Lance's Corner

CDC Highlights National Minority Health Month

Apr 25, 2024

Per the notice below, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is highlighting National Minority Health Month.

Be the Source of Better Health! Improving Health Outcomes Through Our Cultures, Communities, and Connections

National Minority Health Month - CDC

This April, celebrate National Minority Health Month (NMHM) by being the source of better health.  NMHM is a time to raise awareness of the importance of improving the health of people in racial and ethnic minority communities.  This year’s theme focuses on understanding how our cultures, communities, and connections impact our overall health.  Learn more about social determinants of health (SDOH) and take action within your communities to Be the Source for Better Health!  CDC recognizes NMHM as an opportunity to bring attention to health inequities and what we are doing address health disparities.  A March 2024 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report shows how social and economic conditions impact health and health care in the U.S. Understanding disparities in SDOH and health-related social needs among populations is essential to determining strategies toward advancing health equity.

Working Together to Address Disparities

CDC’s Office of Health Equity (OHE) launched a Webinar series featuring topics that address emerging public health issues, health equity research, communication, and training.  This series showcases the power of partnerships to help reduce health disparities and advance health equity.  Through the Webinar series, we have shared best practices to improve health equity communication materials, practical applications from the Principles of Health Equity Science for Public Health Action, and explain the importance of equitable data practices for various population demographics.  Everyone can play a role in reducing health disparities.  A few key highlights from the series:

  • “Deploying culturally and linguistically appropriate information to Latino communities through multimedia channels” has helped inform communities, build trust and confidence in vaccines, fight misinformation, and increase vaccine access in Latino communities.
  • “Disability is an intersectional issue that affects all communities, including already marginalized communities, and has the power to unite diverse identities and lived experiences.”
  • “Equity in health communications goes beyond translating documents into multiple languages.  [It includes] making sure that content is culturally and linguistically appropriate and relevant for the focus population and scripted in a language or format that is relevant and relatable [which] is sometimes missed if we don’t have the right voices at the table.”

Read more about these highlights in the Conversations in Equity blogs.

Progress in Advancing Health Equity

Launched in 2021, CORE is CDC’s umbrella framework to transform our work by incorporating health equity and diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging as a foundational element across all of its work and partnerships.  CORE demonstrates how we’ve put Health Equity in Action through collaboration with communities and partners to improve health outcomes.  Learn about more accomplishments on a new webpage highlighting the progress and impact CDC has made in advancing the science and practice of health equity.

Connect with OHE

Stay up to date on the latest news and activities by visiting OHE’s web page, connecting with us on social media, and subscribing to our newsletters.

Additional Health Equity Resources

  • Three Principles to Communicate about Health Equity Concepts – This resource offers public health professionals three evidence-based principles with tangible strategies to clearly and effectively communicate about health equity concepts with diverse audiences.
  • Health Equity in Action – Highlighted projects CDC and CDC-funded projects that use culturally appropriate methods to reduce health disparities and advance health equity.
  • Health Equity Fact Sheet – Activities and examples of achievements and advancements as a result of our commitment to embedding health equity into our overall approach.
  • Health Equity Guiding Principles for Inclusive Communication – These principles are intended to help public health professionals, particularly health communicators, within and outside of CDC ensure their communication products and strategies adapt to the specific cultural, linguistic, environmental, and historical situation of each population or audience of focus.
  • Health Equity Video Series – A series of short informative videos on the topics of health equity, social determinants of health, racism and health, and intersectionality.

USDOL Issues Comprehensive Employer Guidance on Long COVID

The United States Department of Labor (USDOL) has issued a comprehensive set of resources that can be accessed below for employers on dealing with Long COVID.

Supporting Employees with Long COVID: A Guide for Employers

The “Supporting Employees with Long COVID” guide from the USDOL-funded Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) and Job Accommodation Network (JAN) addresses the basics of Long COVID, including its intersection with mental health, and common workplace supports for different symptoms.  It also explores employers’ responsibilities to provide reasonable accommodations and answers frequently asked questions about Long COVID and employment, including inquiries related to telework and leave.

Download the guide

Accommodation and Compliance: Long COVID

The Long COVID Accommodation and Compliance webpage from the USDOL-funded Job Accommodation Network (JAN) helps employers and employees understand strategies for supporting workers with Long COVID.  Topics include Long COVID in the context of disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), specific accommodation ideas based on limitations or work-related functions, common situations and solutions, and questions to consider when identifying effective accommodations for employees with Long COVID.  Find this and other Long COVID resources from JAN, below:

Long COVID, Disability and Underserved Communities: Recommendations for Employers

The research-to-practice brief “Long COVID, Disability and Underserved Communities” synthesizes an extensive review of documents, literature and data sources, conducted by the USDOL-funded Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) on the impact of Long COVID on employment, with a focus on demographic differences.  It also outlines recommended actions organizations can take to create a supportive and inclusive workplace culture for people with Long COVID, especially those with disabilities who belong to other historically underserved groups.

