I just attended my last meeting as a member of the National Advisory Committee for Rural Health and Human Services. This committee is made up of men and women from all across our nation from Alaska to Maine, Florida to Montana. Members include doctors, nurse practitioners, academics, politicians, Medicare officials, association leaders and hospital administrators. The committee is well-supported by staff from the Office of Rural Health Policy. Our primary responsibility is to advise the Secretary of Health and Human Services on rural policy issues. It has been a privilege to serve with these fine folks. They take this job seriously and we get into some very healthy debates about what is best for the people of rural America.
Twice a year, the committee takes a field trip and this most recent meeting was held in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, hosted by our committee chair and former Governor of Mississippi, Ronnie Musgrove.
My subcommittee was charged to make recommendations to Secretary Sibelius about the new primary care payment changes for physicians and other healthcare providers. The proposed rule for this provision in the Affordable Care Act was just published in July and my sense is that most providers don't know much about it. One of our recommendations will likely be that HHS needs to gets more information so providers can prepare for these upcoming changes. Much like value based payment (VBP) for hospitals, this provision in the law will reward providers that enhance quality and reduce resource use for Medicare patients in their practices. Although this idea has been trialed in a number of practices around the country, it was not tested in rural communities.
We will likely be completing our briefing paper to the Secretary in the next several weeks. There is additional information at the NACRHHS website. Also on this website are other reports and briefing papers the committee has completed, including the most recent on the demonstration project on VBP for smaller hospitals, insurance exchanges, and aging.
I will miss these meetings for two major reasons. I will miss the truly wonderful people who serve on and supoprt the committee and also the opportunity to have input into the executive branch of government. I believe this committee has helped to address concerns and issues that impact people in rural America. I send all my best wishes to the committee as a new group of members join those who continue their terms of service.
Showing posts with label National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services. Show all posts
Showing posts with label National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Friday, September 24, 2010
An Open Letter to HHS Sect. Kathleen Sibelius
Dear Secretary Sibelius,
I enjoy serving on your National Advisory Committee for Rural Health and Human Services. I was particularly pleased to welcome your committee to Iowa for the first time since Governor Bob Ray was the inaugural chair of the committee when it was established in 1987. It was really special to have Gov. Ray welcome the committee to Iowa at its recent three-day meeting in the Amana Colonies.
This year we are focusing our work around three important topics: childhood obesity, early childhood development, and the implications of healthcare reform on rural America. The Honorable Ronnie Cosgrove is our new chair, the former Governor of Mississippi. He enjoyed a real Iowa treat as he took over the reins of our committee.
We assembled a wonderful group of health and human services experts from around the state to give testimony to the committee on these three topics. We also had some good ol’ fashioned Midwestern fun as we introduced the committee to the seven colonies that make up the Amanas.
Good food, neighborly folk, great entertainment, and some serious topics made for a memorable few days here in Iowa. At this time of year, rural Iowans are preparing for the harvest that will feed and fuel the country and world. We witnessed all that work as we toured the countryside.
As you know, your committee meetings are open to the public and for those interested in the agendas for our meetings, you can find them at the committee website: www.ruralcommittee.gov.
It was an eventful week and I look forward to helping to prepare our report to you as the committee seeks to keep those who choose to live and work in rural America well- supported with high-quality health and human services.
Sincerely,
Todd
I enjoy serving on your National Advisory Committee for Rural Health and Human Services. I was particularly pleased to welcome your committee to Iowa for the first time since Governor Bob Ray was the inaugural chair of the committee when it was established in 1987. It was really special to have Gov. Ray welcome the committee to Iowa at its recent three-day meeting in the Amana Colonies.
This year we are focusing our work around three important topics: childhood obesity, early childhood development, and the implications of healthcare reform on rural America. The Honorable Ronnie Cosgrove is our new chair, the former Governor of Mississippi. He enjoyed a real Iowa treat as he took over the reins of our committee.
We assembled a wonderful group of health and human services experts from around the state to give testimony to the committee on these three topics. We also had some good ol’ fashioned Midwestern fun as we introduced the committee to the seven colonies that make up the Amanas.
Good food, neighborly folk, great entertainment, and some serious topics made for a memorable few days here in Iowa. At this time of year, rural Iowans are preparing for the harvest that will feed and fuel the country and world. We witnessed all that work as we toured the countryside.
As you know, your committee meetings are open to the public and for those interested in the agendas for our meetings, you can find them at the committee website: www.ruralcommittee.gov.
It was an eventful week and I look forward to helping to prepare our report to you as the committee seeks to keep those who choose to live and work in rural America well- supported with high-quality health and human services.
Sincerely,
Todd
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Adding the Executive Branch to the Portfolio
I have enjoyed the opportunity to serve on the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services for the past two years. The committee advises the Secretary of Health and Human Services, currently Kathleen Sebelius, regarding rural health and human services issues. Physicians, nurse practitioners, academics, policy folks, retired bureaucrats, association types, and a couple hospital administrators among others serve on the committee. It is staffed by the Office of Rural Health Policy…a truly amazing group of folks. We meet three times per year – once in Washington, D.C. The other two meetings are field trips to rural America. We develop a two to three topic report annually for the Secretary on issues we believe are important to rural communities. We also write comment letters and white papers on issues of interest when time is of the essence.
