Timely Mental Health for Foster Youth Act

- Sent documents and data describing and presenting the impetus for a Missouri initiative on standards for the prescribing of opioids to health staff of the Missouri congressional delegation - Received a query from a Missouri congressional office regarding hospitals reactions to the quality of care components of a discussion draft of legislation (the Hospital Improvements for Payment Act of 2014.) - Coordinated a response to a query from staffers for the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. The query concerned price increases for two pharmaceutical products, Isuprel and Nitropress. - Discussed the potential sponsorship by a member of the Missouri congressional delegation of legislation regarding Medicare Recovery Audit Contractors. - Researched S. 2107, the Building a Health Care Workforce for the Future Act, which is co-sponsored by a member of the Missouri congressional delegation. - Responded to a query from the staff of a member of the Missouri congressional delegation for a list of issues to be discussed during upcoming congressional visits. - Met with selected members of the Missouri congressional delegation. Briefing papers addressed the following topics: 1) a profile of Missouris hospitals; 2) legislation to reform the Medicare Recovery Audit Contractor program (H.R. 2156); 3) Medicare DSH payment reform (H.R. 3288); 4) changes to the Medicare wage index system (H.R. 1479, S. 1135); 5) legislative proposals affecting rural hospitals (H.R. 3225, H.R. 2948, H.R. 2066, H.R. 169, S. 258, H.R. 1611, S. 257, section 3021 of H.R. 6); 6) protection of the 340B drug discount program administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration of the Department of Health and Human Services; 7) legislation affecting behavioral health (S. 599, H.R. 2646, S. 1945, S. 1893, S. 2166); 8) regulatory standards of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement Initiative; 9) the need for risk-adjustment of data used in the Medicare hospital readmissions program (S. 688 and H.R. 1343). - Corresponded with staff of the Missouri congressional delegation regarding the logistics of meetings of hospital executives and selected members of the Missouri congressional delegation - Responded to a query from a member of the Missouri congressional delegation regarding legislation to change the payment formulas used by the Medicare Disproportionate Share Hospital program. - Responded to a query from a member of the Missouri congressional delegation regarding legislation to revise payment formulas used by the Medicare Disproportionate Share Hospital program. - Requested that members of the U.S. Senate representing Missouri contact Senate leaders to express support for inclusion of legislation to revise the Medicare wage index (H.R. 1479) in legislation to enact a continuing resolution to authorize federal budgetary expenditures. - Collaborated with staff of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging regarding a January 2016 committee hearing to be held in Jefferson City, Missouri. The agenda of the hearing is the abuse and misuse of opioids used for pain control in the elderly. - Corresponded with the staff of a member of the Missouri congressional delegation regarding a change in staffing responsibilities in that congressional office.