Senate Committee on Armed Services to Hold Hearing on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury; Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health to Mark Up Opioid Bills; CMS Launches Multi-Payer Initiative to Improve Primary Care in the U.S.

Legislative Activity

House Committee on Energy and Commerce to Hold Hearing on MACRA Implementation

On Tuesday, April 19, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health will hold a hearing titled “Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015: Examining Physician Efforts to Prepare for Medicare Payment Reforms.” The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) (P.L. 114-10) passed both chambers of Congress with bipartisan support last year. Tuesday’s hearing will focus on the efforts physician organizations are undertaking to prepare for the implementation of the Medicare payment reforms under MACRA. Witnesses are expected to focus their remarks on alternative payment models (APMs), quality measures, clinical practice improvement activities, and the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS).

Senate Committee on Armed Services to Hold Hearing on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury

On Wednesday, April 20, the Senate Committee on Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel will hold a hearing titled “Current State of Research, Diagnosis, and Treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury.” The Subcommittee will hear from a panel of experts representing Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, and the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health to Mark Up Opioid Bills

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health is intending to mark up legislation related to the opioid crisis this week. Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) said that “House members on both sides of the aisle have good ideas for legislation.” Details on the legislation being considered have yet to be released.

This Week’s Hearings:

• Monday, April, 18 and Tuesday, April 19: The House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology will hold a markup on six bills, including H.R. 4111, the Rural Health Care Connectivity Act of 2015. H.R. 4111 would include skilled nursing facilities as a type of health care provider under section 254(h) of the Communications Act of 1934.

• Monday, April 18: The Senate Committee on Finance will hold an Open Executive Session to consider nominations of Andrew Lamont Eanes to be Deputy Commissioner of Social Security in the Social Security Administration; Elizabeth Ann Copeland to be a judge of the United States Tax Court; and Vik Edwin Stoll to be a judge of the United States Tax Court.

• Tuesday, April 19: The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs will hold a roundtable titled “Preventing Drug Trafficking Through International Mail.”

• Tuesday, April 19: The House Committee on Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Workforce Protections will hold a hearing titled “Reviewing Recent Changes in OSHA’s Silica Standards.”

• Tuesday, April 19: The House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health will hold a hearing titled “Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015: Examining Physician Efforts to Prepare for Medicare Payment Reforms.”

• Tuesday, April 19: The House Committee on Veterans Affairs will hold a hearing titled “A Continued Assessment of Delays in Veterans’ Access to Health Care.”

• Wednesday, April 20: The House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health will hold a hearing on four bills and two pieces of draft legislation, including: H.R. 2460, To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the provision of adult day health care services for veterans; H.R. 3956, VA Health Center Management Stability and Improvement Act; H.R. 3974, Grow Our Own Directive: Physician Assistant Employment and Education Act of 2015; H.R. 3989, Support Our Military Caregivers Act; draft legislation to ensure that each VA medical facility complies with requirements relating to scheduling veterans for health care appointments and to improve the uniform application directives; and draft legislation to direct the VA to establish a list of drugs that require an increased level of informed consent.

• Wednesday, April 20: The House Committee on Energy and Commerce Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives will hold a hearing titled “The Pricing of Fetal Tissue.”

• Wednesday, April 20: The House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will h0ld a hearing titled “How Secure are U.S. Bioresearch Labs? Preventing the Next Safety Lapse.”

• Wednesday, April 20: The Senate Committee on Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel will hold a hearing titled “Current State of Research, Diagnosis, and Treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury.”

Regulatory Activity

CMS Launches Multi-Payer Initiative to Improve Primary Care in the U.S.

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced its largest-ever initiative to transform and improve how primary care is delivered and paid for in the United States.  The Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPC+) model will be implemented in up to 20 regions and can accommodate up to 5,000 practices, which would encompass more than 20,000 providers and the 25 million people they serve.