When I was asked to serve on this committee, I thought it might be an interesting opportunity to get involved in the executive branch of government. Most of my work in the past has been on the legislative side of things. It has been interesting getting a better understanding of the depth and breadth of our government. I am continuously amazed how truly gigantic it really is.
The most recent meeting was in D.C. in late February. At the time, we thought we would be focused on healthcare reform as a done deal and what impact the new legislation would have on the rural areas of our country. We talked instead about bundled payments and accountability of care organizations, regulatory issues that affect rural health and human services issues, and stimulus funding for implementation of the electronic health record. We also spent time discussing the epidemic of childhood obesity, especially as it relates to rural America.
One of the highlights of this meeting was a discussion with Mary Wakefield, director of the Health Resources and Services Administration. What a ball of fire she is. And coming from North Dakota, she is someone who can really relate to the rural nature of our committee.
When I am in D.C., I try to make it to Capitol Hill. I met with staffers in both Senator Harkin and Grassley’s office as well as the health aide in Congressman Boswell’s office. I am always impressed with how bright and committed these folks are to doing the work to keep their bosses in the know on important issues facing their constituents. I’m preparing to head to Washington next week for more meetings with our elected officials.
I’m looking forward to thanking our leaders for their efforts to fix our Medicare “tweener” hospital challenges. After several years of advocating for “tweener” hospitals, we have some legislation that improves the inequitable Medicare payment levels for middle-sized rural hospitals like GRMC. So many of us fought for this change and I want to acknowledge the Iowa Congressional delegation for their efforts to make sure this was written into the bill and just as importantly stayed in the bill as it was written into law.
I digress…back to my committee work. It is easy sometimes to lose heart, given how slowly some things in government move. Yet, when one is able to influence the process by making sure we are telling the story of how legislation and regulation impact the people we are dedicated to serving, it can be rewarding. I remind myself that I am a member of a “special interest group,” that is, someone who advocates for the special interests of the patients and families we are privileged to serve. I believe government works best when “we, the people” get involved.
This is going to be a particularly interesting year for our committee, given the changes coming in the delivery of healthcare and human services, but also because the committee is coming to Iowa in September on one of its field trips. I can’t wait to show off our state to the rest of the committee.
(By the way…Jesse Jackson was on my plane ride home from DC to Chicago…you never know who you might run into. I didn’t get a chance to talk with him…he was riding up front!)
The postings on this site are my own and don’t necessarily represent GRMC’s positions, strategies, or opinions.
When I was asked to serve on this committee, I thought it might be an interesting opportunity to get involved in the executive branch of government. Most of my work in the past has been on the legislative side of things. It has been interesting getting a better understanding of the depth and breadth of our government. I am continuously amazed how truly gigantic it really is.
The most recent meeting was in D.C. in late February. At the time, we thought we would be focused on healthcare reform as a done deal and what impact the new legislation would have on the rural areas of our country. We talked instead about bundled payments and accountability of care organizations, regulatory issues that affect rural health and human services issues, and stimulus funding for implementation of the electronic health record. We also spent time discussing the epidemic of childhood obesity, especially as it relates to rural America.
One of the highlights of this meeting was a discussion with Mary Wakefield, director of the Health Resources and Services Administration. What a ball of fire she is. And coming from North Dakota, she is someone who can really relate to the rural nature of our committee.
When I am in D.C., I try to make it to Capitol Hill. I met with staffers in both Senator Harkin and Grassley’s office as well as the health aide in Congressman Boswell’s office. I am always impressed with how bright and committed these folks are to doing the work to keep their bosses in the know on important issues facing their constituents. I’m preparing to head to Washington next week for more meetings with our elected officials.
I’m looking forward to thanking our leaders for their efforts to fix our Medicare “tweener” hospital challenges. After several years of advocating for “tweener” hospitals, we have some legislation that improves the inequitable Medicare payment levels for middle-sized rural hospitals like GRMC. So many of us fought for this change and I want to acknowledge the Iowa Congressional delegation for their efforts to make sure this was written into the bill and just as importantly stayed in the bill as it was written into law.
I digress…back to my committee work. It is easy sometimes to lose heart, given how slowly some things in government move. Yet, when one is able to influence the process by making sure we are telling the story of how legislation and regulation impact the people we are dedicated to serving, it can be rewarding. I remind myself that I am a member of a “special interest group,” that is, someone who advocates for the special interests of the patients and families we are privileged to serve. I believe government works best when “we, the people” get involved.
This is going to be a particularly interesting year for our committee, given the changes coming in the delivery of healthcare and human services, but also because the committee is coming to Iowa in September on one of its field trips. I can’t wait to show off our state to the rest of the committee.
(By the way…Jesse Jackson was on my plane ride home from DC to Chicago…you never know who you might run into. I didn’t get a chance to talk with him…he was riding up front!)
The postings on this site are my own and don’t necessarily represent GRMC’s positions, strategies, or opinions.
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