February 10, 2023

1. Keynote Spotlight: Brian J. Miller, MD; PHA's 2023 Leadership Summit in AZ

2. PHA Participates in HHS's Bi-Weekly Stakeholder Calls; We Need Your Thoughts

3. Coming Soon: Physician-Led Hospital Bills Returning to Congress

4. PHA's May Capitol Hill Fly-in: May 16-17

5. Thank You for You to PHA's 2023 Sponsors

6. Public Health Emergency's Termination; Upcoming Congressional Action

7. Free Drug Disposal Pouches for Texas PHA Members; Federal Grant

8. PHA: What We're Reading + Regulatory Items

1. Keynote Spotlight: Brian J. Miller, MD

PHA's 2023 Leadership Summit in Arizona

PHA is pleased to announce that Brian J. Miller, MD, MBA, MPH, will serve as one of PHA's keynote speakers at PHA's 2023 Leadership Summit this September 10 - 12 at the Boulders Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Dr. Miller is a practicing hospitalist at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Business (courtesy) at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and a health policy analyst at the American Enterprise Institute, where he serves as a Nonresident Fellow. Dr. Miller runs a multi-disciplinary, fifteen-person research group that analyzes market-driven solutions in FDA regulatory policy, payment policy, and healthcare competition policy. Research by his team has been published in The New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, Tobacco Control, BMJ, and Health Affairs Forefront among other venues.

Trained and board-certified in preventive medicine and internal medicine, Dr. Miller has broad regulatory experience at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Communications Commission, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. He serves as an advisor to members of Congress and other elected officials and lives in Washington, D.C.

His publications on physician-led hospitals include:

“Cost and Quality of Care in Physician-Owned Hospitals: A Systematic Review”

“Covid-19 Has Revealed the Hazards of Blocking Physician-Owned Hospitals”

“Reversing Hospital Consolidation: The Promise of Physician-Owned Hospitals”

Conference Details

Click here to learn more about the conference and to register today.

PHA will unveil new speakers and panelists over the next few weeks.

2. PHA Invited to HHS's Bi-Weekly Calls; PHA Needs Your Feedback

PHA was invited by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to participate in bi-weekly stakeholder calls with hospital stakeholders, including the American Hospital Association, Federation of American Hospitals and the Children's Hospital Association.

Your Input Will Be Needed

The calls are designed to help the administration understand hospital needs. CMS spotlights a particular topic related to hospital operations that we be discussed on each bi-weekly call.

PHA will provide the agenda topics as soon as they become available, and we ask that your hospital consider providing feedback to prepare PHA. In addition, PHA may ask for a PHA member to serve as PHA's representative on the stakeholder call.

The last call asked for stakeholder feedback on drug shortages.

Please reply to this e-mail with any issues that you would like to see addressed.

3. Coming Soon: Physician-Led Hospital Bills Returning to the New Congress

Last year marked the second time that both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House featured bills to repeal the Affordable Care Act's harmful provision related to physician-led hospitals, Section 6001.

Congressman Michael Burgess, MD, and Senator James Lankford are building the original co-sponsorship list for each chamber's version, and the bills will be ready in time for PHA's May 16-17 Washington, DC fly-in.

Senator Lankford indicated that the physician-led hospital legislation will serve as the first bill that he introduces in the 118th Congress.

Once the bills are introduced, we will call on the PHA community to urge your members of Congress to co-sponsor through PHA's new action alert portal. In addition, join PHA this May 16-17 at our fly-in to lobby on this critical legislation. 

4. PHA's Capitol Hill Fly-in: May 16-17 in Washington

Mark your calendar to join PHA for the Washington, DC, Capitol Hill fly-in on May 16 and 17.

The event will begin with a lawmaker reception on the evening of Tuesday, May 16. Wednesday, May 17 will consist of all-day visits on Capitol Hill.

Stay tuned for registration and hotel information. PHA will once again feature a room block at the Thompson Hotel in Washington's Navy Yard near the Capitol.

Frederic Liss, MD, PHA's president, is featured with Congressman Michael Burgess, MD, and Senator Roger Marshall, MD, at last year's fly-in.

5. Thank You to PHA's 2023 Sponsors

Thank you to PHA's preliminary sponsors for 2023.

Learn more about PHA's 2023 sponsorship opportunities.

PHA's 2023 Title Sponsors:

6. Public Health Emergency's Termination; Upcoming Congressional Action

The Biden Administration announced that the Covid-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) will end in May.

Congress is expected to consider a package to examine many of the PHE-related items and their future.

PHA will keep you updated.

7. Free Drug Disposal Pouches for Texas Hospitals; Frederal Grant

Thanks to a $3.34 million federal grant, PHA members located in Texas are eligible for free drug deactivation and disposal pouches for their patients through a University of Houston program.

The University of Houston’s School of Pharmacy is leading a multi-year research program that will provide your office with patient educational materials and Deterra medication deactivation and disposal pouches at no cost to physicians and hospitals located in Texas.

The program’s focus on informing patients on safe medication storage and offering Deterra as a convenient disposal tool at the time of prescribing medication.  A perfect opportunity for this interaction with patients is when you are developing a post-surgery pain management plan.  Addressing this issue in the orthopedics office was modeled after a program instituted by Twin City Orthopedics in Minneapolis, MN. Details of their program can be found here.

Research performed at the University of Michigan, and reported in JAMA, has shown people are eight times more likely to properly dispose of their unused drugs when given a Deterra pouch.

How do I find out more information and get signed up?

To learn more and to begin the process, reach out to Rob Reynolds at rreynolds@deterrasystem.com.

8. PHA: What We're Reading

Regulatory - Washington

"OSHA Moves Ahead With Permanent Covid-19 Standards for Health Workers" - Click here to read more from Healthcare Dive.

"Federal Judge Rules Against HHS - Again - Over Surprise-Billing Arbitration Rule" - Click here to read coverage from "Becker's Payer Issues" about the Texas Medical Association's latest successful lawsuit.

Click here for a podcast summary of the four Texas Medical Association lawsuits related to the No Surprises Act from Ed Gaines.

"Most Providers Still Using Emergency Waivers" - Click here to read more from Axios.

Industry

"New Rural Hospital Model a Lifeline for Some, a Gamble for Others" - Click here to read more from Axios.

In the States

"Indiana Lawmakers Propose Large Fines for Expensive Hospital Care" - Click here to read more from Becker's Hospital Review.

"States Take Aim at Prior Authorization" - Click here to read more from Axios.