Lance's Corner

FDA Issues Health Care Stakeholders Update

Apr 19, 2024

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued its weekly regulatory update for stakeholders.  You can read the FDA regulatory update for stakeholders below.

FDA Stakeholder Update BannerApril 19, 2024

Dear Colleague,

While the FDA continues to focus on protecting the public’s health, using science to guide our decisions, and facilitating access to critical medical products, we also recognize the work of our public health partners. As public health advocates, we know that your work to better our country is invaluable. Your partnership, knowledge and engagement in the public health space are appreciated.

Updates

Spotlight!

2024.04.12 FIYD2 Bumpus
The FDA posted a new video in the “FDA In Your Day” series. In this video, Principal Deputy Commissioner Dr. Namandjé Bumpus discusses allergy medicine and food safety.

FDA Voices

Reflections on Travel to Europe – Part One
RMC Europe trip
By: Robert M. Califf, M.D., Commissioner of Food and Drugs

rmc photoRecently I had the privilege of official travel to the U.K. and European Union (EU) with our extraordinary global affairs team. We visited with The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and representatives of the U.K. medical device, digital and pharmaceutical industries in London and then moved on to Oxford for an exchange and update on the conduct of clinical trials and mutual concerns about cybersecurity. We then traveled to Brussels, where we visited the U.S. Mission to the EU and met with the European Commission (EC), European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), and representatives of European medical products and food industries. Finally, we spent time in Amsterdam meeting with the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

Webinars and Virtual Workshops

FDA Oncology Center of Excellence Presents: Conversations on Cancer: Strength in Numbers, Increasing Cancer Awareness while Decreasing Disparities - 04/23/2024 | FDA

April 23, 2024; 2:30 - 4 p.m. ET

April is National Minority Health Month created to reduce health disparities and raise awareness about improving the health of racial and ethnic minority communities. In March 2023, the White House also proclaimed April as National Cancer Control Month to encourage greater cancer prevention and early detection.  In appreciation of both, FDA/OCE’s Conversation on Cancer series is featuring voices of diverse cancer advocacy groups to lead this month’s public panel discussion entitled, “Strength in Numbers, Increasing Cancer Awareness While Decreasing Disparities”.

Virtual Public Meeting on Data and Technology in the New Era of Smarter Food Safety - 04/24/2024 | FDA

April 24, 2024; 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. ET

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) invites the public to register for the virtual public meeting titled “Data and Technology in the New Era of Smarter Food Safety.” The purpose of the public meeting is for FDA and stakeholders to share information and thinking on ways we can leverage data and technology to exponentially advance food safety under the New Era of Smarter Food Safety.

Natural History Studies and Registries in the Development of Rare Disease Treatments

May 13, 2024; 10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. ET

The Reagan-Udall Foundation for the FDA, in collaboration with FDA’s Rare Diseases Team within the Office of Rare Diseases, Pediatrics, Urologic and Reproductive Medicine; Office of New Drugs; Center for Drug Evaluation and Research and the National Institutes of Health’s Division of Rare Diseases Research Innovation within the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, is hosting a public workshop.

Statistical Considerations for Premarketing Risk Assessment

May 16, 2024; 1 - 2:30 p.m. ET

This presentation will describe important statistical considerations in the premarketing assessment of drug safety. The safety profile of a drug evolves over time through gained experience and increased exposure. The use of diligent planning for safety and rigorous assessment of maturing safety data optimizes the ability to characterize the safety profile of a drug. Learn more here.

View Upcoming FDA Meetings, Conferences and Workshops

Public meetings involving the FDA: Upcoming events, past meetings, meeting materials, and transcripts

Guidance Documents

View all Official FDA Guidance Documents and other Regulatory Guidance

You can search for documents using key words, and you can narrow or filter your results by product, date issued, FDA organizational unit, type of document, subject, draft or final status, and comment period.

About Us

The Stakeholder Engagement Staff resides within the Office of the Commissioner and falls under the Office of External Affairs. We aim to build stronger relationships with health professional organizations, consumer groups, trade associations, patient advocacy organizations, think tanks/academia, and other stakeholders, in order to better inform our policy making process, identify policy hurdles or stakeholder misconceptions, and create strategic collaborations. For more information, please contact us at: FDAStakeholderEngagement@fda.hhs.gov.

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