SOGI Data Considerations for State Medicaid Programs
To support more equitable data collection for the LGBTQ+ community, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) introduced new options for state Medicaid programs to collect sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data to better identify and address differences in LGBTQ+ health care experiences and outcomes. As Medicaid agencies seek to collect SOGI data, they should first consider its intended use, cultural competency training for frontline staff, and explore revising “gender edits” with automatic denials to avoid negatively impacting nonbinary and transgender members. (Center for Health Care Strategies, 2/13)
New HHS Final Rule To Establish Information Blocking Disincentives For Medicare Providers
As a measure to discourage health care providers from obstructing the exchange of electronic health information, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a final rule to establish disincentives for committing information blocking. Disincentives include limiting participation in the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program, risking low performance scores for the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), and restricting future program participation in the Medicare Shared Savings Program. (HHS, 6/24)
NYC Care Workers Demand More Detailed Overdose Data
In response to 6,300 New Yorkers passing from a drug overdose in 2022, care workers in New York City request that state regulators release demographic data associated with drug overdoses to reveal emerging overdose trends in certain ethnic groups and neighborhoods. More granular data will allow organizations to predict and allocate services to where future overdoses may occur. (Politico, 6/14)
HRSA Health Center Program Implements FHIR-Based APIs
In collaboration with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) USCDI+ program, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Health Center Program is leveraging FHIR-based application programming interfaces (APIs) to support annual reporting. The advancement in reporting capabilities reduces the reporting burden on physicians, enhances data quality, and informs quality improvement interventions to improve health outcomes and reduce health disparities on a federal level. (ONC, 6/13)
