Preparation for Next Public Health Emergency Starts Now

For Immediate Release:
Contact: Kelly Broadway, 202-808-8853
kbroadway@health-innovation.org

Preparation for Next Public Health Emergency Starts Now
Energy and Commerce consider PAHPA reauthorization

Washington, D.C. – The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee hearing on Preparing For And Responding To Future Public Health Security Threats and the reauthorization of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA) is timely as today marks the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

“On the day the official COVID emergency declaration ends, we should all be acutely aware that we never want to be unprepared for the next emergency,” said Brett Meeks, Executive Director of the Health Innovation Alliance (HIA). “Congress should use the reauthorization of PAHPA to bolster state and local preparedness activities and leverage the expertise of the private sector to ensure we have adequate supplies and information flows where it needs to – including making sure information flows down to the front lines, not just up to bureaucrats.”

For more information on HIA’s recommendations to improve public health data use and reporting, including the future of the Centers for Disease Control, click here.

CDC’s Failures Must be Addressed in PAHPA Reauthorization

For Immediate Release:
Contact: Kelly Broadway, 202-808-8853
kbroadway@health-innovation.org

CDC’s Failures Must be Addressed in PAHPA Reauthorization

Washington, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) is holding a hearing on the reauthorization of the “Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act” (PAHPA). The following statement should be attributed to Brett Meeks, Executive Director of the Health Innovation Alliance (HIA).

“The reauthorization of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act should be a given, but for it to make an impact Congress must ensure policies are implemented and enforced.

Lawmakers’ first target should be the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and its failure to comply with the law for the past 17 years. If the CDC had complied and created the required nationwide public health network to track and share information on early detection and management of an infectious outbreak – like COVID-19 – the government may have been able to slow the spread and save millions of lives.

Since the CDC has shown it is not competent enough, it and other government agencies should partner with the private sector to leverage the available information and technology. This would remove any possibility of downtime, delays, duplication, or overspending.

It is also vital that Congress directs the CDC, all levels of government, and healthcare providers to share information in both directions. With today’s technology, there is no reason for lifesaving information to not be available to those on the frontlines of the fight.”

HIA Responds to Call for How to Improve the CDC

For Immediate Release:
Contact: Kelly Broadway, 202-808-8853
kbroadway@health-innovation.org

HIA Responds to Call for How to Improve the CDC

Washington, D.C. – The Health Innovation Alliance (HIA) responded to Congresswoman Miller-Meeks’ (IA-02) RFI on how to improve the CDC. HIA has been very vocal about the need for reform and transparency at the CDC and previously called for increased congressional oversight of the agency. Our recommendations to the Congresswoman include:

  • Authorization of the CDC to establish clear authority and limitations as well as requirements to cooperate with other offices and agencies in the federal government

  • Regular, transparent, and public meetings with private-sector experts

  • Partnership with the private sector to ensure CDC’s success, including developing and operating a modern public health data network through existing technologies

  • Ensuring CDC does not try to rebuild private sector capability in-house at the agency

  • Incorporating real-world data into public health analyses

  • Streamlining the grant process to make them more open, accessible, and transparent, as well as including accountability and core competency requirements of state and local public health systems

  • Implementing the 2006 law requiring an interoperable network of public health data

  • Ensuring bidirectional exchange of public health data

  • Including industry-backed standards across the health care system, including standards used at pharmacies where the majority of Americans get their vaccinations

Click to learn more about HIA’s recommendations.

Proposed Telehealth Prescribing Policies Hurt Those with Chronic Illnesses

For Immediate Release:
Contact: Kelly Broadway, 202-808-8853
kbroadway@health-innovation.org

Proposed Telehealth Prescribing Policies Hurt Those with Chronic Illnesses

Washington, D.C. – The Health Innovation Alliance (HIA) is working with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) on its proposed rules regarding the prescribing of certain controlled substances via telemedicine.

