Federal Watch
March 16th, 2012
AGS is tracking developments of interest to geriatrics health professionals in order to provide weekly updates for our readers via our List Serv, americangeriatrics.org, our Facebook page, and our Twitter feed. This week, we begin by apprising you of Nancy Lundebjerg’s recent visit to Capitol Hill, and additionally inform you of several new program announcements including a federal partnership to staff foreign medical schools, the Advancing Excellence Campaign’s new goals to promote “excellence” in nursing homes, and a reminder about AHRQ’s CER Grants Program that we reported on last week. We additionally remind you of new and upcoming CMS National Provider Calls, and our recent advocacy activities -- including how you can take action by contacting your legislators, and urging them to fully address and put an end to the flawed SGR formula.
Nancy Lundebjerg Visits Capitol Hill
Serving in her role as Eldercare Workforce Alliance (EWA) co-convener, Nancy Lundebjerg, AGS COO, visited with lawmakers on Wednesday, stressing the importance of Title VII and VIII geriatrics health professions funding. Along with EWA policy advisor Gail MacInnes, Lundebjerg met with nine Congressional offices from both sides of the aisle, in order to educate staff on the need to support and expand the number of faculty and educators who provide geriatrics training. Click here, for more details.
U.S. Health Workers to Staff Foreign Medical Schools Under New Partnership
On Tuesday, several high profile global health and development groups convened to announce a new program to place U.S. health workers overseas to help address medical professional shortages. The public-private partnership would position medical professionals as adjunct faculty in medical or nursing schools overseas, with the ultimate goal to support health care worker education programs. The partnership includes The Peace Corps, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Health Service Corps. The World Health Organization identifies critical health care worker shortages in 57 countries. The largest deficit in is sub-Saharan Africa with 36 critical shortage countries, followed by six in South East Asia and five in Latin America and the Caribbean. To read more, you can visit here.
Advancing Excellence Campaign Announces New Goals for Excellence in Nursing Homes
Last month, AMDA - Dedicated to Long Term Care, reported that the Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Home Collaborative announced new goals and objectives for 2012. Overall, nine goals were approved. Five new goals that were adopted by the Campaign include reducing hospitalization safely, improving the appropriate use of medications particularly antipsychotic drugs, preventing infections, increasing resident mobility, and increasing the use of person-centered care planning and decision making. Four existing goals include reducing pressure ulcers, improving pain management, decreasing staff turnover, and increasing the use of consistent assignment.
Medicare Preventive Services National Provider Call: The Initial Preventive Physical Exam and the Annual Wellness Visit: CMS will hold a public call on Wednesday, March 28; 2:30-4:00pm ET, offering healthcare professionals the opportunity to obtain the necessary information about the Initial Preventive Physical Exam, also known as the “Welcome to Medicare” Preventive Visit and the Annual Wellness Visit (AWV). The CY2012 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule added a Health Risk Assessment to the AWV. CMS experts will be on hand to discuss both the IPPE and AWV, when to perform them, who can perform each service, who is eligible, and how to code and bill for each service, followed by a question and answer session. Registration Information: Registration will close at 12pm on the day of the call or when available space has been filled. Presentation: The presentation for this call will be posted at least one day beforehand, here.
Reminders
Physician Quality Reporting System & Electronic Prescribing National Provider Call: Million Hearts Initiative
(Tuesday, March 20; 1:30-3pm ET): CMS will host a national provider call on the Physician Quality Reporting System & Electronic Prescribing Incentive Program. Subject matter experts will provide an overview on Million Hearts Initiative. A question and answer session will follow the presentation. The target audience includes all Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) providers; medical coders, physician office staff, provider billing staff, electronic health records staff and vendors. In order to participate and receive the call-in information, you must register for the call. For more details and to register for this informative session, please click here. The presentation will be posted at least one day before the call on the CMS website.
AHRQ’s New Comparative Effectiveness Research Grants Program
(May 2 – due date for first of several applications): Last week, we reported that the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) announced a new grants program aimed at training researchers in comparative clinical effectiveness research. The program, entitled AHRQ Mentored Career Enhancement Award in Patient Centered Outcomes Research (PCOR) for Mid-Career and Senior Investigators (K18), targets established mid-career and senior investigators who are interested in developing new skills in comparative effectiveness research methodology and applying these methods to patient-centered outcome research (PCOR). This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) stems from Section 6301(b) of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which authorizes AHRQ to establish a grants program that provides for the training of researchers in comparative effectiveness methods. The first of several application due dates is May 2, 2012. For additional information on the grants program, including application instructions and key dates, click here.
What AGS Did This Week
AGS submitted a letter to the U.S. Department of Labor in support of the Department’s proposed rule that would narrow the current exemption of home care workers from the minimum wage and overtime protections under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). In our letter, we express that this proposed regulation is a step in the right direction toward ensuring fair pay for the two million-plus home care workers who perform the personal care and services that enable frail older adults to remain in their homes and live independently.
How You Can Help:
AGS encourages you to Take Action by visiting AGS’ Health in Aging Advocacy Center. Contact your members of Congress today, and urge them to call for both the repeal of the SGR and comprehensive Medicare payment and delivery reform. Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Susie Sherman, Senior Coordinator of Public Affairs & Advocacy, ssherman@americangeriatrics.org.
Modified On: March 16th, 2012
