Summer Health Policy News Roundup

keywords: health policy

The Summer 2019 Health Policy News Roundup

• Medicare acupuncture coverage update, the July 2019 decision was in the “receiving comments” period until 8.15.2019.  
• Joint Commission blog post update on home health program measures and hospice measures
• How a recent U.S. Health Policy Addresses Social Determinants of Health
• The following July 2019 study, "Perspectives of Medicare Advantage Plan Representatives on Addressing Social Determinants of Health in Response to the CHRONIC Care Act" looked at how these insurance companies were responding to the Medicare incentive from innovative ideas to limits, including coverage of integrative health services.
• Why This Policy Change and Its Implementation is Important
• More than 1/3 of Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans. These plans, under the 2018 CHRONIC Care Act must address these members’ social determinants of health through supplemental benefits (such as acupuncture and other integrative health modalities with an evidence base).
• Challenges these companies have when they are innovating new patient care coverage plans that address social determinants of health:
• finding strong evidence base for types of clinical care or procedures that show improved patient outcomes 
• finding evidence-base for cost-effectiveness 
• finding partners who can provide these evidence-based services
• getting clear guidance from CMS about what is permitted
• Read more at the blog...
• Public Health Policy
• Interested in learning about the health indicators for Healthy People 2030 and the process for identifying them?
• I recommend checking out the National Academy of Medicine’s recorded webcast of some sessions and looking up “Well-being in the Nation (WIN)” as part of the Healthy People 2030 process. 
• Public health and integrative health paradigms are inextricably linked 🙂🦋👩🏻‍🌾
• Perspectives on Pain Research, an update from NCCIH Director Dr. Helene Langevin (May 2019)
• The National Cancer Institute NIH Report
• Remember that NIH conference in February 2019? Here's the report from that conference, "The National Cancer Institute NIH Report". Thank you to Jennifer Stone for sharing this!

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