Print 🖨

The Executive Council of the Health and Human Services Commission met on August 18, 2022, to take up its regular agenda and business. Updates were heard from multiple members of the Council and many current rule proposals were presented and discussed. An agenda for the meeting can be found here.

 

This report is intended to give you an overview and highlight of the various topics taken up. It is not a verbatim transcript of the discussions but is based upon what was audible or understandable to the observer and the desire to get details out as quickly as possible with few errors or omissions.

 

Item 1: Welcome and Opening Remarks

  • Commissioner Young calls meeting to order
  • Executive Commissioner’s welcome and remarks
    • Continuing to support Uvalde community as they heal, Uvalde support line received 450 calls last month
    • Announces two Deputy Executive Commissioners hired
    • Also hired new Communications Director and new Head of Government Relations
    • Agency currently putting together LAR for 2024-2025
    • Thanks Dr. Hellerstedt for his service as he retires
  • Chief Officers’ remarks
    • Thanks Dr. Hellerstedt for his service as he retires
    • Putting together program to make sure all populations we serve get the needed support, established two new departments
      • Family Health Services (children) and Community Services (disabilities and older adults)
      • Community Services department establishes Community Care and Health and Independence, two new programs
      • Family Health Services will have programs in three areas, health services, crisis programs, early nutrition and development
    • Working with CFO and COO on further implementation timeline
    • Haley Turner and Rob Reese will be leading these two new departments as Deputy Executive Commissioners
  • Department of State Health Services Commissioner’s remarks
    • Dr. Hellerstedt will step down on September 30
    • Thanks healthcare workers in their service during COVID-19
    • Current trends for COVID – plenty of testing, continue to have new cases (10,000/day on 7-day average), hospitalizations at highest level since February (3,500/day), nature of Omicron variant makes positive testing rate around 30%, home testing is affecting accuracy of testing data, sub variants of Omicron affecting case numbers and hospitalizations
    • Current variants are more capable of reinfection and navigating around immunity from vaccines or previous infection, vaccine 100% protects against severe disease
    • Fatality rate is stable, nearly 88k fatalities in Texas as of August 1, 2022
    • National trends show decrease of cases, South and Southwest higher than other parts of country
    • 46M COVID vaccine doses administered in Texas as of August 1, 2022, around 60% of Texans have received their primary series of vaccines
    • Texans aged 6 months – 4 years are now eligible, 62,000 have received first primary dose since June 1, 2022
    • Monkeypox update – Can be transmitted by any form of skin-to-skin contact (much has been in the form of sexual contact), symptoms last about 2-4 weeks, predominance is within LGBTQ males, not technically a sexually transmitted disease
    • Texas has 1,077 confirmed cases as of today
    • Jynneos vaccine is for monkeypox, everyone “wishes we had more”, CDC has implemented a dose-saving strategy, about 5,700 does have been administered, hoping to get 5 doses per vial with dose-saving strategy
    • Have reacted quickly, updated data systems quickly, thanks staff for hard work
  • Inspector General’s quarterly report
    • OIG has recovered $360M this fiscal year, 13K investigations conducted
    • 22 reports published this fiscal year
    • Provides overview of several investigations into individuals and corporations who committed Medicaid fraud

 

Item 2: Rider 24, Health and Human Services Cost Containment, 2022-23 General Appropriations Act, 87th Legislature, Regular Session, 2021*

  • Joey Reeds, Director of Strategic Initiatives
  • Directed HHSC to find $350M in savings without negatively impacting care
  • HHSC currently coming up with ideas, report due December 1, 2022
  • Currently soliciting stakeholder input, will send out formal invitation for input in fall
  • No public comment given

 

Item 3a: Rule proposals – Administrative Procedures Act (APA) public comment period has closed

 

Item 3b: Rule proposals – Submitted to the Texas Register, APA public comment period has not closed

 

Carmen Tilton, Texas Assisted Living Association

 

Item 3c: Rule proposals – Not yet submitted to the Texas Register for APA public comment

    • No member or public comment given on this rule
    • No member or public comment given on this rule
    • No member or public comment given on this rule

 

Item 4: Sickle Cell Task Force Recommendations

Cassandra Marx, Director, Advisory Committee Coordination Office

  • Advising HHSC on implementation of Sickle Cell Advisory Report from 2018
  • Successfully developed two sickle cell public information campaigns in 2020
  • To further implement public awareness, Taskforce recommends HHSC and DSHS use current recourses for more awareness, use similar frameworks as they have in past
  • Campaign should inform adults for obtaining screening, especially young adults starting families
  • Collaborate with universities, including UT Austin Human Dimensions of Organization program
  • Publish annual sickle cell report containing data and statistics of people impacted by the disease in the state
  • Recommends universal sickle cell data collection system, would enhance data in an annual report as well, could help study if Medicaid’s programs are aligned with best practices as well
  • Recommends further collaboration with CMS and Medicaid and CHIP services, to implementing non pharmaceutical alternatives in packages for pain management

Item 5: Recent Rule Adoptions – Information item not for discussion

  • Item was not taken up for discussion, only listed on agenda as informational
  • Adoptions submitted to the Texas Register that are not yet effective
    • Vital Statistics Security Paper Requirements, Published: 8/19/22, Effective: 8/21/22
    • Certification of Managed Care Organizations Prior to Contract Award, Published: 8/19/22, Effective: 8/28/22
  • Adoptions that are effective

Item 6: Adjourn

  • Chair Young adjourns meeting at 12:13 PM