NEWS: Government Shuts Down Websites on Treatment and Quality Guidelines On July 16, the administration took down two “microsites” from the website of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) – the National Guideline Clearinghouse (guideline.gov), a...

Your Input Sought Best Practices in Guardianship @SenateAging is taking comment on best practices in guardianship through July 20, 2018, to inform a report they are producing. Email comment@aging.senate.gov. Topics include data collection, avoiding exploitation by...

Greetings from Washington! Congress was out of session last week so it was a bit quieter than usual inside the beltway -- not counting the fireworks over the Washington Monument on the 4th of July. Things got louder on Monday night, though, when the president...

NEW Redesigning Health and Social Systems for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Using Community-Engaged Decision-Making Wednesday, July 11, 12:00-1:00 ET Systems for Action National Coordinating Center   NEW Messages and Audiences Wednesday, July 11, 2:00-3:00 ET CDC’s...

Supreme Court Nomination On Monday the president announced his nominee for the Supreme Court vacancy to be left by the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy – Brett Kavanaugh. Mr. Kavanaugh is currently a federal judge for the District of Columbia Court of Appeals,...

Family Separations at the Border As explained in the last Update, the president issued an Executive Order on June 20 to end the administration’s practice of separating immigrant children and families who enter the US at the southern border. In addition, a federal...

Congress was on recess last week, but here is some news from the week before: Palliative Care Bill Approved by House Subcommittee On June 27 the Health Subcommittee of the House Energy & Commerce Committee approved by voice vote the Palliative Care and Hospice...

Medicaid Work Requirements As reported in the July 3 Update, a federal district court invalidated the waiver that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) had granted to Kentucky to allow the state to establish work requirements as a condition of Medicaid...

CMS to Withhold Risk-Adjustment Payments to Insurers On Saturday, July 7, CMS announced that it will not be making the "risk adjustment" payments to insurers as prescribed by the ACA. This decision was based on a February 28, 2018, court ruling that bars the current...

Moving this Summer? Your TRICARE Options May Change (TRICARE Benefits Update, 6/27/18) Moving is a Qualifying Life Event (QLE). It doesn’t change your TRICARE eligibility, but it may change your TRICARE health plan options. Summer Travel: Getting Care While Overseas...