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ACNM Policy Update - 4/13/2015

State Issues

1.  Selected State Developments - Introductions and Progress - DE, GA, MD, NE, WV
2.  Selected State Developments - New Laws - AR, CO, ND, UT, VA


Federal Issues

1.  Joint Commission to Hold 4/28 Webinar on New Perinatal Care Certification Program
2.  HHS Releases Summary of March 25 Health Care Payment Learning and Action Network Kickoff Meeting
 


State Issues

Note:  Current status of state legislation of interest to ACNM members can be obtained through ACNM's Legislative Tracking Tool.  We strongly encourage affiliate legislative chairs to regularly check this site to see the status of legislation in their states .


1.  Selected State Developments - Introductions and Progress - DE, GA, MD, NE, WV

Delaware S.57 proposes to implement the APRN title, update the requirements for licensure renewal, and clarify scope of prescriptive authority. 

Georgia H.416, a truth in advertising bill that requires CNMs and other health care providers to wear name tags with the "type of license or educational degree the health care practitioner holds," has passed both chambers as of April 2.

Georgia H.436 proposes to require that physicians and health care providers offer HIV and syphilis testing of pregnant women in their third trimester of pregnancy. The bill has passed both chambers as of April 2. 

Maryland H.5 proposes to establish the Newborn Screening Fund within the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to provide screening for certain hereditary and congenital disorders. The bill passed the House on April 6. Its companion, S.467, passed the Senate on April 3.

Maryland H.739 proposes to establish the Task Force to Study Maternal Mental Health to explore and make recommendations regarding maternal mental health disorders that occur during pregnancy and the first postpartum year. The bill passed the House on April 6. A companion bill, S.74, passed the Senate on April 3.

Nebraska L.627 is a pregnancy anti-discrimination bill which states, in part, that employers must make reasonable accommodations, including acquisition of equipment for sitting, more frequent or longer breaks, periodic rest, assistance with manual labor, job restructuring, light-duty assignments, modified work schedules, temporary transfers to less strenuous or hazardous work, time off to recover from childbirth, or break time and appropriate facilities for breast-feeding or expressing breast milk.  The bill was presented to the Governor on April 7.

West Virginia H.2776 proposed to allow APRNs to prescribe hydrocodone combination drugs to a patient for a duration of no more than three days per thirty day period. The bill was vetoed by the Governor on March 18.
 

2.  Selected State Developments - New Laws - AR, CO, ND, UT, VA

Arkansas S.624 makes changes to the composition of the Board of Nursing, including increasing APRN representation from one to two individuals. The bill became law on April 6.

Colorado H.1164 allows a breastfeeding mother to be excused from jury service for up to two consecutive twelve-month periods. The bill became law on April 8.

North Dakota H.1643 relating to reasonable accommodations in the workplace for pregnancy was signed into law on April 6. 

Utah H.105 incorporates breastfeeding into the state's antidiscrimination act. The bill was signed into law on March 20.

Virginia S.1197, which establishes procedures for hospitals to follow when reporting a stillbirth, was signed into law on March 26.



Federal Issues


1. Joint Commission to Hold 4/28 Webinar on New Perinatal Care Certification Program

On April 28, from 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. central time, the Joint Commission will host a webinar to provide an overview of its new perinatal care certification program.  According to their announcement, the Perinatal Care Certification focuses on achieving integrated, coordinated, patient-centered care for clinically uncomplicated pregnancies and births. The certification program will use standards, guidelines, and The Joint Commission's perinatal care core performance measures for managing and monitoring aspects of perinatal care that are critical to improving and maintaining the health of newborns and their mothers.

The Coalition for Quality Maternity Care, a group led by ACNM, was given the opportunity to provide input on two early drafts of this certification program.  Although we have not yet seen the final version, we hope that The Joint Commission incorporated the feedback provided by this coalition.

Those who wish to register for this complimentary webinar can do so here.  


2.  HHS Releases Summary of March 25 Health Care Payment Learning and Action Network Kickoff Meeting

In January of 2015, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced intentions to transition the large majority of Medicare reimbursements to some sort of value-based methodology within the next few years.  In addition, HHS invited private organizations to participate in the Health Care Payment Learning and Action Network.  This Network is meant to coordinate efforts in the private sector to move health care reimbursement to a value-based footing and hundreds of payers and provider organizations (including ACNM) have signed up to participate in that discussion.

On March 25, HHS lead a kickoff meeting to discuss the creation of the Network and thoughts on what it might become.   A brief summary of that meeting is now available.    During the meeting several themes were identified that could potentially become Network focus areas, including:

-- Develop common definitions for alternative payment models
-- Establish common health care quality measures across payers
-- Reduce variation in payment methods such as beneficiary attribution, risk adjustment, and financial models
-- Develop national standards and support flexible regional or local benchmarks
-- Align financial incentive structures to avoid conflicts between alternative payment models and fee-for-service
-- Effectively share payment model success stories to encourage adoption by more payers and providers
-- Align claims data sharing processes across payers
-- Support health systems and individual providers during transformation to alternative payment models
-- Conduct outreach and educate consumers about quality care and value-based payment models

HHS has established a webpage dedicated to the new Network, through which interested parties can obtain further information.
 
 
Please share this Policy Update with any CNMs/CMs you know who are not ACNM members.  We want them to know what the association is doing to help them out and encourage them to become a part of the association.


Should you have questions about state issues, please contact Cara Kinzelman, ACNM's Manager of State Government Affairs at [email protected] or 240-485-1841.  

If you have questions regarding federal issues, please contact Jesse Bushman, ACNM's Director of Advocacy and Government Affairs at [email protected] or 240-485-1843. 



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