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.
Examining Low-Value Cancer Care Trends Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic
April 25th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the April 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on the rates of low-value cancer care services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Listen
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
Examining Low-Value Cancer Care Trends Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic
April 25th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the April 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on the rates of low-value cancer care services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Listen
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
2 Commerce Drive
Cranbury, NJ 08512