CEO Update 240
RFK Jr. Says HHS Will Move Forward with HHS Reorganization
The publication Inside Health Policy this week reported that U.S. Health and Human Services Department (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said HHS will move forward with its plan to reorganize its agencies even though Senate appropriators omitted the proposed reorganization from the Senate Appropriations Committee’s funding bill.
According to the story, the bipartisan HHS funding bill that advanced last week does not include any language to create a new “Administration for a Healthy America,” or AHA, as HHS did not submit a formal reorganization plan to Congress and allow for six months of consideration, a spokesperson for Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) told Inside Health Policy. AHA would combine multiple current agencies, including the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Health Resources and Services Administration, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
HHS has said the reorganization centralizes functions including human resources, information technology, procurement, external affairs and policy in single offices, as well as reduces the number of regional offices from 10 to five.
In addition to AHA, the planned reorganization would merge the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response into the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); merge the office of Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality as a new Office of Strategy; and move to the functions of the Administration for Community Living to other agencies, including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
SAMHSA Releases Behavioral Health Workforce Self-Care Fact Sheet
SAMHSA this week released Taking Care: Promoting Well-being for Recovery and Behavioral Health Care Providers, which includes resources and tips for the nation’s behavioral health workforce.
“Recent definitions suggest that self-care is inherently community-centered,” the resource notes. “There is a growing shift toward regarding self-care as a workplace focus that amplifies the need for collective practices and workplace well-being,” it continued. “Varying definitions of self-care emphasize the importance of valuing individualized approaches that are historically rooted, healing-centered, trauma-informed, holistic, ecological, and culturally nurtured.”
SAMHSA’s new fact sheet emphasizes that wellness involves purpose in life, active involvement in satisfying work and play, joyful relationships, a healthy body and living environment, and happiness.
ICYMI: CMS Finalizes 2.4% Payment Increase to IPFs in FY 2026
CMS will apply a 2.4% payment increase to inpatient psychiatric facilities in 2026, according to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Inpatient Psychiatric Facility (IPF) Prospective Payment System final rule the agency released Aug. 1 in the Federal Register.
The final rule also includes a slight increase in the outlier threshold as well as increases to the teaching and rural facility adjustments.
For the IPF Quality Reporting program, CMS will remove four quality measures: Facility Commitment to Health Equity, COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Among Healthcare Personnel, Screening for Social Drivers of Health, and Screen Positive Rate for Social Drivers of Health.
The rule also noted CMS will modify the reporting period from one to two years for the 30-day Risk-Standardized All Cause Emergency Department Visit Following an IPF Discharge measure and will delay its initial use to the FY 2029 payment determination.
These changes align with the agency’s proposed rule. Click here for a summary of provisions that take effect on Oct. 1, 2025.
Reminder: CMS Seeking Participants for Hospital Price Transparency Virtual Listening Session: Monday, Aug. 11
CMS is seeking hospital and health system representatives to attend a Hospital Price Transparency (HPT) consumer-friendly display listening session with CMS staff to help the agency better understand how to empower consumers with accessible and actionable pricing information and make more meaningful price comparisons.
This session will focus solely on the HPT program’s consumer-friend display requirement, and staff from the federal contractor MITRE will ask several questions about the consumer-friendly format functionality, including required standard data elements to enhance comparability, number and type of services of most interest, patient interaction with the consumer-friendly display, and the intersection with other programs, such as the Transparency in Coverage and No Surprises Act.
The listening session will be held on Monday, Aug. 11 from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. ET. Please contact MITRE_HPT@mitre.org if you want to participate.
Reminder: HHS Announces Funding Opportunity for Behavioral Health Information Technology Pilot
HHS recently announced a funding opportunity to promote behavioral health data exchange and pilot the implementation of a specified set of behavioral health data elements.
HHS anticipates distributing $5 million across six to 10 participants, which will include a wide range of provider organizations that receive SAMHSA grant funds or partner with recipients. More information can be found in the Request for Application and Frequently Asked Questions document.
The deadline for the expression of interest was Wednesday, July 2. For those who expressed interest, full applications are due Wednesday, Aug. 27.
An HHS representative has offered to schedule a meeting between NABH members and the contractor administering the program to provide more detailed information and answer questions ahead of the application deadline.
Please contact Dan Schwartz if you are interested in attending such a meeting. NABH will schedule a meeting if there is sufficient interest.
Fact of the Week
CDC has launched Free Mind, a national campaign that provides youth ages 12-17 and their parents and caregivers with information and resources about substance use, mental health, and the connection between the two.
For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.