The pendulum swings
Back to the crowded dais
It’s summer session
The Rundown
- The summer session of Congress begins
- Rep. Foushee joins Duke Health to recognize June as Brain & Spine Metastasis Month
- Energy and Commerce Oversight Subcommittee examines 340B
- The latest from our desks
- Join the Duke Health Advocacy Network
Federal Updates
Welcome to where we are
Welcome to the summer session of Congress, where we have six legislative weeks before the August recess. The policy focus will be on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and making progress on the FY 2025 spending bills. Politically, both parties will use floor votes to tee up messaging bills designed to show contrasts and give their rank-and-file members policy wins to tout on the campaign trail.
Rep. Foushee joins Duke Health in recognizing June as Brain & Spine Metastasis Month
On Monday, Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-NC-04) introduced a congressional resolution in the US House on Monday designating June for the first-time as Brain and Spine Metastasis Awareness Month. The idea for designating June as Brain and Spine Metastasis Awareness Month started with a dedicated group of individuals in Duke Neurosurgery and has turned into a national awareness movement. Our office coordinated efforts to elevate this issue at the national level and with Rep. Foushee’s office. Nearly two dozen national associations and cancer centers have signed an endorsement letter in support of the resolution, which is still collecting supporters. Our office is also advocating for additional Members of Congress to cosponsor the resolution.
The resolution also calls on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to increase education and awareness about treatment options, support resources to establish and support centers for brain and spine metastasis, provide resources to increase access to dedicated clinical trials for patients, and invest in research specifically into the biology and treatment of brain and spine metastasis. More information is available here.
Heard on the Hill
This week, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight held a hearing on the 340B Drug Pricing Program.
Full Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) noted the importance of the program for community health centers, high disproportionate share hospitals, and rural providers but then criticized larger health systems, which she said were using it for “financial gain.” Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-NJ) spoke about the importance of the program, but also the need to ensure it is being effectively administered and covered entities are using savings from the program appropriately. He also noted that the Subcommittee would miss out on a “balanced discussion about 340B” because the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which oversees the program, and drug manufacturers were not invited to testify “to give a complete perspective on how the program is working. “
Most of the questions posed by Members of Congress focused on how savings from the 340B Program are used to benefit patients and what types of services or care are provided to patients due to the savings.
From our desk(s): Duke Health GR this week
This week, our team coordinated the visit of Deputy Surgeon General, U.S. Navy Rear Admiral (RADM) Rick Freedman to Duke Health. RADM Freedman and his team spent an afternoon meeting with leadership from the School of Nursing, Family Medicine and Community Health, the Physician’s Assistant Program, and Surgery. The visit's purpose was to increase awareness of Navy Medicine among senior leaders, educators, and community influencers. The Navy is seeking to exchange information about potential shared missions, capabilities, and scholarship opportunities, both available through Navy Medicine and Duke Health, to build relationships with educational institutions and civilian medicine.
Last week, we partnered with the Information Industry Technology Council to host Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-NC-04) and Rep. Deborah Ross (D-NC-02) for a roundtable discussion on artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare. Duke Health experts opened the roundtable by presenting a demonstration of Duke’s Sepsis Watch AI-integrated program. Discussion followed that also included representatives from Microsoft, Sysco, Google, local industry, UNC-Chapel Hill, North Carolina Central University, and State Representative Zach Hawkins (D-31).
We also hosted staff from Rep. Valerie Foushee’s (D-NC) office to visit and tour Duke’s Regional Biocontainment Lab (RBL).
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