HFES Government Relations Committee Chair, Dr. Mica Endsley, testified yesterday on behalf of the Society during a U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure hearing entitled “The Boeing 737 MAX: Examining the Federal Aviation Administration’s Oversight of the Aircraft’s Certification.”
Category: Policy
Closing Gaps in Perspective of Value between Cancer Patients and their Health Care Providers
NCCN hosted an annual NCCN Patient Advocacy Summit: Delivering Value for Patients across the Oncology Ecosystem in Washington, DC, bringing together patients, advocates, clinicians, policy-makers, and others to share diverse perspectives on the meaning of value in cancer care.
American Society of Anesthesiologists Strongly Opposes Surprise Medical Bill Provisions In Alexander-Pallone-Walden Lower Health Care Costs Proposal
Today, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), representing more than 54,000 members, expressed its strong opposition to the surprise medical bill provisions included in the Alexander-Pallone-Walden Lower Health Care Costs proposal.
American Association of Endodontists Underscores Recommendations on Endodontic Competency and Treatment Standards
Furthering its goal to advance the best patient care, the American Association of Endodontists (AAE) distilled its white papers on competency and treatment standards into executive summaries that provide key recommendations and directives to guide the insurance industry, state boards, and other communities of interest to support appropriate endodontic care.
Stop asking for that antibiotic
“We believe Beaumont has a duty to raise awareness and help change attitudes about antibiotics and behaviors that cause antibiotic resistance,” said Dr. Sam Flanders, senior vice president and chief quality and safety officer of Beaumont Health. “Antibiotics save lives. But when they’re used too much, they can lead to antibiotic resistance.”
Pitt School of Dental Medicine Establishes Opioid-free Prescribing Guidelines
The University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine is the first in the nation to establish opioid-free pain management guidelines for the vast majority of procedures performed in all of its clinics.
How to win the black vote
In this short piece, race politics specialist Teresa Cosby explains what black voters are looking for in a candidate.
Congressional leaders support radiation oncology community concerns about proposed Medicare alternative payment model
Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle issued a series of oversight letters to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in recent months to urge the Agency to adjust its proposed radiation oncology advanced alternative payment model (RO Model). CMS is expected to issue its final determination before the end of 2019.
Legislation inspired by University of Utah law professor’s research aims to protect consumers from predatory lenders
Research by Christopher L. Peterson, a professor at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, is at the foundation of the Veterans and Consumers Fair Credit Act, which aims to cap interest rates on consumer loans to all Americans, especially veterans and Gold Star families.
Manual Therapy Providers Forge Closer Ties at Interprofessional Collaborative Spine Conference
More than 160 members of the chiropractic, physical therapy and osteopathic professions forged a new spirit of cooperation and understanding during the Interprofessional Collaborative Spine Conference (ICSC), which took place Nov. 8-9 in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Respiratory Groups Call for An End to Preventable Pneumonia Deaths
In support of World Pneumonia Day, Nov. 12, the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS), of which the American Thoracic Society is a member, calls for an end to preventable pneumonia deaths, ensuring equitable access to interventions for prevention and control of pneumonia.
AAE Applauds New ADA Guidelines for Antibiotics
The ADA’s recent updates were developed with expert panel representation from the AAE and provide guidance on when antibiotics should be used in dental treatment.
Addition of College and Career Readiness Advisors Expected to Offset National Counselor-Student ratio of 455-to-1.
Educators from across the country left the CFES Brilliant Pathways National Conference invigorated by the announcement that newly trained College and Career Readiness Advisors will play a major role in helping increase postsecondary success and help offsett a national counselor-student ratio of 455-to-1.
APHA statement on Paris Agreement withdrawal
APHA denounces U.S. action to withdraw from Paris agreement
Title VIII Nursing Workforce Bill Passes to Senate Floor
ARN applauds the Senate HELP Committee for advancing the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2019.
