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It’s been an honor of a lifetime to serve as the Deputy Secretary of @HHSGov, I’ll be signing off tomorrow at noon. Please follow me on my new personal account @EricDHargan. Below I’d like to highlight some of the things I am particularly proud we accomplished together:
As #COVID19 impacted the world, our response leveraged the power of the federal gov. to secure hundreds of millions of # vaccines, all part of #OperationWarpSpeed. I was honored to sign the first document for #OWS that started this monumental effort. https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2020/05/15/trump-administration-announces-framework-and-leadership-for-operation-warp-speed.html
At the beginning of the #COVID19 pandemic, @HHSGov distributed over $100 billion from the Provider Relief Fund given to us by Congress in the CARES Act. The distribution helped the healthcare industry survive in the early stages of the pandemic. https://go.usa.gov/xAvNN
We released many rules over the last three years, one on #Interoperability. It will give Americans unprecedented safe, secure access to their entire electronic health records for free. Better information, better decisions, better care. https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2020/03/09/hhs-finalizes-historic-rules-to-provide-patients-more-control-of-their-health-data.html
We have also made many advances in the realm of #ArtificialIntelligence, especially in working on an AI Strategy and an AI Council Charter. This will help advance familiarity, ethics, and adoption of AI at @HHSGov. https://go.usa.gov/xAvDf
A silver lining during #COVID19 has been #telehealth, which has seen advances that were originally thought to be a decade down the line. The @HHSGov @OASH @HRSA @SAMHSA Telehealth Summit last month shows how committed we are to keep these advances going
We also finalized Stark Law & Anti-Kickback rules which helps to better coordinate care for patients & their physicians providing more value & choice in their care. All of this falls under the umbrella of the Regulatory Sprint to Coordinated Care #RS2CC. https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2020/11/20/hhs-makes-stark-law-and-anti-kickback-statute-reforms-support-coordinated-value-based-care.html
Work was also done to establish public-private partnerships internationally to combat non-communicable diseases. We released the final report to @WHO reflecting on a new spirit of partnership & collaboration w/ the private sector, improving overall health. https://go.usa.gov/xAVZH
An item dear to me due to my #Rural roots is the HHS Rural Action Plan which is the 1st @HHSGov wide assessment of rural healthcare efforts in more than 18 years & the product of HHS’s Rural Task Force, a group of experts & leaders across the department. https://go.usa.gov/xAvQA
@HHSGov, along w/ other agencies, agreed on a MOU to all work on the Rural Telehealth Initiative, a joint effort to collaborate & share info to address health disparities, resolve service provider issues & promote broadband service & tech to Rural America.
https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/rural-telehealth-mou-hhs-usda-fcc.pdf
https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/rural-telehealth-mou-hhs-usda-fcc.pdf
I have also published several Op-Eds on health issues throughout the world. One Op-Ed was on #Taiwan's denial of entry to the WHO even though their #COVID19 response has been not only one of the best responses, but a model to the entire world. https://www.theepochtimes.com/taiwans-denial-of-a-seat-at-the-who-has-become-not-just-a-political-concern-but-a-global-one_3363919.html
I also hosted the Deputy Secretary’s Innovation & Investment Summit (DSIIS), a yearlong collaboration w/ healthcare innovators, investment professionals & HHS leadership discussing the innovation & investment landscape within the healthcare sector. https://go.usa.gov/xAvUJ
@IHSgov & @IHSDirector have done amazing work w/ tribal communities. I saw this first hand doing many site visits across the country & talking to tribal members. I'm especially proud that we have been able to raise IHS's annual budget by over $1 billion to better do this work!
We've also signed a MOU with the Korea Centers for Disease Control & @CDCgov aiming to enhance ROK-U.S. cooperation on disease control & prevention, such as strengthening global health security & bolstering key capabilities to address infectious diseases. https://www.mohw.go.kr/eng/nw/nw0101vw.jsp?PAR_MENU_ID=1007&MENU_ID=100701&page=1&CONT_SEQ=351257
I also hosted a Quality Summit designed to foster conversation among key stakeholders & gov leaders about the effectiveness of the existing healthcare quality portfolio & informed the work of the Quality Roadmap. https://www.hhs.gov/about/leadership/eric-d-hargan/quality-summit/index.html
As a part of the president's agenda, @CMSGov expect Medicare premiums in 2020 to decline 23 percent from 2018 while expanding plan choices, benefits and enrollment.
https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/trump-administration-drives-down-medicare-advantage-and-part-d-premiums-seniors
https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/trump-administration-drives-down-medicare-advantage-and-part-d-premiums-seniors
@CMSGov has also focused on bringing new & innovative tech to beneficiaries sooner. Medicare Coverage of Innovative Technology (MCIT) allows for faster access to @US_FDA designated breakthrough medical devices improving patient health outcomes. https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/medicare-coverage-innovative-technology-cms-3372-f
Another great PPP has been @Lyme_X that accelerates Lyme innovation progress & strategically advance tick-borne-disease solutions in collaboration w/ outside stakeholders. I especially want to thank @khoney who will continue this important work. https://www.hhs.gov/cto/initiatives/innovation-and-partnerships/lyme-innovation/lymex/index.html
I also can't stress the importance of @Kidney_X and @ASNKidney which seeks to improve the lives of patients living with Kidney Disease by accelerating the development of drugs, devices, biologics, and other therapies across the spectrum of kidney care. https://www.hhs.gov/cto/initiatives/kidneyx/index.html
In the Fall of 2017, as Acting Secretary, I declared a nationwide public health emergency on the #opioidcrisis, as requested by the President. @HHSGov invested around $900 million in opioid-specific funding & supported state, local & civil society groups. https://go.usa.gov/xAvm2
We worked to revise 42 CFR Part 2 in order to modernize care coordination for Americans seeking treatment for substance use disorders. As part of the #RS2CC & help w/ @samhsagov this will ease sharing of info, w/ patient consent, among providers. https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2020/07/13/health-privacy-rule-42-cfr-part-2-revised-modernizing-care-coordination-americans-seeking-treatment.html
With @HHSOCR we have also advanced HIPAA reform as part of the #RS2CC. Their guidance shows how HIPAA supports the use of health information exchanges in sharing health data to improve the public's health, particularly during the #COVID19 PHE. https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2020/12/18/ocr-issues-guidance-on-hie-and-disclosures-of-protected-health-information-for-public-health-purposes.html
@ACFHHS has also made funding announcements at OK last year discussing Head Start & Early Head Start Expansion for several states. It provides high-quality, comprehensive early learning services for newly-enrolled, income-eligible pregnant women, infants, toddlers, & children.
@HHSGov was designated by @OMBPress as a Quality Service Management Office (QSMO) for grants, leading efforts to transform the Fed grants management process. This allows HHS to drive standardization & modernization of systems to increase efficiency. https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2021/01/11/hhs-lead-federal-grants-management-innovations-efficiencies.html
