Stakeholder Involvement

The U.S. Department of HHS and CMS released final guidance on October 2 outlining the process for the second cycle of negotiations under the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program. The guidance includes information on how CMS will help ensure people with Medicare can access drugs at the negotiated prices when the prices become effective. CMS will announce the selection of up to 15 additional drugs covered by Part D for the second cycle of negotiations by February 1, 2025. This final guidance includes lessons learned from the first cycle of negotiations and comments received. Additionally, the final guidance outlines improvements to the design of patient-focused engagement events. Read the release to learn more.

The Administration for Community Living’s (ACL) National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) is sponsoring its second year of virtual matchmaking sessions for ACL/NIDILRR stakeholders, with virtual sessions scheduled from October - November 2023. The goal of these sessions is to connect stakeholders with each other to share information, discuss common research interests, and ultimately find partners for research collaboration. ACL/NIDILRR is actively seeking presenters to participate in these sessions. They invite all stakeholders interested in partnership and collaboration for research purposes and those with research questions or specific topic ideas to sign up.

On Thursday, October 21, 2021 CMS launched a new “one-stop shop” for state Medicaid agencies and stakeholders on Medicaid.gov to advance transparency and innovation for home and community-based services. Through this new webpage, state Medicaid agencies and stakeholders can access information about states’ plans to enhance, expand, and strengthen home and community-based services across the country using new Medicaid funding made available by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP).

The Florida Department of Elder Affairs released their August 2021 newsletter highlighting Miami-Dade County's Age-Friendly Initaitive. The county's Age-Friendly Initiative was launched in 2012 and has grown into a collaborative network of individuals, stakeholders, and organizations working together to bring housing, transportation, employment and health services to their older adult population.

The purpose of this Guide is to assist State, Tribal, and Territory human service systems to fully and effectively including people who receive services in system planning and improvement efforts. It is relevant for all systems that support older adults and people with disabilities. This guide was originally developed as part of technical assistance activities through the National Center on Advancing Person-Centered Practices and Systems (NCAPPS)

Asset Mapping is the process of mapping stakeholders and how they are engaged by an agency and/or its allies. NCAPPS partners at Collective Insight, LLC, created a comprehensive Asset Mapping Toolkit to help organization looking to better understand and deepen their connections with the communities they serve.

The Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Conference is hosted annually by ADvancing States (formerly known as NASUAD). This event highlights best practices from across the country in home and community-based services. The conference includes federal, state, and local policymakers as well as those who administer, manage, and deliver waiver and other HCBS programs. This link contains all of the slide presentations from the 2019 HCBS Conference.

On July 31, Governor Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania announced, by an executive order, an overhaul of the state services and systems to protect the most vulnerable Pennsylvanians. The executive order establishes an Office of Advocacy and Reform, Child Advocate, and Council on Reform. The executive order also lists responsibilities of the state agencies and the Governor’s Office of Performance through Excellence.

While faced with new challenges, reduced budgets, and growing populations requiring more services, states are stronger than ever, and the work they do is more effective than ever in reaching individuals and addressing their needs. The National Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Conference 2018 highlights these achievements, allowing states to share best practices, present unique partnerships, and recognize the work of their peers.

This paper discusses the role of the public health field in promoting the health of older adults. It summarizes a meeting of aging stakeholders in Fall 2017 and analyzes the document developed at the meeting, called the Framework for an Age-Friendly Public Health System. This framework outlines the potential for the further involvement of public health in aging by presenting five major directions the field can take to make a positive impact on the aging process.