HHS Lists Achievements in Medicare, Medicaid and Public Safety in 2001

In a Dec. 31 release, HHS outlines what it considers its "achievements" for 2001. The following is a summary of what HHS accomplished last year:

• Responding to terrorism: HHS' Office of Emergency Preparedness sent medical and support personnel to the World Trade Center and the Pentagon following the Sept. 11 attacks, as well as protected Americans from anthrax attacks through a new bioterrorism department and stockpiling doses of the smallpox vaccine.
• Beginning new initiatives: HHS unveiled seven new initiatives in 2001, including its "Prevention Initiative," which featured the "Closing the Health Gap Campaign." HHS and ABC Radio Networks jointly worked to provide African-American communities with the "best health information" to "help consumers take charge of their health."
• Expanding access to health services: HHS and the Bush administration began "implementing swift changes" to increase access to care for people in rural areas and individuals "facing social and economic disadvantages," including a $124 million increase in funding for community and migrant health centers. In addition, HHS expanded options for coverage for the uninsured through "increased flexibility" in CHIP programs by "pledg[ing]" $40 billion in federal funds to expand such programs. HHS also "cleared" its approval "backlog" of more than 400 amendments to state Medicaid programs, which expanded eligibility to an estimated 1.8 million people and "enhanced benefits" for another 4.5 million people. Finally, HHS opened several new clinics to aid Native Americans.
• Assuring Quality of Health Care and Patient Safety: HHS will begin collecting and publishing information on the quality of nursing homes across six selected states "to help make people aware of how performance differs across nursing homes." The department also began the Patient Safety Task Force to identify and collect information pertaining to patient safety that can be used by providers, states and other health agencies.
• Reforming and improving Medicare and Medicaid: HHS began the process of Medicare and Medicaid reform by changing the name of HCFA to CMS, which was then split into three operational divisions. The department also worked to "phase out" the Medicaid loophole and began educating its beneficiaries on how to recognize and report "potential errors or fraudulent situations."
• Advancing health promotion and disease prevention: HHS has "continued to make strides" in disease prevention, including the introduction of REACH 2010, a Congress-approved program that appropriates $35 million to assist in addressing racial and ethnic health disparities in the United States. HHS also helped get more than $100 million in funds approved in 2001 to fight HIV/AIDS, particularly focusing on "communities of color." In addition, HHS released the Surgeon General's report on mental health parity, titled "Mental Health: Culture, Race and Ethnicity."
• Enhancing performance and process: HHS reorganized its management, realigning "several key administrative functions" to help "establish a more effective focal point for leadership and management." In addition, the department began a program to streamline federal grants, making it easier for states, universities, not-for-profit organizations and other groups to receive grants and cooperative agreements (HHS release, 12/31).