The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) continues to recognize the challenges faced by members of the Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) community and is releasing a new Sickle Cell Disease Action Plan to address and eliminate barriers within CMS programs. The actions in this plan are designed to improve health outcomes and reduce health disparities for individuals living with SCD.
The burden of this disease, particularly for people enrolled in CMS programs, underscores the importance for CMS to use existing levers to take action on opportunities and solutions. The Action Plan builds on the Health Equity pillar of the CMS Strategic Plan and the goals under the CMS Framework for Health Equity. It also aligns with the mission and vision of the CMS National Quality Strategy and the CMS Behavioral Health Strategy’s goal to ensure effective pain treatment and management.
For more information about Sickle Cell Disease and related work that is happening across the agency, check out the resources below and review this recent blog from CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure and Acting CMS OMH Director Dr. Aditi Mallick.
Resources
- NEW! Read CMS’ Sickle Cell Disease Action Plan.
- Infographic on the Action Plan
- Check out these SCD resources from the CMS Office of Minority Health:
- Watch our Sickle Cell Disease video to learn more about common health complications faced by individuals with SCD, in addition to disparities, symptoms, and treatment options.
- Download The Invisible Crisis: Understanding Pain Management in Medicare Beneficiaries with Sickle Cell Disease, which highlights treatment options for pain management in SCD patients.
- Read the Prevalence of Sickle Cell Disease among Medicare Fee-for-Service Beneficiaries Age 18-75 Years, in 2016 data highlight to learn about other common chronic conditions among SCD patients and more.
- Explore our Coverage to Care initiative, which helps patients understand their health coverage and connect to primary care and preventive services, including chronic care management resources for providers and patients.
Learn more about other activities surrounding SCD from agencies across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS):
- From the National Institutes of Health’s National Heart Lung Blood Institute (NIH/NHLBI) check out “Today’s Faces of SCD“, where NHLBI highlights people living with SCD, their loved ones, researchers, and others, every Friday during the month of September. Also, check out the Sickle Cell Awareness Month tab on their Blood Diseases and Disorders Education Program (BDDEP) webpage. Also view their SCD fact sheets, available in English and in Spanish. Finally, take a look at their Blood Health Network webpage for more information.
- Look at the Cure Sickle Cell Initiative’s webpage to learn more about their patient-focused research effort designed to accelerate promising genetic therapies to cure sickle cell disease. Also review their Sickle Cell Awareness month page for more information about SCD.
- Review the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention’s Sickle Cell Disease Fact Sheet for a collection of resources to increase understanding of the disease.