The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced today it is postponing the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) meeting originally scheduled for Monday, February 15 to review the emergency use authorization (EUA) request from Pfizer and BioNTech for the COVID-19 vaccine in children six months through four years of age. The FDA…
Read More »Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted emergency use authorization (EUA) for a new monoclonal antibody for the treatment of COVID-19 that retains activity against the Omicron variant. The new monoclonal antibody bebtelovimab has been authorized for treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in adults and pediatric patients with a positive COVID-19 test…
Read More »The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) this week released a report entitled, “COVID-19: Federal Efforts to Provide Vaccines to Racial and Ethnic Groups” as part of its ongoing oversight efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic. GAO examined COVID-19 vaccination efforts by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Health Resources and Services Administration…
Read More »The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced this week it has awarded $66.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to eight grantees to expand outreach efforts in 38 states and the District of Columbia to increase COVID-19 vaccine confidence and vaccinations. According to HRSA, nearly $390 million has been issued to…
Read More »On Wednesday, the Senate Rules Committee convened to consider the appointment of Dr. Rohan Radhakrishna as Deputy Director of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Office of Health Equity (OHE). Dr. Radhakrishna presented to the committee, discussing his background in a local health department and safety net clinic, as well as his goals and…
Read More »On Monday, Governor Gavin Newsom announced his appointment of Office of Digital Innovation Director Amy Tong to serve as the Secretary of the California Government Operations (GovOps) Agency. Tong has served in her most recent role since earlier this year and was the Director of the California Department of Technology from 2016 and 2021. Tong…
Read More »On Wednesday, the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) released a Request for Proposal (RFP) for its commercial Medi-Cal managed care plan (MCP) contracts. DHCS is seeking MCPs committed and able to advance equity, quality, access, accountability, and transparency to reduce health disparities and improve health outcomes for Californians. While the release RFP is…
Read More »The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) recently released a proposal to enter into a direct contract with Kaiser Permanente as a Medi-Cal managed care plan within new geographic regions of the state, effective January 1, 2024, for a five-year contract term with potential contract extensions. Under the new proposed contract, subject to federal…
Read More »The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) late last week released its Telehealth Policy Proposal for the post-public health emergency period due to the COVID-19 pandemic. AB 133 (Chapter 142, Statutes of 2021) required DHCS to convene an advisory group to provide recommendations to DHCS in establishing and adoption billing/coding and utilization management protocols…
Read More »The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Center for Injury Prevention and Control is in the process of updating the 2016 CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain. This week, the draft updated clinical practice guideline for prescribing opioids is available for public comment in the Federal Register. The public comment…
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