After several COVID-related delays, the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) has set a December 31 deadline for the healthcare industry to support apps that store records electronically, such as Apple Health. This is part of the 21^st Century Cures Act, and it works both ways: Health IT developers will need standardized APIs and FHIR technology to support data exchange and interoperability, and providers will be expected to use APIs and FHIR technology. Patients won’t be required to use apps, but medical offices will at least have to support electronic exchanges using the FHIR standards. What remains to be seen is how this will be enforced.

The University of Pennsylvania has announced the Leonard A. Lauder Community Care Nurse Practitioner Program, which will recruit and prepare a diverse cadre of nurse practitioners to provide primary care to individuals and families in underserved communities. The $125 million donation by Leonard A. Lauder, chairman emeritus of The Estée Lauder Companies, to create this first-of-its-kind, tuition-free program is the largest gift ever to an American nursing school. Lauder is a Penn alumnus.

The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) has created the following web-based tools for certain health professions:

• Online Resource for Licensure of Health Professionals. As telehealth usage increased during the pandemic, FORHP funded new work with the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards to reduce the burden of multi-state licensure. The site provides up-to-date information on emergency regulation and licensing in each state for psychologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists assistants and social workers.

Mobilizing Health Care Workforce via Telehealth. ProviderBridge.org was created by the Federation of State Medical Boards through the CARES Act and the FORHP-supported Licensure Portability Grant Program. The site provides up-to-date information on emergency regulation and licensing by state as well as a provider portal to connect volunteer health care professionals to state agencies and health care entities.

On February 7, Health Affairs published a special issue highlighting the impact of structural racism on America’s health and healthcare—featuring new research on racial health disparities and the policies to address structural racism. Understanding and addressing the impact of racism, particularly structural racism, on health is essential to building equity in health. Read the full special issue.

This week, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced that it is implementing contract pharmacy restrictions under 340B. Fortunately, (and despite the somewhat confusing wording in the announcement) all FQHCs and other Federal “grantees” are exempted from these rules. GSK marks the 14^th drug maker to implement 340B contract pharmacy restrictions and the 10^th to explicitly exempt Federal “grantees” (which includes both FQHC grantees and look-alikes). Notably, GSK has informed hospitals that they can avoid the contract pharmacy restrictions if they provide data about their 340B drugs to the 340BESP website.

Lifeline is a federal government program that offers a monthly discount on phone, internet, or bundled package bills to qualified low-income people, which can give them the tools to access services like telehealth. Customers living on Tribal lands can receive an additional benefit.

In 2021, the Pennie Board of Directors approved a Low-Income Special Enrollment Period (SEP) for individuals and dependents with household incomes that do not exceed 150% of the Federal Poverty Levels in accordance with the 2022 Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters. These monthly SEPs are available for both new and current enrollees. New enrollees can enroll in a plan in any metal level now. Soon, Pennie will announce current enrollees can move to a silver-level plan. This SEP is available while subsidies under the American Rescue Plan remain in effect.

Jessica Altman, Pennsylvania’s Insurance Commissioner, was named as new CEO of Covered California the state’s health insurance marketplace for ACA coverage. She serves as the Insurance Commissioner and chair of the Pennsylvania Health Insurance Exchange (Pennie) Authority Board of Directors. She also holds a leadership position with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and is chair of the Health Insurance and Managed Care Committee. Mike Humphreys, Chief of Staff at the Pennsylvania Insurance Department, will fill Jessica’s position on the Pennie Board. Pennsylvania is the 5^th largest insurance market in the nation.