I am writing to provide comments and recommendations related to the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and System (HCAHPS) survey as you finalize payment and other policies for CY 2017 under the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS).
ENA applauded President Obama for signing into law the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA). The new law represents a comprehensive response to the opioid epidemic including prevention, treatment, support for those in recovery and justice reform. CARA will create and expand critical programs to fight the scourge of abuse, addiction, overdose and death resulting from the rapidly-increasing use of prescription opioids and heroin. Many of CARA’s provisions are consistent with ENA’s support for efforts at the state level to expand access to treatment and emergency care through distribution and training on reversal agents such as Naloxone.
On behalf of the 61 undersigned national professional nursing organizations representing the Nursing Community coalition, we write to reiterate our steadfast support for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA) Proposed Rule (Federal Register Document Number 2016-12338, RIN 2900-AP44) published on May 25, 2016.
On behalf of the 51 undersigned organizations representing the Nursing Community coalition, we write in full support of the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2016, which will reauthorize the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Nursing Workforce Development programs (authorized under Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act [42 U.S.C. 296 et. seq]) through fiscal year 2021.
ENA praised the U.S. House of Representatives for overwhelmingly passing comprehensive mental healthcare reform, H.R. 2646, the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act. The bill would make more psychiatric hospital beds available, integrate and connect physical and mental health care providers and provide resources to communities for suicide prevention. In addition, it would allow more patients to be treated in our healthcare system instead of being incarcerated, expand crisis intervention team training for law enforcement and allow families to work with doctors and mental health professionals as part of the care delivery team.
Emergency Nurses Association members are on Capitol Hill advocating for legislation that directly impacts emergency nursing. More than 120 ENA members from across the U.S. are in Washington, DC, urging Congress to support comprehensive reforms to our nation’s mental health system, and legislation that will allow emergency medical services personnel to continue to operate under standing orders to administer controlled substances. May 11 is the association’s annual Day on the Hill event.
ENA praises the U.S. Senate for including provisions of the Airplane Kids in Transit Safety (KITS) Act of 2016 in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill. The Senate passed the FAA bill yesterday. The KITS Act would require the FAA to update emergency medical kits on airplanes to ensure they contain appropriate medication and equipment to meet the emergency medical needs of children, including an epinephrine auto-injector.
ENA member Penny Blake, RN, CCRN, CEN, of North Palm Beach, Florida, has been selected to testify this week at the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing titled, “Improving the Federal Response to Challenges in Mental Health Care in America.”