ASTRO supports nomination of Dr. Stephen Hahn to lead U.S. Food and Drug Administration
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) today expressed strong support for the nomination of radiation oncologist Stephen Hahn, MD, FASTRO, as Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Dr. Hahn served on the ASTRO Board of Directors from 2014 to 2018.
Senate Committee Passes Bill Designed to Keep Americans Informed, Healthy
The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions today passed a major health-promotion bill supported by the American College of Sports Medicine. Senate Bill 1608 would require updating the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans every 10 years.
U.S. House of Representatives Supports the Health of Our Nation by Passing Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) commends the U.S. House of Representatives for unanimously passing H.R. 728, the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2019. This overwhelming support represents an important step towards reauthorizing vital programs that bolster nursing education, prepare the next generation of nurses, and support communities across the country.
Endocrine Society urges policymakers to follow science on transgender health
A custody case in Texas has sparked heated debate and embroiled state policymakers in public discussions about the diagnosis and appropriate medical treatment of transgender children, with many making inaccurate claims.
STATEMENT OF AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NEPHROLOGY PRESIDENT MARK E. ROSENBERG, MD, FASN, ON THE KIDNEY CARE CHOICES MODEL ASN welcomes “visionary approach for the future of kidney care.”
American Society of Nephrology President Mark E. Rosenberg, MD, FASN, has issued the following statement regarding the new Kidney Care Choices Model:
“The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) welcomes the introduction of the voluntary Kidney Care Choices (KCC) Model, and its four kidney care payment options, addressing key aspects of the Executive Order on Advancing American Kidney Health (AAKH). This voluntary model will be a true game changer and brings desperately needed, sweeping changes to care for people with kidney diseases. ASN has long advocated for key elements of this model, and I thank HHS Secretary Azar and his entire team for putting forward such a visionary approach for the future of kidney care.
The Answer to Rural Woes Is Far More than Broadband
In recent weeks, presidential candidates pledged billions of dollars to bring broadband and internet access to rural America. That’s a good start, but the issue that the candidates need to address goes far beyond technology. It’s troubling that no candidate has begun to identify a strategy to concentrate on a more sweeping problem: More and more young people in our nation’s rural communities look at their hometowns and realize those places simply can’t support their dreams.
Bipartisan Solution to Surprise Medical Bills Reaches 100 Co-Sponsors
Today, hundreds of thousands of physicians unified under the Out of the Middle Coalition applaud Representatives Raul Ruiz, MD, (D-Calif.) and Phil Roe, MD, (R-Tenn.), for reaching 100 cosponsors on their bipartisan solution to address surprise medical bills.
Despite Progress, TB Remains the Leading Global Infectious Killer: WHO Report
Following today’s release of the World Health Organization’s Global Tuberculosis Report 2019, the American Thoracic Society joins the WHO in calling for redoubled efforts to end the global TB pandemic by 2030, the goal set by the global community in the United Nations Political Declaration to End Tuberculosis on Sept. 26, 2018.
STATEMENT OF APA PRESIDENT MARKING WORLD POVERTY DAY
Following is the statement of Rosie Phillips Davis, PhD, president of the American Psychological Association, marking World Poverty Day:
“World Poverty Day represents an opportunity for us to examine our biases, move beyond our individual selves and identify the systemic, underlying mechanisms driving income insecurity. Psychological science can help address the structural barriers and cognitive processes that perpetuate poverty and generate solutions.”
NATIONAL ATHLETIC TRAINERS’ ASSOCIATION RELEASES OFFICIAL STATEMENT OF RECOMMENDATIONS TO REDUCE THE RISK OF INJURY RELATED TO SPORT SPECIALIZATION FOR ADOLESCENT AND YOUNG ATHLETES
I n anticipation of National Youth Sports Specialization Awareness Week (third full week in October) the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) released an official statement with health-focused recommendations to reduce the risk of injury due to youth sports specialization.
