews of each persona and video narratives from real patients and caregivers can be obtained at

https://www.commonwealthfund.org/trending/high-need-high-cost-patient-personas?omnicid=EALERT1550986&mid=thomas@asahp.org.

Historically Black Colleges And Universities Funding Inequities

Despite efforts to counter a historical legacy of inequitable funding and investments by federal and state governments, resource inequities continue to plague historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), according to findings released by the American Council on Education in an issue brief. 

The issue brief can be obtained at https://www.acenet.edu/news-room/Documents/public-and-private-investments-and-divestments-in-hbcus.pdf.

State Authorization a Topic at Negotiated Rulemaking Session

The Distance Learning and Educational Innovation Subcommittee met last week as part of the U.S. Department of Education’s negotiated rulemaking pertaining to Federal Student Aid programs under the Higher Education Act. The Subcommittee discussed state authorization rules for distance education, and is scheduled to meet again on February 12-13 and March 11-12 in the Washington DC area.

A report on the meeting may be accessed here.

Apply Now for the 2019 Award for Institutional Excellence and Innovation in Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Health Care

Through the Award for Institutional Excellence and Innovation in Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Health Care, ASAHP looks to recognize a member institution and/or industry member for outstanding achievement in IPE and IPCP.  In addition to the award, several institutions will also be recognized as “Programs of Merit” by ASAHP. Award applications close on May 1, 2019. Applicants will be notified of their status no later than August 1, 2019. All nominations must be electronically submitted to: ipe@asahp.org.

Visit the IP Award Page for more info.

The Hospital Agenda For Interoperability

Major health organizations, e.g., American Hospital Association issued a new report on the state of interoperability. While progress has been made in certain aspects, such as allowing patients to download their data, the state of interoperability continues to need improvements.  

The report can be obtained at https://fah.org/fah-ee2-uploads/website/documents/report-interoperability-0119.pdf.

Proposed Rules Issued For Health Insurance Marketplace Plans In 2020

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has issued proposed rules for plans sold on the Health Insurance Marketplaces for the 2020 benefit year. Comments are due by February 19, 2019. 

The proposed rules can be obtained at https://s3.amazonaws.com/public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2019-00077.pdf. They are scheduled to appear in the Federal Register on January 24, 2019.

Electronically Matching Patients’ Records Across Providers

Accurately matching patient health records is a barrier to health information exchange and that inaccurately matched records can adversely affect patient safety or privacy. A report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) identifies recent or ongoing efforts to improve the data and methods used in patient record matching. 

The report can be obtained at https://www.gao.gov/assets/700/696426.pdf.

Policy Recommendations For Informatics-Enabled Evidence Generation Across The US Health System

A new white paper from the American Medical Informatics Association describes possibilities for generating new data to inform evidence-based medicine, thereby enabling learning health systems. Improved public policies could better harmonize data standards allowing organizations to accelerate biomedical discovery, facilitate translation of findings to improve the health of individuals and populations, and share research data sets and findings more easily. 

The paper can be obtained at https://www.amia.org/sites/default/files/Reimagining-the-Research-Practice-Relationship-AMIA-Policy-Meeting-Paper-2016_0.pdf.

Politico: Georgia State University's Utilization of Data Analytics to Eliminate Student Equity Gaps

Politico examines Georgia State University’s use of data analytics to improve student outcomes (link). The leader of Georgia State University’s Student Success program is Vice Provost Dr. Tim Renick, who delivered a well-received presentation at ASAHP’s 2018 annual conference. You can find the slides from his presentation here.  

Preceptors in the Nexus: May 2-3, 2019

Preceptors in the Nexus is a two-day workshop in Minneapolis intended to inspire and engage teams in developing the knowledge, skills, behaviors, and attitudes needed to facilitate interprofessional learning IN practice.

The key philosophy of this fast-paced workshop is to positively impact the culture of practice settings to become more team-based, including engaging patients and their families, by intentionally integrating interprofessional learners into the care process.

Click here for more information and to register.

Goal Of Having More Americans Complete College Falls Behind Schedule

According to the Hechinger Report, 10 years after seeking to have more Americans complete college or obtain a certificate, the nation is far behind schedule in attaining this goal. Federal and state budget cuts, spiraling tuition, political distraction, and increasing public skepticism about the value of a higher education are implicated in contributing to the lack of desired progress.  

The report can be obtained at https://hechingerreport.org/10-years-later-goal-of-getting-more-americans-through-college-is-way-behind-schedule/.

Final Call: IPEC Interprofessional Leadership Development Program (deadline 1/18)

The Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) is issuing its final call for applicants to participate in the 2019 IPEC Interprofessional Leadership Development Program (ILDP).

The 2019 IPEC ILDP is a three-day, interactive professional development experience mean to provide deans, senior academic administrators, and academic champions across the health professions with the opportunity for professional enrichment in the area of interprofessional leadership and engagement. This unique program will engage both senior leaders and administrators responsible for the development, implementation, and evaluation of a campus-wide interprofessional education (IPE) program. Facilitated by faculty from the Academy for Advancing Leadership (AAL), the IPEC ILDP will be held February 6-8, 2019 at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Learning Center in Washington, DC.

Size And Characteristics Of Residents Living In Wireless-Only Households

Health surveys today need to include data obtained from both landline and wireless telephones to avoid coverage bias. A new report from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) furnishes demographic differences and data from inhabitants of residences with one or the other of these two kinds of telephones involving measures, such as alcohol consumption, perceived health status, health insurance coverage, and experiencing financial barriers to obtaining health care. 

The report can be obtained at https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhis/earlyrelease/wireless201812.pdf.

 

Integrating Health Care And Social Services For Patients With Serious Illness

The Roundtable on Quality Care for People with Serious Illness of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held a public workshop on July 19, 2018 to explore the challenges and opportunities related to integrating health care and social services for people with serious illness. Following the workshop, a set of Proceedings was published.

The Proceedings can be obtained at https://www.nap.edu/read/25350/chapter/1.

How Accountable Care Organizations Use Population Segmentation To Care For High-Need, High-Cost Patients

A brief from the Commonwealth Fund explores how a group of mature ACOs are seeking to match patients with appropriate interventions by segmenting high-need, high-cost patient populations with similar needs into smaller subgroups. 

The brief can be obtained at

https://www.commonwealthfund.org/sites/default/files/2019-01/OMalley_ACOs_segmentation_high_need_high_cost_ib.pdf.

Reasons Why Students Do Not Complete A Free Application For Federal Student Aid

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is an important tool to help students find financial assistance. Not only do students fill out the FAFSA to apply for federal aid for postsecondary education, but also to be considered for aid by states, institutions, and private funders. A report from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) indicates why some students fail to apply. 

The report can be obtained at https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2018/2018061.pdf.