- Working together for value: Over the past year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has engaged with the provider community in a discussion about regulatory burden issues. This included publishing a Request for Information (RFI) soliciting comments about areas of high regulatory burden.
- CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) Doubling down on Health IT; Patients: CMS is committed to leveraging innovation to truly empower patients with their own data, decisions, and care. Evidence of this commitment can be found in a government-wide initiative launched by CMS and the White House Office of Innovation in March called MyHealthEData— designed to achieve true patient control and interoperability of their health records, and to enable patients to share their data with technology innovators and researchers to accelerate public health.
- HCA Issues request for proposals from drug manufacturers for hepatitis C treatment and services: The Heath Care Authority (HCA) this week released a request for drug manufacturers to propose a new approach to providing costly but curative hepatitis C drugs. The proposals must include descriptions of outreach and screening to those potentially living with hepatitis C, and a competitive price on the drug. The request for proposals is open through March 4.
- Changes to the State Maximum Allowable Costs (SMAC) list effective April 1, 2019: Washington Apple Health (Medicaid), administered by the Health Care Authority (agency), will implement changes to the State Maximum Allowable Costs (SMAC) list for the fee-for-service (FFS) Prescription Drug Program.
- Washington Gov. Jay Inslee Announces $675 million plan for behavioral health: Washington Governor Jay Inslee formally announced a $675 million plan today that aims to guide a transformation of Washington’s behavioral health system as part of his 2019-2021 budget.
- 2020 Census barriers, attitudes and motivators study survey report: The 2020 Census Barriers, Attitudes, and Motivators Study Survey (2020 CBAMS Survey) was conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau’s Communications Research and Analytics Team (CRAT) and Team Young & Rubicam (Team Y&R) to provide an evidentiary foundation for the 2020 Census Integrated Partnership and Communications (IPC) operation.