University Hospitals Applauds HHS’ Proposal to Modernize Rules and Enhance Value-Based Care
Reaction of University Hospitals in Northeast Ohio to proposal from HHS to reform the Physician Self-Referral Law and the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute.
New STD Data Represent Urgent Call for Action
The continued steep increase in incidence of sexually transmitted diseases reported in the 2018 data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Tuesday, is a cause for deep concern about dangerous gaps in our public health infrastructure.
American Society of Anesthesiologists Offers Trump Administration Medical Expertise to Protect and Improve Medicare
ASA today offered it medical expertise to the Trump Administration as it works to improve Medicare beneficiaries’ access to physician care, implement transparency and market-based reforms, while reducing cost and regulatory burdens as provided in President Trump’s Executive Order.
Briefing: Point-of-Care Testing—Bringing the Lab to the Patient
Point-of-care testing is transforming healthcare: this type of testing helps patients get diagnosed and treated faster, and also makes it easier for patients in remote areas to have access to medical testing. Join AACC and leading experts in laboratory medicine for a discussion about what lies ahead for point-of-care testing and what needs to happen so that all patients can benefit from quality testing of this kind.
Major North American and European Radiology Organizations Publish Statement on Ethics of AI in Radiology
Experts in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in radiology, from many of the world’s leading radiology, medical physics and imaging informatics groups, today published an aspirational statement to guide the development of AI in radiology.
World Lung Day 2019: Respiratory Groups Unite to Call for Healthy Lungs for All
Today, on World Lung Day (WLD), the American Thoracic Society is united with members of the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) and WLD partner organizations to advocate for respiratory health globally and call on policymakers to ensure that everyone has access to the services they need to improve their lung health.
Dr. S. Bryn Austin, AED President, Shares Insights on the WW Kurbo App as Weight Stigma Awareness Week 2019 Commences
AED President Dr. S. Bryn Austin responds to WW Kurbo app in honor of Weight Stigma Week
Senate Subcommittees Takes Important Step Toward Ending HIV While Resources to Address Concurrent Epidemics, Housing Remain Critical, but Unaddressed
The Senate Labor, Health and Human Services and Related Programs Appropriations subcommittee’s allocations of funding for the Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative in its proposed budget for 2020 represent a significant step toward an ambitious, critical, and achievable goal; however, lack of new resources to confront increasing rates of hepatitis C and sexually transmitted diseases with insufficient support for addressing opioid-related infectious diseases, falls far short of the response to these concurrent epidemics that is needed.
ASTRO comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regarding their proposed radiation oncology alternative payment model
In response to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) request for comment on their proposed advanced alternative payment model (APM) for radiation oncology, the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) submitted comments and issued the following statement today from Paul Harari, MD, FASTRO, Chair of the ASTRO Board of Directors.
Patient Priorities Should be Paramount when Measuring Quality in Cancer Care According to Panelists at NCCN Policy Summit
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) hosted a policy summit at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, addressing how to define, measure, and apply quality in cancer care.
SOT Statement on the US EPA Memorandum “Directive to Prioritize Efforts to Reduce Animal Testing”
The SOT 2019–2020 Presidential Chain has released a statement in response to the US EPA Memorandum released on September 10, 2019, with the Subject Line “Directive to Prioritize Efforts to Reduce Animal Testing.”
ATS Responds to FDA’s Promise of Future Action on Flavored E-Cigarettes
The ATS congratulates the FDA important, but belated action, to remove flavored e-cigarette products from the U.S. market. Since e-cigarette products first emerged in the U.S., the American Thoracic Society has consistently called on FDA to aggressively regulate e-cigarettes and has repeatedly urged the FDA to ban flavored e-cigarette from the U.S. market.
