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AACOM Director of GR Gives Leadership and Advocacy Presentation to Osteopathic Residents
AACOM’s Director of Government Relations Julie Crockett recently spoke with osteopathic residents at the Wright Center National Family Medicine Residency Program at Unity Health Care in Washington, DC about leadership and advocacy. The presentation featured a healthcare landscape outlook, overview of AACOM policy priorities and techniques to effectively shape federal policy as osteopathic physicians. Unity Health Care is an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education recognized residency program with Osteopathic Recognition and is part of the only national consortium residency program in the country.
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Comment Deadline Approaching on GME Regulation
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published its fiscal year 2023 Inpatient Prospective Payment System proposed rule and is accepting comments through June 17, 2022. CMS proposes to change graduate medical education (GME) full-time equivalent caps for certain hospitals and to allow certain urban and rural hospitals to enter into Rural Track. For a comprehensive analysis, see AACOM’s summary. AACOM continues to evaluate the proposal and is considering comments to CMS. Please notify us at aacomgr@aacom.org if you plan to comment.
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Why You Should Attend AACOM Advocacy Day
Last year, more than 90 percent of participants found their advocacy relevant to their work. Whether you're a medical student, resident, practicing physician, college of osteopathic medicine faculty member or any member of the osteopathic medical education (OME) community, your voice matters. Join us on June 28-29, 2022.
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Mental Health Reform, ARPA-H and Other Bills Pass Committee with Bipartisan Support
- On May 18, 2022 the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed six bills, including legislation addressing mental health and the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H).
- The mental health legislation reauthorizes key Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) programs to address the national mental health and substance use disorder crises. These bills received bipartisan support and now advance to the House floor.
- The House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee are considering additional mental health packages. AACOM will continue to monitor this legislation to ensure the interests of the OME community are represented.
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Public Health Emergency Likely to Be Extended
- The Biden Administration has continually held that they would provide a 60-day notice if they intend to end the Public Health Emergency (PHE), which is currently set to expire in mid-July.
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra last extended the PHE for an additional 90 days on April 12, 2022.
- As we have passed May 16, the current 60-day notice date, without an announcement from the Biden Administration, it is likely that the PHE will again be extended.
- These continued extensions affect the OME community as many CMS administrative flexibilities are tied to the PHE.
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ED Extends Changes to Federal Student Aid Application Review
- To continue providing relief to students and administrators, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced it will extend waivers of federal student aid verification requirements begun earlier in the pandemic.
- ED will again focus its verification procedures on identity theft and fraud during the upcoming academic year. Longer term changes remain under review.
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Federal Student Aid Announces the Next Generation of Federal Student Loan Servicing
- Earlier this month, Federal Student Aid (FSA) announced the Unified Servicing and Data Solution (USDS) will replace the legacy servicing contracts for Direct Loans and Federal Family Education Loan Program loans.
- Currently, six loan servicers support borrowers while they are in school and as they repay their loans. FSA plans to award new contracts this winter and expects USDS servicers to start in December 2023, when the current contracts expire.
- Within five years of the go-live date, FSA will move full account management, branding and repayment away from USDS servicers’ websites and transition to a single FSA-branded interface.
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Representatives Thompson and Garamendi Visit TUCOM-CA, Fund Renovation: On May 2, 2022, U.S. Representatives Mike Thompson and John Garamendi visited the Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine – California (TUCOM-CA), bringing with them a check for $1 million, which is intended to help continue the renovation work at the school’s Truett Hall building. Renovation of Truett Hall will allow TUCOM-CA to expand many of its educational programs, as well as bring off-campus administrative offices on campus. “We’ll have better healthcare, a more diverse healthcare delivery system, and that’s good for everybody,” Rep. Thompson said. “There’s a constant theme everywhere we go … and that theme is ‘we don’t have enough health professionals.' This university is creating those professionals,” Garamendi said. Learn more.
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Applications Open for 2022 Faculty Loan Repayment Program: Administered by HRSA, the Faculty Loan Repayment Program provides up to $40,000 in loan repayment assistance to health professions faculty from economically and environmentally disadvantaged backgrounds at colleges of osteopathic medicine and other eligible health professions schools. Interested applicants can join a webinar on June 10, 2022 from 2:00-4:30 PM ET. Applications are due on June 30, 2022. Learn more.
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Apply by July 7 for FY22 STAR Loan Repayment Program: The Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery (STAR) Loan Repayment Program (LRP) seeks to recruit and retain behavioral and mental health professionals providing direct patient substance use disorder or recovery care. Eligible osteopathic physicians can receive up to $250,000 for a six-year, full-time service commitment at a STAR LRP-approved facility. Attend a webinar on June 2, 2022 from 2:30-4:30 PM ET or a Q/A session throughout June. Learn more.
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Copyright ©2022 American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine. All Rights Reserved.
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American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine
Government Relations
7700 Old Georgetown Road, Suite 250, Bethesda, MD 20814
Contact the editors: aacomgr@aacom.org
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