NASL and AHCA are joining forces for Sunday, October 5 all-day educational syposium. Learn more or register now.

The U.S. Senate Finance Committee voted 78-17 to confirm Sylvia Mathews Burwell as the next Secretary of Health & Human Services (HHS) on June 5, 2014. Ms. Burwell had been serving as Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) before taking over the office last held by Kathleen Sebelius, who resigned as HHS Secretary in early April. Read Secretary Burwell's biography.

Shortly after announcing a reorganization of the ONC offices, the National Coordinator of Health IT Karen DeSalvo, MD, issued a 10-year vision for achieving health IT interoperability. The plan, Connecting Health and Care for the Nation: A 10-Year Vision to Achieve an Interoperable Health IT Infrastructure, outlines five building blocks, guiding principles and goals for the next three, six and ten years. Read more

On June 13, 2014, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) released its 2014 Report to the Congress: Medicare & the Health Care Delivery System. The report, which focuses on improving Medicare payment system issues, looks at synchronizing Medicare policy across payment models; improving risk adjustment; measuring quality of care; financial assistance for low-income beneficiaries; per beneficiary payment for primary care; site-neutral payments in post-acute care; and measuring the effects of medication adherence for the Medicare population. Read more

On the June 9 call of the LCC Initiative launched a new Workgroup on eLTSS within the S&I Framework. States receiving TEFT grants include: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota and New Hampshire. Read more