The HHS and the FDA are committed to helping ensure that COVID-19 tests are accurate, reliable, and available. As part of that commitment, HHS is withdrawing a policy established during the previous administration that limited FDA’s ability to address certain problematic COVID-19 tests.
The Doctors and Clinicians Preview Period is officially open as of November 15, 2021. You can now preview your 2020 QPP performance information before it will appear on clinician and group profile pages on Medicare Care Compare and in the Provider Data Catalog. You can access the secured Preview through the QPP website.
At its Special Meeting recently, the American Medical Association House of Delegates approved a resolution stating that only licensed physicians should determine whether a person should receive a medical exemption from vaccines.
Following the CDC’s recommendation to make 5-11 year old children eligible for COVID-19 vaccines after the FDA’s authorization, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra issued this statement on the landmark moment to increase children’s protection during this pandemic:
The Administration is requiring COVID-19 vaccination of eligible staff at health care facilities that participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The emergency regulation issued by CMS protects those fighting this virus on the front lines while also delivering assurances to individuals and their families that they will be protected when seeking care.
The Federal Communications Commission approved an additional 71 applications for funding commitments totaling $40,468,845 for Round 2 of its COVID-19 Telehealth Program. This is the FCC’s third funding announcement of approved Round 2 applications bringing the total to approximately $123.6 million awarded to health care providers in each state, territory, and the District of Columbia.
Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., announced his decision to end his tenure as the director of the National Institutes of Health by the end of the year. Dr. Collins is the longest serving presidentially appointed NIH director, having served three U.S. presidents over more than 12 years.
CMS is making it easier to check COVID-19 vaccination rates for nursing home staff and residents with a new feature on Medicare.gov. The announcement makes vaccination data available in a user-friendly format to help people make informed decisions when choosing a nursing home for themselves or a loved one.
Each September, the AMA recognizes influential female physician leaders as part of Women in Medicine Month. To showcase the accomplishments of these leaders, the AMA Women Physicians Section and the AMA Foundation announced the winners of the 2021 Joan F. Giambalvo Fund for the Advancement of Women research grants program.
The Biden-Harris Administration will require COVID-19 vaccination of staff within all Medicare and Medicaid-certified facilities to protect both them and patients from the virus and its more contagious Delta variant. Facilities across the country should make efforts now to get health care staff vaccinated to make sure they are in compliance when the rule takes effect.
The American Nurses Association, representing the interests of the nation’s 4.2 million nurses, urges the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to declare the current and unsustainable nurse staffing shortage facing our country a national crisis.
The Federal Communications Commission approved an initial set of 62 applications for funding commitments totaling $41.98 million for Round 2 of its COVID-19 Telehealth Program.
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