The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have announced a new committee focused on “improving, strengthening and modernizing U.S. healthcare.”
The Healthcare Advisory Committee will advise both HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy, Jr, and CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, MD, on how to best finance and deliver care across Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, and the Health Insurance Marketplace.
The 18 committee members were selected through a review process of more than 400 nominations.
The committee includes major health system leaders, such as Dennis Laraway, executive vice president and CFO of Cleveland Clinic. Kimberly Brandt, CMS deputy administrator and COO, and CMS chief of staff, Stephanie Charlton, are included as ex officio members.
Members will serve two-year terms and will meet at regular intervals over the course of a year, with meetings open to the public.
The committee is authorized under the Public Health Service Act and operates in compliance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act.
“This Administration is bringing leaders together to tackle the challenges facing American patients and the health care system, putting prevention front and center,” said Secretary Kennedy. “This committee will help us shift from a sick care system to a true health care system by delivering practical solutions that drive real change.”
What it will do
The Healthcare Advisory Committee will provide nonbinding recommendations to mold US federal healthcare policy and program administration. It will center on “developing actionable policy solutions” to prevent and manage chronic disease, improving patient safety and outcome, and mitigating administrative burden.
Additionally, the committee members will use real-time data to support a “higher quality of care,” expedite claims processing, and improve quality measurement.
They also will aim to enhance care for vulnerable populations, including Medicare beneficiaries, and strengthen Medicare Advantage sustainability, including “modernizing risk adjustment and quality measurement.”
The committee will hold its first meeting later in the year. More information, including meeting notices and opportunities for public engagement, will be published in the Federal Register and on the CMS website.