Health Policy

Related Resources

• Cosmetic Microbiological Safety

  
  

• CMS: Medicaid Home Health

  
  

• CMS: 2012 OPPS Comments

  
  

• National Sample Survey of Nurse Practitioners Comments

  
  

• COP Background [WORD] This is available only to members.
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• ANA Comments to CMS on Conditions of Participation

  
  

• The Federal Register: A guide to the government's official newspaper This link opens up a new window.

  
  

• Learn more about how federal regulations are made This link opens up a new window.

  
  

• ANA's Detailed Analysis of CoPs, and What This Means for Nurses This link opens up a new window.

  
  

• Read the Official Notice on Conditions of Participation Revisions This link opens up a new window.

  
  

• CMS: Conditions of Participation for Community Mental Health Centers

  
  

• CMS: Condition of Participation on Patient Influenza Vaccination Programs

  
  

• CMS: 2012 Inpatient Prospective Payment System [pdf]

  
  ANA comments on how CMS proposes to pay for health care.

• ANA Comment to Office of Inspector General: Waiver Designs for Accountable Care Organizations

  
  ANA recommendst that there be no untoward inducements for beneficiaries to get their care from an ACO and that beneficiaries should receive emphatic notice of their right to seek care outside the ACO.

• Follow the Money - Financial Impact of Accountable Care Organizations

  
  The financial risks and benefits to healthcare providers practicing as an Accountable Care Organization.

• ACOs 101 - The Basics of Accountable Care Organizations [pdf]

  
  A primer on the concept of an Accountable Care Organization - a shared savings program for Medicare to improve quality and reduce cost.

• ANA Comments to FTC/DOJ on Accountable Care Organizations Rule

  
  The Federal Trade Commission and the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice propose modifications of the antitrust laws to permit otherwise independent healthcare organizations to collaborate as Accountable Care Organizations. ANA submitted comments to make sure that RNs are included in leadership roles in ACOs, RN services are included in calculating the ACO patient “pool,” and paperwork burdens do not divert healthcare professionals from providing direct care.

• ANA Comments to CMS on Accountable Care Organizations Proposed Rule [pdf]

  
  ANA recommended significant changes to the proposed Accountable Care Organization (ACO) rule. ANA's comments seek to maximize patient care and create greater efficiencies and savings by articulating professional nursing's impact on areas of leadership, patient-centered care coordination, and quality.

• Guidance for Integrating Culturally Diverse Communities into Planning for and Responding to Emergencies: A Toolkit [pdf]

  
  This toolkit was developed to provide preparedness planning and response agencies, organizations, and professionals with practical strategies, resources and examples of models for improving existing activities and developing new programs to meet the needs of racially and ethnically diverse populations.

• To the Centers for Medicare Services: Ensuring Medicare handbooks are provider-neutral [PDF]

  
  Each year, the Centers for Medicare Services, or CMS, sends a handbook to all its beneficiaries. ANA suggested that CMS ensure that it used provider-neutral in the document to reflect the almost 100,000 APRNs that provide care under Medicare.

• To the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: How to best mesasure quality care in Medicaid programs [PDF]

  
  The Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research (AHRQ) has proposed a first set of quality measures to ensure quality of care that adults receive through Medicaid programs. Medicaid is a joint federal and state program with each state designing its own Medicaid program within federal guidelines. Federal payments for Medicaid range from the minimum of 50% of costs up to nearly 75% in Mississippi (in 2011) with the higher match percentages going to the poorer states. ANA urged AHRQ to include measures for nursing-specific care, health screenings, discharge processes, and other critical elements of nursing practice and complex patient care. ANA advised the government to adopt measures approved by the National Quality Forum, of which ANA is a member.

• CMS: EMTALA and Inpatients [PDF]

  
  ANA agrees that EMTALA should apply to inpatients, and quotes in its comments a story from an APRN in the field about how this affects patients.

• Nuring beyond borders: Access to care for undocumented and documented immigrants [pdf]

  
  Immigration continues to be a politically divisive issue. However, ANA firmly believes immigrants, whether documented or not, should have access to quality health care, including the opportunity to purchase insurance. Contrary to common belief or political rhetoric, giving this population access to insurance is an evidence-based way to actually reduce health care costs.

• CMS: Accountable Care Organizations: Request for Information

  
  ANA believes nurse-led care coordination, inclusive leadership structures, and a continued focus on patient choice are key in creating the Accountable Care Organization. ANA urges CMS to include these aspects as they develop demonstration projects for this element of the ACA.

• ANA Comments to HHS on Covered Preventive Services [PDF]

  
  ANA supported the HHS rules on preventive services that will be required by law to be at no cost to the insurance customer. Covered services include any ACIP recommended immunization, and any USPSTF A or B graded service. ANA pointed out one potential problem with the billing practices for these services.

• ANA Comments to CMS on Outpatient Payment System Changes [PDF]

  
  The ANA advised CMS to support more realistic direct supervision requirements, offered support for inclusion of preventive services, offered support for NQF measures as part of HOP QDRP, and encourage mandatory quality reporting for ambulatory surgical centers.

• ANA Comments to CMS on Home Health Payment System Changes [PDF]

  
  In its yearly update of payment regulations and rules for home care delivery, ANA urged CMS to consider the ability of APRNs to delivery care autonomously. ANA also urged CMS to allow APRNs to certify for both home care and hospice care.

• Comments to HHS on HIPAA-HITECH Rule [PDF]

  
  ANA offered comments on HHS' proposed modifications to implement recent statutory amendments under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (‘‘the HITECH Act’’ or ‘‘the Act’’), to strengthen the privacy and security protection of health information, and to improve the workability and effectiveness of these HIPAA Rules.

• Comments to CMS on Proposed Changes to Physician Fee Schedule [PDF]

  
  ANA concentrated on the inclusion of APRNs in many elements and services that are on the reimbursement schedule for Medicare Part B. (Proposed rules related to Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act).

• IOM Report: Assessing the Effects of the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill on Human Health [PDF]

  
  The Institute of Medicine convened a panel of experts June 22-23, 2010 to explore the possible health effects of the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Their deliberations and comments are included in this report.

• Haiti Relief - Questions and Answers for Nurses

  
  Nurses want to respond to Haiti, and that is natural to a profession as caring, compassionate, and helpful as nurses. But take a minute to read this important document - jumping on a plane to go to Haiti right now is not going to help. Your help is more needed weeks and months from now when the situation can be fully assessed and requests are made for the exact kind of providers with the training and skills needed to respond.

• OSHA Compliance for Worker Protection from H1N1 Exposure [PDF]