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NORTHWEST PORTLAND AREA INDIAN HEALTH BOARD
LEGISLATIVE & POLICY UPDATE
February 7, 2025
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February 10-13, 2025
NCAI Executive Council Winter Session 2025
Washington, DC
February 11, 2025
CMS – TTAG Medicare Medicaid Policy Committee Monthly Meeting
Zoom
February 11-12, 2025
FY 2027 National Tribal Formulation Work Session 1 & II
Location: TBD
February 12, 2025
CMS – TTAG Monthly Call
February 13, 2025
2nd Quarter DSTAC
Washington, DC
February 24, 2025
Tribal Health Directors Learning Collaborative – Veterans' Administration Programs & Services for Native Veterans
Zoom
February 25, 2025
Idaho Department of Health & Welfare/Idaho Tribes Quarterly Meeting
Boise, ID/WebEx
February 25-26, 2025
VA-ACTIA
San Diego, CA
March 4 – 5, 2025
Indian Health Service Purchased and Referred Care Workgroup (PRC)
San Diego, CA
March 4 – 5, 2025
Indian Health Service Tribal Leaders Diabetes Committee (TLDC)
Tucson, AZ
March 4-6, 2024
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) TTAC
Rockville, MD
March 11-12, 2025
Facilities Appropriations Advisory Board (FAAB) Meeting
El Paso, TX/Zoom link available
March 19-20, 2025
IHS Tribal Self-Governance Advisory Committee Meeting
Arlington, VA
March 20, 2025
DSTAC Monthly Call
Zoom link provided
April 7-10, 2025
2025 Tribal Self-Governance Annual Conference
Chandler, AZ
April 23-24, 2025
2025 CMS Health Equity Conference
Bethesda, MD
April 23-24, 2025
2025 CMS Health Equity Conference
Bethesda, MD
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Administrative & Legislative Updates | |
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Executive Orders List-to-date: A list to help you keep track of the Executive Orders.
- Initial Recissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions – repealing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Eos of the previous administration (Jan 20, 2025)
- Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity, reversing multiple previous Eos which supported affirmative action, dating back to 1965 (Jan 20, 2025)
- Regulatory Freeze Pending Review (Jan 20, 2025)
- Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation (Jan 28, 2025)
- Hiring Freeze (Jan 20, 2025)
- RESCINDED – Office of Management and Budget Memo Freezing Funding
- Return to In-Person Work (Jan 20, 2025)
- Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports (Feb 5, 2025)
- Declaring a National Emergency at the Southern Border of the United States (Jan 20, 2025)
H.R. 27 – Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act: Aims to address the trafficking and abuse of fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances. The bill seeks to combat the illegal importation and distribution of fentanyl. It includes measures such as imposing stricter penalties for trafficking fentanyl, enhancing law enforcement capabilities, and supporting research and treatment for substance use disorders. Various amendments have been proposed, including establishing a National Center to Stop the Import of illicit synthetic drugs and requiring studies on the roles and foreign entities in fentanyl trafficking.
- The bill is scheduled for discussion on the House floor during the week of Feb. 5, 2025.
IHS to Protect patients and Improving the Purchased/Referred Care (PRC) Program: Last August, IHS has worked collaboratively with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to protect eligible PRC patients receiving IHS-approved medical services from being subjected to improper bills from medical providers and collection activities from debt collectors as prohibited under the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (IHCIA), the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), and the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). DTLL Found here.
UDS+: Beginning February 18, health centers will submit some de-identified 2024 UDS patient-level data using Health Level Seven International (HL7)-developed Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) R4 standards (learn more on FHIR’s website). 2024 UDS+ submission requirements include a portion of legacy UDS dta elements. The UDS+ submission reporting period will open Tuesday, February 19, and close Wednesday, April 30.
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Tribal Consultations, Listening Sessions & Written Comments | |
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2025 Health IT Modernization Upcoming Information Sessions: Make plans to join IHS at these important and timely meetings. Your participation and input to date have been vital to improving the Health IT Modernization Program. During each of these information sessions, the IHS will provide an update of our progress, milestones, and program challenges.
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February 13, 2025: IHS Health IT Modernization Program leadership session.
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May 15, 2025: Feature an overview of the Four Directions Warehouse, which is the data repository that will be used to facilitate the migration of data from the IHS Resource and Patient Management System and other electronic health record (EHR) solutions into PATH EHR, and allow for continued access to legacy patient data.
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August 7, 2025: Will feature an overview of applications to be included in PATH EHR based on outcomes from enterprise configuration workshops.
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November 6, 2025: Health IT Modernization program leadership will review the status of pilot site activities and upcoming milestones for PATH EHR implementation at facilities located within the Lawton Service Unit in the Oklahoma City Area IHS.
CMS Seeking Input to Protect Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers – Comments due by February 17. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is soliciting comments to inform future decision-making regarding how the agency can best protect Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers (MBIs) and Medicare beneficiaries. MBIs have been targeted by individuals seeking to commit Medicare fraud, including the use of MBI lookup tools to commit MBI theft. CMS is seeking input and information related to the following topic areas:
- Organizations that operate an externally-controlled MBI lookup tool;
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Users of MBI lookup tools, both CMS-operated and externally-controlled;
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Potential benefit or impact of prohibiting or restricting externally-controlled MBI lookup tools;
- Safeguards or best practices from inside or outside healthcare that CMS should consider for preventing MBI theft and misuse.
Visit the link in the headline for more information and the full list of questions. To provide comments, fill out and submit the survey by Monday, February 17.
Mental Health Services Research (MHSR) 2025: Confronting the Mental Health Crisis with Outcomes that Matter. Save-the-Date: July 28-31, 2025, Located: Gaithersburg Marriot Washingtonian Center, Maryland. Join the National Institute of Mental Health for its 26th Mental Health Services Research Conference.
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