Thirty-two organizations will participate in the Pioneer Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Model, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced December 19, 2011. The ACO initiative was created in the Affordable Care Act to improve quality and coordination of care for Medicare beneficiaries while decreasing costs, with patients assigned to ACOs on the basis of their primary care physician history.
The Senate has one number: $165.3 billon and the House has another: $160.2 billion, or $5.1 billion less. With a big gap between the House and the Senate budget numbers for the labor, health and education funding, the negotiations for the fiscal year 2012 budget and a continuing resolution could be continuous.
Last month, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded millions of dollars in funds under the Affordable Care Act to support primary and mental health care in community settings.
Although Congress is in recess and many in Washington are on vacation, there is still work being down within the Federal Agencies pertaining to health care reform. A number of announcements regarding the Affordable Care Act were released this summer, and ANA wants to get you up to speed!
San Antonio, Texas hosted the 2011 National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) annual Legislative Summit. Hot weather and hot topics were plentiful: energy, transportation, budgets, and of course health reform, to name a few. ANA uses this summit as an opportunity to educate policy makers and other attendees about the profession and related issues as well as connect with national and international experts. This year, ANA presented opportunities for state legislators to pursue recommendations from the 2010 Institute of Medicine (IOM) Future of Nursing report, particularly relevant with health reform initiatives.
With Congress mired indefinitely in political conflict over possible repeal of the Affordable Care Act, federal departments and agencies – as well as the states – are proceeding to carry out ACA’s blueprint for health reform according to schedule, as required by law. New regulatory rules, appointments, and programs are announced every day. Many of these will significantly impact patient care and access to health benefits – and thus nursing care and policy.
