Newswire Archives
The American Council on Education has produced a series of videos and a key takeaways toolkit to build on the dialogue begun at ACE’s June 2020 virtual summit, “Race and Crisis at a Crossroads.”
Resource material can be obtained at https://www.acenet.edu/News-Room/Pages/Continuing-the-Conversation-on-Race-and-Crisis-at-a-Crossroads.aspx.
The student loan system is in need of significant structural changes for the program to function equitably and efficiently for today’s students. A brief from the Urban Institute highlights potential changes a new administration and Congress might make to the loan system, focusing on repayment plans, loan limits, public service loan forgiveness, and relief for current borrowers.
The brief can be obtained at https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/103268/fixing-the-federal-student-lending-system_1.pdf.
The Education Committee would appreciate your participation in this survey, as we strive to meet the needs of our members. Please feel free to forward the survey to the faculty in your college/unit and request that they complete it was well. Our goal is to have the survey completed and returned by December 1, 2020.
A paper in the journal Health Affairs that was published on November 19, 2020 describes lessons learned from past pandemics and vaccine campaigns about the path to successful vaccine delivery.
The paper can be obtained at https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/pdf/10.1377/hlthaff.2020.01523.
The Food and Drug Administration generally approves vaccines when their benefits outweigh their risks for their intended use. A paper in the journal Health Affairs that was published today reviews current and potential approaches to this critical role of the FDA.
The paper can be obtained at https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2020.01620.
The Food and Drug Administration has issued an emergency use authorization for the Lucira COVID-19 All-In-One Test Kit, the first rapid test to detect the COVID-19 virus that one can administer completely at home when prescribed by a health care provider to individuals age 14 or older. Previously authorized at-home test kits allow the user to collect a sample at home and send it to a lab for testing.
The authorization letter can be obtained at https://www.fda.gov/media/143810/download.
Because COVID-19 can affect both physical and mental health, the disease has heightened the need for a team-based approach to treatment that integrates primary care with behavioral health services. A Commonwealth Fund report explores steps for overcoming obstacles, such as the still-predominant fee-for-service payment system and the limited number of behavioral health practitioners.
The report can be obtained at https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2020/nov/practices-advance-implementation-integrated-care-covid?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Delivery%20System%20Reform.
A blog from the Milbank Memorial Fund outlines why the health sector has assumed responsibility for addressing social determinants of health and problems with that strategy.
The blog can be obtained at
According to a report from the National Student Clearinghouse, undergraduate enrollment remains down across higher education, with Black and Hispanic enrollment in community colleges down more than white and Asian enrollment.
The report can be obtained at https://nscresearchcenter.org/stay-informed/.
Between 1995 and 2017, the balance of outstanding federal student loan debt increased from $187 billion to $1.4 trillion (in 2017 dollars). A report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) examines factors that contributed to that growth, including changes to student loan policies and how they affected borrowing and repayment.
The report can be obtained at https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2020-11/56706-student-loans.pdf.
Today the Senate Appropriations Committee released their Fiscal Year 2021 funding bills. The legislation would provide the Title VII Health Professions and Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs with $750.67 million, a $16.16 million increase (2.2%) from FY 20 enacted levels, including an increase in funding for geriatric programs. The legislation would provide funding increases to the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services, HRSA, the NIH, and the CDC.
The Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies FY 21 documents may be accessed here: Bill Text, Explanatory Statement, Highlights
The Health Professions and Nursing Education Coalition (HPNEC) has put together a funding chart that may be accessed here.
An analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that among the 106,543 (85%) surviving patients hospitalized for COVID-19, 9% were readmitted to the same hospital within two months of discharge through August 2020. More than a single readmission occurred among 1.6% of patients discharged after the index hospitalization.
The report can be obtained at https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/pdfs/mm6945e2-H.pdf.
The Chronicle of Higher Education will be hosting a virtual forum, Running Campuses in a Pandemic: Hard Lessons from Fall, Prospects for Spring. A panel of experts will discuss what they have learned and what they foresee as higher education continues to navigate the challenges posed by Covid-19. The virtual forum will be held on Tuesday, November 10, at 2:00pm Eastern.
More details including a registration form may be accessed here.
A report from the Commonwealth Fund discusses how health care providers that serve vulnerable individuals are dealing with the enormous challenges created by COVID-19.
The report can be obtained at http://features.commonwealthfund.org/safety-net-providers-population-health-community-outreach-pandemic-response?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Delivery%20System%20Reform.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its recommended practices to prevent and control infection in health care settings during the COVID-19 pandemic, by including different options for screening health care personnel, patients and visitors entering a health care facility; factors that can affect thermometer readings; resources for evaluating and managing ventilation systems; and a FAQ on personal protective equipment.
The updated information can be obtained at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/infection-control-recommendations.html.
The Chronicle of Higher Education will be hosting a webinar on Thursday, November 5 at 2:00pm Eastern to examine the effects of the remote shift in higher education and to discuss how universities can keep their operations running smoothly. The Chronicle will bring together an expert panel of senior administrators in an hour-long virtual forum.
Goldie Blumenstyk will lead a discussion with a panel of campus leaders:
- Melody Dee Childs, CIO, Texas A&M University
- Elizabeth Bejar, Senior Vice President of Academic & Student Affairs, Florida International U.
- Jean Morrison, Provost, Boston University
More details and a registration form may be accessed here.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) developed its Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Scorecard to increase public transparency about the programs’ administration and outcomes. The Scorecard includes measures voluntarily reported by states, as well as federally reported measures in three pillars (State Health System Performance, State Administrative Accountability, and Federal Administrative Accountability). States and CMS can use the Scorecard to drive improvements in areas such as state and federal alignment, beneficiary health outcomes, and program administration.
The Scorecard can be obtained at https://www.medicaid.gov/state-overviews/scorecard/index.html.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched a new toolkit today designed for state Medicaid agencies to strengthen their infrastructure and develop robust home and community-based services (HCBS) for eligible beneficiaries.
The toolkit can be obtained at https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/long-term-services-supports/downloads/ltss-rebalancing-toolkit.pdf.
A report from the Commonwealth Fund discusses that if the ACA is overturned, it would be hard to sustain state-passed preexisting condition protections, given the ensuing loss of federal funding and likely dysfunction in the individual markets.
The report can be obtained at https://www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2020/state-efforts-preexisting-conditions?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Health%20Coverage.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) along with the Departments of Labor and the Department of the Treasury on October 29, 2020 issued a final rule on price transparency to enable patients to know how much their healthcare will cost in advance and allow them to make fully informed and value-conscious decisions.
A Fact Sheet can be obtained at https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/transparency-coverage-final-rule-fact-sheet-cms-9915-f.
