Lance's Corner

AHRQ Issues Regulatory Update

Aug 12, 2025

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has issued its weekly regulatory update, which can be read below.

August 12, 2025 | Issue #970

In This Week's Issue: statistical brief on rural versus nonrural health; recent strides in digital healthcare research; opioid use disorder environmental scan; frailty screening for HIV patients

Statistical Brief Discusses Availability of Medical Services in Rural and Nonrural Areas

In 2021, AHRQ’s Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) asked adults in rural and nonrural areas to describe medical care availability in their neighborhoods.  About 17.7 percent of those in nonmetropolitan areas and just 8.2 percent of those in metropolitan areas considered their access to care to be only fair or poor.  Nearly one in five adults in only fair or poor health considered their healthcare access to be limited, including nearly 43 percent of those living in small rural areas.  Check out this new statistical brief and explore how reports of limited healthcare access also varied by insurance status and other characteristics.

Webinar Explores Usability and Engagement in Digital Healthcare Tools

Through AHRQ’s Digital Healthcare Research grants, researchers are developing and testing tools that equip people to manage their health more effectively.  At the AHRQ National Webinar on July 17—attended by more than 800 people—two grantees presented the details of their ongoing studies designed to promote behavior change through patient-centered design and real-world usability.

  • May May Leung, Ph.D., discussed “Game On!”—a digital comic tool designed to combat childhood obesity through interactive nutrition education and storytelling.  In usability testing, her team achieved strong engagement by offering flexible data collection and ample tech support.  “We assign a specific researcher to each child-parent dyad so that they continue to build rapport and connection throughout the study,” she explained.
  • David Dorr, M.D., M.S., shared his team’s work on a clinical decision support tool integrated with the electronic health record and patient portal.  This tool is designed to encourage patients with hypertension to consistently monitor their blood pressure without causing undue stress.  “It’s important to have a tool that is understandable to the patient and doesn’t cause them to worry about their blood pressure,” Dr. Dorr said.

Access the Division of Digital Healthcare Research’s National Webinars page for the webinar recording and for more details on upcoming events and on-demand recordings of past webinars.  You can also explore other digital healthcare research projects on the division’s AHRQ-Funded Projects page.

Delivering Medications for Opioid
Use Disorder in Primary Care: Environmental Scan

A new environmental scan from the AHRQ Academy for Integrating Behavioral Health and Primary Care offers a comprehensive look at current trends, challenges, and innovations in delivering medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in primary care settings.  Synthesizing the results of an exhaustive literature review and in-depth key informant interviews, this report explores major policy changes, the rise of telehealth, emerging treatment models like low-threshold care, the importance of stigma reduction, and the unique needs of high-risk populations, including pregnant women and formerly incarcerated individuals.  This is an essential resource for anyone looking to understand the current climate of MOUD treatment in primary care settings.  It also serves as the foundation for the next generation of the AHRQ Academy MOUD Playbook—a practical guide to delivering effective, evidence-based care for opioid use disorder in primary care settings—that is currently in production.  Access the environmental scan.

Targeted Frailty Screening in HIV Care Improves Accuracy, Eases Clinical Burden

An AHRQ-funded study in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome suggests that using a simple, targeted approach to screen for frailty among people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) could reduce clinic burden while maintaining high accuracy.  Frailty—a condition marked by fatigue, weight loss, and reduced physical function—can raise the risk of poor health outcomes.  Researchers analyzed data from 9,592 people with HIV across six U.S. sites and found that 11 percent were frail.  While screening everyone over age 50 cut workload in half, it identified only 55 to 58 percent of frail patients.  In contrast, screening based on a combination of age, gender, and depression symptoms identified 89 percent of frail patients while limiting screening to 43 percent of the population.  Though more complex than age-only methods, these multifactor approaches offer a balanced path forward for HIV clinics seeking to integrate frailty screening into routine care.

Register for Upcoming Webinars

AHRQ Stats: Proportion of Children Treated for Autism Spectrum Disorder

Overall, 1.2 percent of children aged 3 to 17 received treatment for autism spectrum disorder between 2018 and 2022.  The proportion of boys treated was 1.9 percent, nearly three times the 0.6 percent of girls who received treatment.  (Source: AHRQ Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Statistical Brief #565, Treatment and Health Expenditures Among Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, U.S. Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population, 2018–2022.)

New Research and Evidence

AHRQ in the Professional Literature

Evaluation of dietary protein and amino acid requirements: a systematic review.  Burstad KM, Lamina T, Erickson A, et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 2025 Jul;122(1):285-305. Epub 2025 Jun 2.  Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Evolution of clinical health information exchanges to population health resources: a case study of the Indiana network for patient care.  Williams KS, Rahurkar S, Grannis SJ, et al. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. 2025 Feb 24;25(1):97.  Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Geographic clusters in sepsis hospital mortality and the role of targeted regionalization.  Mohr NM, Tang Y, Gaieski DF, et al. Crit Care Med. 2025 Jul;53(7):e1365-e76. Epub 2025 Apr 24.  Access the abstract on PubMed®.

The relationship between discharge location and cardiac rehabilitation use after cardiac surgery.  Bauer TM, Fliegner M, Hou H, et al. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2025 May;169(5):1513-21.e6. Epub 2024 Mar 22.  Access the abstract on PubMed®.

How specialized are special needs plans?  Evidence from provider networks.  McCormack G, Wu R, Meiselbach M. Med Care Res Rev. 2025 Feb;82(1):58-67. Epub 2024 Nov 19.  Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Using deep learning for estimation of time-since-injury in pediatric accidental fractures.  Brink FW, Adler B, Bambach S, et al. Pediatr Radiol. 2025 May;55(6):1257-69. Epub 2025 Apr 22.  Access the abstract on PubMed®.

The spillover effects of Medicare's comprehensive care for joint replacement (CJR) model in California.  Kim N, Jacobson M. PLoS One. 2025 Apr 17;20(4):e0319582.  Access the abstract on PubMed®.

"There has to be more caring": patient and care partner experiences of the disclosure of amyloid-β PET scan results.  Couch E, Zhang W, Belanger E, et al. Aging Ment Health. 2025 Jan;29(1):112-20. Epub 2024 Jun 26.  Access the abstract on PubMed®.

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