OME Advocate Newsletter

The National Hispanic Health Foundation has endorsed the FAIR Act (H.R. 751) to help ensure an equal pathway to residency training for DOs! Urge your Members of Congress to cosponsor and pass the FAIR Act to support Medicare-funded GME transparency!

Since the July 4th recess, both the House and Senate have advanced multiple appropriations bills.

• The House Committee on Appropriations (HAC) has reported all 12 FY25 appropriations bills out of the Committee. Four of the bills have passed through the full House, including Defense, Homeland Security, Military Construction – Veterans Affairs and State-Foreign Operations. On July 10, the HAC approved revised subcommittee allocations, or 302(b)s, on a 29-26 vote that shifted money from the LHHSE bill to the Interior-Environment bill. The House has set a goal of passing all 12 bills before the August Recess.
• The Senate Appropriations Committee (SAC) began markups on July 11 and approved a $1.61 trillion slate of allocations for its dozen annual bills with a 15-12 vote along partisan lines. However, Appropriations Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) and Ranking Member Susan Collins (R-ME) reached an agreement on emergency spending to add $34.4 billion on top of the budget caps laid out in last summer’s debt limit law (PL 118-5) with $21 billion for defense programs and $13.5 billion for domestic and foreign aid accounts. SAC has unanimously passed the Agriculture, Legislative Branch and Military Construction – Veterans Affairs bills and is expected to consider a second batch of bills, including LHHSE, in the coming weeks.

Please check our AACOM Action Center for updates and analysis of OME priorities as appropriations bills continue to advance in both chambers.

Register for NHSC Federal Loan Program Webinar: Learn more about the National Health Service Corps (NHSC)’s scholarship and loan repayment opportunities at a webinar on  August 21, 2024, at 2:00 PM ET. Hosted by the NHSC, AACOM and the Association of American Medical Colleges, this webinar provides information for primary care medical students interested in reducing their student loan debt through work in underserved communities. Register today.

Learn How to Draft Effective Public Comments: The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, within the Office of Management and Budget, will offer a public training session on effective participation in the public comment process. Email publicparticipation@omb.eop.gov to attend the session on July 24, 2024, at 5:30 PM ET. Learn more.

Last Chance to Apply for HRSA’s Medical Student Education Program: Eligible osteopathic medical schools may apply for HRSA’s Medical School Education Program funding to support or expand education for those seeking primary care careers in rural, tribal or medically underserved communities. Priority is given to applicants in states with the greatest number of federally recognized tribes and demonstrated public-private partnerships. The application deadline is July 26, 2024.

Final Reminder to Respond to NIH HEAL Initiative RFI on Pain Research: The NIH Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative requests information from the public to accelerate its research on pain management, opioid use disorder and overdoses. Comments are due by July 31, 2024.

VA GME Opportunity: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Academic Affiliations has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the VA Pilot Program on Graduate Medical Education and Residency (PPGMER). The RFP announcement provides information to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Sponsoring Institutions about program requirements and procedures to apply for VA’s PPGMER. The pilot program provides funding to support resident physician rotations at facilities operated by the Indian Health Service, Indian Tribes or Tribal organizations. Other healthcare facilities located in areas designated by VA as underserved, Federally Qualified Health Center programs and those operated by the Department of Defense are also eligible as rotation sites. The VA will host two RFP information sessions on July 25 and August 21, 2024. The application window is from August – September 30, 2024.  Learn more.

New NIH Primary Care Initiative: NIH’s new initiative, Communities Advancing Research Equity (CARE) for Health, aims to integrate clinical research with community-based primary care and improve research access and patient outcomes for historically underrepresented communities. The $30 million investment addresses disparities in research for rural and underserved communities. Initial awards are slated for fall 2024 and will fund organizations that serve rural communities. COMs are encouraged to review the CARE for Health web page for more resources and grant opportunities.