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Title VIII Funding Passage On July 23, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 959, the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2017. H.R. 959 will reauthorize Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act, the nursing workforce development programs, which support the recruitment, retention and advanced education of nursing professionals. Attention now turns to the Senate, where Senators Merkley (D-OR), Burr (R-NC), Baldwin (D-WI) and Collins (R-ME) have introduced the Senate version, S. 1109. AANP will continue to monitor and update the bill's progress in the Senate.
Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Confirmation Last Monday, Acting Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie was confirmed by the Senate to lead the VA. Mr. Wilkie is expected to be sworn in by President Trump today as the new Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary.
2019 Medicare Fee Schedule Proposed Rule On July 12, CMS released the annual Medicare Fee Schedule proposed rule. In an effort to reduce clinician burden, this year's proposed rule included changes to evaluation and management (E/M) documentation and billing for Medicare beneficiaries. AANP has created a fact sheet with frequently asked questions to assist our members in evaluating the proposal. AANP also created a document highlighting other aspects of the proposed rule, which can be found here. AANP will be commenting on this proposed rule prior to the September 10, 2018 deadline, and we encourage you to submit feedback on the proposal to AANP’s regulatory affairs email address: regulations@aanp.org.
House of Representatives In-District Work Period This week, the House of Representatives will begin its August in-district work period and will return to Washington, D.C., after Labor Day. This represents a significant opportunity for you to meet with your elected officials to discuss legislative issues that impact NP practice. We encourage you to schedule a meeting with your Representative and consider attending a town hall meeting, should that be on the legislator’s schedule. Please visit the website of your House Member for information about their in-district calendar of events and to schedule an appointment. The Senate remains in session in Washington, D.C., this week, and AANP will continue to update you on its schedule. We encourage you to utilize the AANP Advocacy Center to send letters to your Members of Congress and urge them to support key legislative issues impacting NP practice.
**Please note – The Government Affairs Update delivery schedule may be modified during the month of August to coincide with the Congressional in-district work period.**
As always, your Federal and State Government Affairs teams are available to answer any questions. Please feel free to contact us at governmentaffairs@aanp.org or statepolicy@aanp.org.
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