The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revised its lead and copper rule to better identify elevated lead levels and undertake issues sooner; physicians given advice on how to monitor vaping-related illnesses in patients; a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study finds CMS approved Medicaid work requirements without considering price.
Yesterday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a proposal aiming to improve how communities nationwide test for lead in drinking water and force quicker action when problems occur, according to The Washington Post. The proposal comes after nearly 3 decades since the federal government last updated its lead and copper rule in 1991, which has been highly criticized for its lack enforceability among affected towns. As scientists stress that lead exposure is unsafe at any level, heightened levels can prove fatal. The EPA’s proposal has been touted by the agency as a “proactive and holistic approach” which will identify elevated lead levels across 68,000 public water systems and force utilities to undertake issues sooner.
US health officials are planning to issue new guidance for doctors amid the vaping illness epidemic by stressing the need to ask every patient with an apparent respiratory infection about their vaping history, according to Reuters. The guidance will additionally advise physicians on how to diagnose and manage patients who may have both a lung infection and a vaping injury. The updated guidance comes after the CDC’s recommendation to doctors to start asking patients about their vaping history during routine visits. As flu season approaches, the guidance aims to prioritize vaping-related lung illnesses as a possible cause in addition to the flu and other respiratory ailments.
A study produced by the independent Government Accountability Office (GAO) has faulted the Trump administration of approving Medicaid work requirements without accounting for the estimated implementation costs, which range from $10 million to over $250 million for states. The Wall Street Journal reports that GAO found CMS has allowed states to add work requirements without requiring projections on the administrative costs, which is inconsistent with federal control standards. Since 2018, CMS has approved 9 states’ demonstrations that require beneficiaries to work or participate in other activities, such as training, to maintain Medicaid eligibility. The estimates reported by these states to implement these requirements did not include ongoing costs states expect to incur throughout the demonstration.
Empowering Community Health Through Wellness and Faith
April 23rd 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. In the third episode, Camille Clarke-Smith, EdD, MS, CHES, CPT, discusses approaching community health holistically through spiritual and community engagement.
Listen
Patient Navigation in Oncology at Heart of Priority Health White House Visit
April 24th 2024On March 27, Priority Health's president and CEO, Praveen Thadani participated in a discussion on how to expand and optimize patient navigation services in oncology care, as part of the Cancer Moonshot initiative.
Read More
Overcoming Employment Barriers for Lasting Social Impact: Freedom House 2.0 and Pathways to Work
April 16th 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our second episode, in which we learn all about Freedom House 2.0 and the Pathways to Work program.
Listen
The Federal Trade Commission's (FTC's) vote to ban most employers from issuing and enforcing noncompete clauses could have varying impacts on the health care workforce; federal regulators vastly under-enforced antitrust laws in the hospital sector during the last 2 decades, resulting in increased health costs; the FDA recently found genetic evidence of the H5N1 bird flu virus in pasteurized commercially purchased milk.
Read More
Empowering Community Health Through Wellness and Faith
April 23rd 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. In the third episode, Camille Clarke-Smith, EdD, MS, CHES, CPT, discusses approaching community health holistically through spiritual and community engagement.
Listen
Patient Navigation in Oncology at Heart of Priority Health White House Visit
April 24th 2024On March 27, Priority Health's president and CEO, Praveen Thadani participated in a discussion on how to expand and optimize patient navigation services in oncology care, as part of the Cancer Moonshot initiative.
Read More
Overcoming Employment Barriers for Lasting Social Impact: Freedom House 2.0 and Pathways to Work
April 16th 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our second episode, in which we learn all about Freedom House 2.0 and the Pathways to Work program.
Listen
The Federal Trade Commission's (FTC's) vote to ban most employers from issuing and enforcing noncompete clauses could have varying impacts on the health care workforce; federal regulators vastly under-enforced antitrust laws in the hospital sector during the last 2 decades, resulting in increased health costs; the FDA recently found genetic evidence of the H5N1 bird flu virus in pasteurized commercially purchased milk.
Read More
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