Updates & Analysis

In this update:  President Biden Issues Executive Order on America’s Supply Chains Biden Administration Extends COVID-19 National Emergency Declaration President Biden’s $1.9 Trillion Pandemic Aid Plan Approved for Floor Vote Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine Under Consideration by FDA, CDC HHS Issues Formal Enforcement Discretion for COVID-19 Vaccine Scheduling Apps OIG Issues Report on Increasingly…

Federal Updates Biden Administration Announces Updates on COVID-19 ResponseThe Biden Administration’s updates on efforts to combat COVID-19 this week include:  This week, the Administration will supply a total of 14.5 million doses to states and other jurisdictions, an increase from 13.5 million doses last week.  The Retail Pharmacy Program will receive an increased allocation of 100,000…

On January 21st, the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Care Transition and Support Teams (CTST) program in New York City. The goals of this program are to provide: Six CTSTs based on the critical time intervention (CTI) model; and Two high-touch intensive outreach, engagement,…

On January 19th, Governor Andrew Cuomo and Budget Director Robert Mujica delivered presentations on the proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 New York State Executive budget. The text of proposed budget bills and associated Article VII legislation was posted later that evening. SPG’s summary of major health-related provisions is available here. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the…

On December 29th, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Expansion Grants. CCBHCs provide comprehensive person- and family-centered services that aim to increase access to community-based care, stabilize individuals in crisis, and provide necessary treatment and recovery support services for…

On December 11th, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) released a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the 2021 Integrated Substance Use Disorder Training program. The purpose of this program is to expand the number of nurse practitioners (NPs), physician assistants (PAs), health service psychologists, and/or social workers trained to provide mental health and…

On December 9th, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment released a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for the Enhancement and Expansion of Treatment and Recovery Services for Adolescents, Transitional Aged Youth, and their Families grant program (Youth and Family TREE). The purpose of this program is to enhance…

On December 3rd, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Administration for Community Living (ACL) released a funding opportunity for the 2021 Empowering Communities to Address Behavioral Health and Chronic Pain through Chronic Disease Self-Management Education (CDSME) Program. The goals of this program are to: Develop a comprehensive strategy for addressing behavioral health…

Last week, the New York State Department of Health (DOH) released a draft version of its Medicaid Redesign Team (MRT) Waiver Demonstration Extension Request. The extension request seeks a three-year extension (April 1, 2021-March 31, 2024) of all current programs and authorities under the State’s current MRT Waiver Demonstration, and the following two programmatic amendments:…

On December 10th, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Office of the National Coordinator proposed a rule that, if finalized, would place new requirements on state Medicaid and CHIP fee-for-service programs, Medicaid managed care plans, CHIP managed care entities, and Qualified Health Plan issuers on the Federally-facilitated Exchanges. The rule seeks to…

On December 2nd, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a final rule that updates the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System for calendar year 2021. The final rule increases both OPPS and ASC payment rates by 2.4 percent and updates regulations regarding hospital Star Rating…