Read the brief

Long COVID and Disability Accommodations in the Workplace

The policy brief “Long COVID and Disability Accommodations in the Workplace” explores Long COVID’s impact on the workforce and provides examples of policy actions different states are taking to help affected people remain at work or return when ready.  It was developed by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) as part of its involvement in USDOL’s State Exchange on Employment and Disability (SEED) initiative.

Download the policy brief

Understanding and Addressing the Workplace Challenges Related to Long COVID

The report “Understanding and Addressing the Workplace Challenges Related to Long COVID” summarizes key themes and takeaways from an ePolicyWorks national online dialogue through which members of the public were invited to share their experiences and insights regarding workplace challenges posed by Long COVID.  The dialogue took place during summer 2022 and was hosted by USDOL and its agencies in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Surgeon General.

Download the report

Working with Long COVID

The USDOL-published “Working with Long COVID” fact sheet shares strategies for supporting workers with Long COVID, including accommodations for common symptoms and resources for further guidance and assistance with specific situations.

Download the fact sheet

COVID-19: Long-Term Symptoms

This USDOL motion graphic informs workers with Long COVID that they may be entitled to temporary or long-term supports to help them stay on the job or return to work when ready, and shares where they can find related assistance.

Watch the motion graphic

A Personal Story of Long COVID and Disability Disclosure

In the podcast “A Personal Story of Long COVID and Disability Disclosure,” Pam Bingham, senior program manager for Intuit’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Tech team, shares her personal experience of navigating Long COVID symptoms at work.  The segment was produced by the USDOL-funded Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology (PEAT) as part of its ongoing “Future of Work” podcast series.

Listen to the podcast

HHS OIG Issues Annual Report on State MFCUs

Per the notice below, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued its annual report on the performance of state Medicaid Fraud Control Units (MFCUs).

Medicaid Fraud Control Units Fiscal Year 2023 Annual Report (OEI-09-24-00200) 

Medicaid Fraud Control Units (MFCUs) investigate and prosecute Medicaid provider fraud and patient abuse or neglect. OIG is the Federal agency that oversees and annually approves federal funding for MFCUs through a recertification process. This new report analyzed the statistical data on annual case outcomes—such as convictions, civil settlements and judgments, and recoveries—that the 53 MFCUs submitted for Fiscal Year 2023.  New York data is as follows:

Outcomes

  • Investigations1 - 556
  • Indicted/Charged - 9
  • Convictions - 8
  • Civil Settlements/Judgments - 28
  • Recoveries2 - $73,204,518

Resources

  • MFCU Expenditures3 - $55,964,293
  • Staff on Board4 - 257

1Investigations are defined as the total number of open investigations at the end of the fiscal year.

2Recoveries are defined as the amount of money that defendants are required to pay as a result of a settlement, judgment, or prefiling settlement in criminal and civil cases and may not reflect actual collections.  Recoveries may involve cases that include participation by other Federal and State agencies.

3MFCU and Medicaid Expenditures include both State and Federal expenditures.

4Staff on Board is defined as the total number of staff employed by the Unit at the end of the fiscal year.

Read the Full Report

View the Statistical Chart

Engage with the Interactive Map

GAO Issues Report on Medicaid Managed Care Service Denials and Appeal Outcomes

The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a report on federal use of state data on Medicaid managed care service denials and appeal outcomes.  GAO found that federal oversight is limited because it doesn't require states to report on Medicaid managed care service denials or appeal outcomes and there has not been much progress on plans to analyze and make the data publicly available.  To read the GAO report on federal use of state data on Medicaid managed care service denials and appeal outcomes, use the first link below.  To read GAO highlights of the report on federal use of state data on Medicaid managed care service denials and appeal outcomes, use the second link below.
https://www.gao.gov/assets/d24106627.pdf  (GAO report on federal use of state data on Medicaid managed care service denials and appeal outcomes)
https://www.gao.gov/assets/d24106627_high.pdf  (GAO highlights on federal use of state data on Medicaid managed care service denials and appeal outcomes)

CMS Issues Latest Medicare Regulatory Activities Update

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued its latest update on its regulatory activities in the Medicare program.  While dentistry is only minimally connected to the Medicare program, Medicare drives the majority of health care policies and insurance reimbursement policies throughout the country.  Therefore, it always pays to keep a close eye on what CMS is doing in Medicare.  To read the latest CMS update on its regulatory activities in Medicare, use the link below.
https://www.cms.gov/training-education/medicare-learning-network/newsletter/2024-03-14-mlnc