Telehealth has helped reduce the number of fatal opioid overdoses and continues to be a popular treatment option among both healthcare providers and patients. The uptick in opioid overdoses across the nation is concerning, but the DEA’s proposal will have far-reaching, unintended consequences that will impact millions of Americans and their ability to use telehealth to receive much-needed medications. The types of prescriptions affected by the DEA include those for depression, anxiety, insomnia, epilepsy, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Many of these conditions would be severely impacted by any disruption in care if the patient is not able to see a doctor in person. This is especially true for psychiatric care and chronic disease management.

In comments submitted to the DEA, HIA focused on:

  • Removing the 30-day prescribing limit; allowing practitioners to prescribe the courses of treatment indicated for the diagnosed condition, based on clinical guidelines

  • Extending the current flexibilities available under the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency until a final rule is released; providing a transition period of at least six months after the final rule is released

  • Instituting commonsense policies that maintain access to care and medications without causing delays in patient care

“Over the past three years, telehealth has helped millions of Americans be evaluated, counseled, diagnosed, and treated while keeping them at a lower risk of contracting COVID-19. And, while the Health Innovation Alliance understands that the DEA faces an uphill battle in the fight against opioid abuse, arbitrary limitations like 30-day supplies of medications will cause access issues for patients in need. The DEA should focus on law enforcement and let doctors determine the best course of treatment for patients,” said Brett Meeks, Executive Director of HIA.

Click here for more on HIA’s comments to the DEA.

HIA Fighting to Improve the Public Health System & Access to Treatments

For Immediate Release:
Contact: Kelly Broadway, 202-808-8853
kbroadway@health-innovation.org

HIA Fighting to Improve the Public Health System & Access to Treatments

Washington, D.C. – The Health Innovation Alliance (HIA) is working with Congress and the Biden Administration to improve the healthcare system and access to treatments.

HIA sent comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on the Advancing Interoperability and Improving Prior Authorization Processes proposed rule. HIA’s comments focused on the important role interoperability and electronic prior authorization (ePA) can play in treating patients and ensuring they receive treatment quickly and effectively. We urged CMS to:

  •  Require detailed plan coverage information at the point of care, including pharmacy, medical services, and prior authorization information

  •  Allow patients to request all covered entities help find and share their health information to improve care coordination

  •  Accelerate interoperable data exchange, allowing data to flow between all CMS programs, including Medicare Parts A and B and Medicare Advantage

  •  Consider expanding standardized ePA for prescription drugs

  •  Promote technology adoption and provide additional guidance in sectors where uptake lags

  •  Shorten response times for prior authorizations as technology evolves

  •  Ensure adequate resources for implementation across the entire healthcare industry

  • Standardize fields for sharing information including lab results, clinical data, prior authorization status, the date of the approval or denial, and the end date for authorization to ensure information is consistent across all sources

“Technology can save lives by reducing the time patients and providers wait for the right information and treatments. It is vital to the future of healthcare that we standardize information sharing while leaving room for innovation and disruptive technologies,” said Brett Meeks, Executive Director of the Health Innovation Alliance.

HIA also responded to a Request for Information from the House Energy and Commerce Committee regarding the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA). HIA’s comments focused on:

  •  Reinforcing and ensuring implementation of past PAHPA policies

  •  Leveraging the private sector to inform and operate necessary improvements and technologies

  •  Filling data gaps exposed by the recent COVID-19 pandemic and response

Specifically, HIA’s comments urged lawmakers to ensure that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is complying with the original 2006 law and subsequent reauthorizations. Additionally, we asked Congress to guarantee that CDC is not using additional funding and authority to duplicate work being done by the private sector or creating additional reporting burdens for front-line providers and public health officials. Additionally, the CDC and its state and local partners should be required to use standardized data sets and collaborate with private industry to implement a network that allows for the continuous flow of information between all levels of government and providers on the ground.

To read HIA’s comments on the Advancing Interoperability and Improving Prior Authorization Processes proposed rule, click here.

To read HIA’s comments on PAHPA reauthorization, click here.