What We're Reading: Improving Federal Quality Programs; T1D Funding; Polio-Like Illness Confirmed

HHS Launches Summit to Improve Federal Quality Programs

HHS has announced the initiation of the Quality Summit to streamline and improve quality programs across the agency. The summit will convene key industry stakeholders and government leaders to discuss how current programs can be further evaluated, adapted, and streamlined to better improve patient outcomes through value-based care models. The summit is a response to an executive order from President Donald Trump that directed federal agencies to develop a roadmap to align and improve reporting on data and quality measures across federal quality programs. These programs will include those within CMS, CDC, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Health Resources and Services Administration, and Indian Health Services.

Children With Type 1 Diabetes Urge Congress for More Funding

A group of more than 160 children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) appeared before the Senate Committee on Aging to urge them to approve more funding for the Special Diabetes Program, which provides $150 million annually to the National Institutes of Health for T1D research. Program funding is set to expire this September, according to The Hill. The hearing was a result of the JDRF’s biennial Children’s Congress, which brings children with the disease, family members, and advocates to Washington to raise awareness and support for those with T1D.

CDC Confirms 11 Cases of Polio-Like Illness

The CDC has confirmed 11 cases of acute flaccid myelitis, a polio-like illness, in 8 states so far this year. According to the CDC, all patients with confirmed cases of the condition were sick in the month leading up to the onset of paralysis. The agency is warning doctors to be on the lookout for the illness, which typically peaks in the late summer and early fall. There are currently no known treatments or ways to prevent the rare but serious condition, which affects the nervous system, and the long-term effects of the condition are not well-known. Last year saw a record high in the number of cases of the condition, with 233 confirmed cases in 41 states.