May 20, 2019

What You Need to Know

Appropriations season is in full swing in Washington as congressional leaders and the White House plan to meet this week to discuss a budget deal to raise spending limits for the fiscal year (FY) ahead and increase the federal debt ceiling. Unless Congress intervenes, sequestration will kick in, imposing a $55 billion reduction in funding for non-defense discretionary programs, as a result of budget caps established by the Budget Control Act of 2011. AACOM joined over 800 national organizations in urging Congress to negotiate a budget agreement to avert the looming cuts last month.

The House Appropriations Committee recently approved its FY20 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) bill, sending the measure to the House floor for consideration. The Senate has indicated it will take up its spending bills early next month. Last year, Congress passed the LHHS appropriations bill on time for the first time since 1996, funding many of the federal health and education agencies and programs critical to osteopathic medical education (OME) and largely protecting them from being impacted during the 35-day partial government shutdown. AACOM urges Congress to once again work together in a bipartisan manner to ensure that programs vital to public health and education are funded before the September 30 deadline.

Mary-Lynn Bender
Interim Vice President of Government and Public Relations

On The Hill

AACOM Endorses Bipartisan THCGME Bill

AACOM joined six organizations as part of the national THCGME coalition in support of the Training the Next Generation of Primary Care Doctors Act of 2019 (H.R. 2815), which aims to help alleviate the nation’s physician workforce shortage, particularly in rural and medically underserved areas, by providing $757.5 million in mandatory funding over five years for the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)’s Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) Program. Without congressional action, the THCGME Program will expire by October 1. AACOM thanks U.S. Representatives Raul Ruiz (D-CA) and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) for introducing this vital legislation and urges Congress to reauthorize and fund this highly successful program. AACOM and the THCGME coalition also endorsed a similar bipartisan bill introduced by U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jon Tester (D-MT).

FY20 Appropriations Update

On May 8, the House Appropriations Committee passed its FY20 LHHS bill by a party-line vote. The $189.9 billion package provides increases for both the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Education, including a substance use disorder (SUD) workforce training demonstration program to support SUD treatment in underserved communities. The Senate Appropriations Committee could begin marking up its bills as early as next month. However, its topline spending levels, or allocations, for the 12 annual appropriations bills have not yet been set. AACOM will continue to advocate for programs of importance to OME throughout the FY20 appropriations process. Learn more.

AACOM Endorses the Restoring Rural Residencies Act

AACOM has endorsed the Restoring Rural Residencies Act of 2019 (S. 1240), a bill that would help alleviate the nation’s physician workforce shortage, particularly in rural communities across the country. Introduced by U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D-MT), the legislation would allow Medicare to reimburse medical residency programs for the time residents spend training at Critical Access Hospitals, spurring the expansion of rural residency rotations, increasing the number of physicians training in rural settings, and encouraging more medical professionals to practice in rural communities.

Advocacy

AACOM Joins Advocacy Effort to Expand GME

On May 6, AACOM joined the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)’s GME Day of Action by speaking out in support of the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2019 (S. 348/H.R. 1763) and the Opioid Workforce Act of 2019 (H.R. 2439). Throughout the day, AACOM’s messages were shared and promoted by educators, health professionals, colleges of osteopathic medicine, and Members of Congress. Through this collective effort, the AAMC reports that #GMEDay tweets were seen by over 700,000 people across the country. AACOM thanks everyone who contributed to #GMEDay’s powerful impact and encourages you to continue urging Congress to support graduate medical education to help address the physician workforce shortage.

Administration and Federal Agencies

ONDCP Releases Updated Report on the Opioid Crisis

On May 8, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy released An Update on the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis: One Year Later, a report providing a one-year update on the recommendations made by the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis. The Commission’s final report, issued on November 1, 2017, included 56 recommendations in addition to the nine recommendations published in its interim report, on which AACOM provided comments.

The updated report revisits the nine overarching goals and highlights the progress made toward increasing collaboration amongst stakeholders, working with health care professionals and institutions to improve treatment availability, and reducing bureaucratic barriers to federal funding distribution, among other efforts. The report reiterates that opioid addiction continues to be the largest public health crisis facing the nation and that all executive agencies are directed to prioritize and use their appropriate authority to continue to turn the tide. AACOM will remain actively engaged with the Administration, relevant federal agencies, Congress, and others to help address this serious epidemic and ensure that the OME community continues to play a prominent role in helping those struggling with addiction.

Reminder: Indian Health Service Loan Repayment Program

The Indian Health Service (IHS) Loan Repayment Program provides funding for IHS clinicians to repay their eligible health profession education loans—up to $40,000—in exchange for an initial two-year service commitment to practice in health facilities serving American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Applications are accepted October 1 through August 15 and are evaluated monthly beginning in January (or as soon as funds become available). Learn more.

Featured Federal Resources and COM Engagement

NIH Funding for Opioid Care Disparities Research: The National Institutes of Health is providing up to $200,000 per year for developmental and exploratory research on the spread, prevalence, and institutional- and systems-level intervention strategies for reducing opioid use disorder among U.S. minority health and health disparity populations. Learn more.

HRSA Grant Opportunity to Address Rural Substance Use Disorders: HRSA will provide funding to support three Rural Centers of Excellence on SUDs as a part of a multi-year effort of the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) initiative. The grant aims to support the identification, translation, dissemination, and implementation of evidence-based programs and best practices regarding treatment for and prevention of SUDs within rural communities. Applications are due June 10. Learn more.

Federal Office of Rural Health Policy Launches New Website on RCORP: HRSA’s Federal Office of Rural Health Policy launched a new web page with information on the RCORP initiative including various funding opportunities available, current grant recipients, and details on the program’s impact to date to address the opioid crisis in rural communities across the country. View website.

Vice President Mike Pence Addresses Liberty Graduates: On May 11, Vice President Mike Pence delivered the keynote address at Liberty University’s 46th Commencement Ceremony. The Vice President addressed a crowd of over 40,000 and congratulated 20,731 Liberty graduates. He was joined by Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson, who also provided remarks to the graduating class. AACOM congratulates the 2019 graduates of the Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine. Learn more.

DMU-COM Advocates for Local Expanded Graduate Medical Opportunities:

DMU representatives and other supporters of House File 532 witness Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds sign the legislation into law.

Des Moines University (DMU) leaders and DMU College of Osteopathic Medicine students advocated for legislation that works to ensure an adequate supply of health care professionals for the state of Iowa. House File 532, which was signed into law by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, will give medical residency priority to individuals with Iowa roots, such as being born in the state or having completed an undergraduate or medical degree in Iowa. Learn more.

HRSA to Host Behavioral Health Twitter Chat: On May 22 from 3 – 4 PM ET, HRSA’s National Health Service Corps (NHSC) and Nurse Corps are hosting a Twitter chat on the importance of integrating behavioral health services into primary care. The chat will feature HHS behavioral health experts, NHSC members, and behavioral health grantees. Use the #BHealthy hashtag to join the discussion and invite your network to participate by sharing the downloadable graphic.

Copyright ©2019 American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine. All Rights Reserved.