ASPE Report Studies Pandemic’s Effects on Hospital and Clinician Workforce
A comprehensive report from HHS’ Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) examines the Covid-19 pandemic’s effects on the nation’s healthcare workforce and offers several recommendations, including removing barriers to practicing to the top of one’s license/certification, retaining Covid-19 flexibilities as appropriate, funding for scholarships, and more.
The nearly 30-page report,
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Hospital and Outpatient Clinician Workforce, found that total employment in the healthcare industry declined during the early months of the pandemic but gradually recovered during the summer of 2020. Many hospitals reported critical staffing shortages during the course of the pandemic—especially when Covid case numbers were high—and during the recent Omicron surge in January and February 2022, the seven-day average of hospitals reporting critical staffing shortages peaked at 22% during mid-January 2022, the report noted.
The report acknowledged that several provider types, including behavioral health providers, experienced staffing shortages before the pandemic began.
“Even after the pandemic, many of the effects the pandemic has had on the health care workforce will likely persist,” the report noted. “Addressing these impacts as well as the underlying challenges that pre-dated the pandemic can help build a stronger and more resilient health care system for the future.”
Joint Commission’s Covid-19 Staff Vaccination Standard Takes Effect July 1
The Joint Commission said it has approved its new Infection Prevention and Control standard and its elements of performance as a response to the interim final rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) late last year.
According to the Joint Commission, the accrediting organization began surveying to the
Omnibus Covid-19 Health Care Staff Vaccination interim final rule—which was released on Nov. 5, 2021—on Jan. 27 this year.
“While changes to Joint Commission standards requirements were under review by CMS, findings related to the COVID-19 staff vaccination regulatory requirements have been scored at Leadership (LD) Standard LD.04.01.01, EP 2, along with the applicable Medicare Conditions of Participation/Conditions for Coverage for each of the deemed programs,” the Joint Commission said in an announcement. “This scoring process will continue until June 30, 2022.
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here to learn more.
SAMHSA Senior Medical Advisor John Palmieri, M.D., M.H.A. to Address Attendees at Annual Meeting
NABH will welcome John Palmieri, M.D., M.H.A., senior medical advisor at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and acting director for the 988 behavioral health crisis hotline and Behavioral Health Crisis Coordinating Office, at the 2022 Annual Meeting in Washington on Tuesday, June 14.
Prior to his arrival at SAMHSA, Dr. Palmieri was the division chief for behavioral healthcare at the Arlington County (Virginia) Department of Human Services. Dr. Palmieri is a licensed physician in Virginia and is board certified in adult psychiatry. He graduated from Brown University Medical School and completed his adult psychiatry residency at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Please click
here to learn about our 2022 Annual Meeting speakers.
National Prevention Week is May 8-14
SAMHSA’s National Prevention Week starts Sunday, May 8, and the agency will commemorate the 18
th annual National Prevention Day on Monday, May 9. Click
here for an agenda of the day’s events.
The week-long commemoration is part of Mental Health Awareness Month, which kicked off on Sunday, May 1. The White House issued a
proclamation honoring Mental Health Awareness Month, and Mental Health America (MHA)—which established the monthly observance in 1949—is recognizing the 2022 observance with the theme “
Back to Basics.” The campaign is intended to provide what MHA has referred to as “foundational knowledge” about mental health, mental health conditions, and information about what people can do if their mental health is cause for concern.
Please remember to follow NABH on Twitter
@NABHbehavioral and on LinkedIn at the
National Association for Behavioral Healthcare throughout the month to learn what NABH members, federal agencies, and advocacy organizations are doing to promote Mental Health Month.
NABH Working to Enhance Denial-of-Care Portal
NABH’s Denial-of-Care Portal is temporarily unavailable as the association works to enhance features of this member-only resource.
The portal was developed so NABH members could submit individual examples of claim denials or upload multiple entries via Excel. It also includes sections on appeals and physician participation and is intended to help the association in its advocacy efforts with policymakers and regulators.
NABH will keep members apprised about the updated portal is ready to use.
Please Visit the NABH 2022 Annual Meeting Exhibitors & Sponsors Page!
NABH appreciates the generous support from its exhibitors and sponsors each year at the association’s Annual Meeting.
To learn who is exhibiting and sponsoring NABH in 2022, please visit the Exhibitors & Sponsors
page on our Annual Meeting homepage. The page also includes general information, tips for exhibitors, and details about shipping materials to the Mandarin Oriental Washington, DC.
And please remember to
register for the Annual Meeting and
reserve your hotel room today, if you haven’t done so yet. We look forward to seeing you next month in Washington!
Fact of the Week
Audio-only visits were the leading telehealth modality for primary care and behavioral health throughout the full pandemic study period of February 2019 through August 2021, according to a new research
report from RAND. At the end of the study period, however, audio-only visits were eclipsed by in-person visits for primary care, but not for behavioral health, the study showed.
For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.