370 Healthcare Groups Send Letter to Congress Urging Prior Authorization Reform in Medicare Advantage
The American College of Rheumatology (ACR), along with 369 other leading patient, physician, and healthcare professional organizations, sent a letter to Congress urging passage of the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2019 (H.R. 3107), a bipartisan bill to protect Medicare Advantage beneficiaries from prior authorization requirements that needlessly delay or deny access to medically necessary care.
HIV, Infectious Diseases Provider Organizations Call for In-patient Antiretroviral Stewardship
the Infectious Diseases Society of America, its HIV Medicine Association and the American Academy of HIV Medicine call for the establishment of antiretroviral treatment stewardship programs in hospital settings to support appropriate use of the drugs, to avoid the use of medicines that are incompatible with patients’ regimens, and to avert the development of treatment-resistant HIV.
Rheumatology Leaders and Patient Advocates Convene on Capitol Hill to Advocate for Patient Access to Care, Solutions to Workforce Shortage
Physicians, health professionals and rheumatology patients gathered on Capitol Hill this week to urge lawmakers to support the Safe Step Act, Empower for Health Act, and the REDI Act during ACR’s annual Advocates for Arthritis event.
Rheumatology Leaders Concerned CVS/Aetna Merger Will Hinder Efforts to Lower Drug Costs
In recent years, several states have enacted legislation to hold pharmacy benefit managers accountable and crack down on secretive practices that drive up costs for consumers.
ASTRO statement on consideration of Stephen Hahn for Commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration
Based on news reports indicating that radiation oncologist Stephen Hahn, MD, FASTRO, Chief Medical Executive of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, is being considered for Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
ATS Applauds Governor Whitmer’s Action on Flavored E-cigs and Urges FDA to Take Immediate Action
The American Thoracic Society applauds Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s decision to ban the sale of all flavored e-cigarette and vaping products in the state of Michigan.
AACI Supports NCI Plan to Increase Success Rate for Cancer Research Grant Applications
The Association of American Cancer Institutes commends the National Cancer Institute on the release of its Annual Plan & Budget Proposal for Fiscal Year 2021 and its request for $6.9 billion in funding.
Opinion: Why I celebrate National Wildlife Day
I have been blessed these last three decades to pursue a career as a wildlife scientist at a land-grant university, working daily at the nexus of my vocation and advocation. So, celebrating National Wildlife Day comes naturally. However, in our increasingly urban society, many people may not understand my affinity for wildlife or even why we would celebrate a national day for wildlife.
APA STATEMENT ON EXPECTED RULE ELIMINATING 20-DAY LIMIT ON DETAINING IMMIGRANT CHILDREN
Following is the statement of Jaime “Jim” Diaz-Granados, PhD, deputy CEO of the American Psychological Association, regarding the administration’s expected decision to withdraw from the Flores Settlement Agreement, which limited to 20 days the time immigrant children can be held in custody:
CNS Publishes Guidelines for Pediatric Myelomeningocele
The Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) has developed an evidence-based guideline for the treatment of patients with myelomeningocele. Executive summaries of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons Systematic Review and Evidence-Based Guidelines for Pediatric Myelomeningocele were published today in Neurosurgery. Full text of the guidelines can also be found on cns.org.
Make the Foreign Exchange Report Great Again
The U.S. Department of the Treasury should transform its foreign currency report so it can be used as a tool to combat currency manipulation. This would be an important step toward a more balanced global economy with fewer persistent deficits and surpluses.
Increased CMS Reimbursements for New Antibiotics Represents Progress in Attention to AMR
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Inpatient Prospective Payment System rule for the coming fiscal year will raise reimbursements for novel antibiotics, a meaningful step in confronting the threat of infections resistant to older medicines. At the same time, the rule does not require or support antibiotic stewardship in healthcare settings, also an essential measure to protect the effectiveness of existing infection-fighting medicines.
STATEMENT OF APA CEO ON GUN VIOLENCE AND MENTAL HEALTH
Following is the statement of Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD, CEO of the American Psychological Association, in reaction to President Trump’s statements today regarding gun violence and mental illness: