COVID Patient Recovery Alliance’s Interim Report Outlines More Than Two Dozen Recommendations for Federal Policymakers To Help Promote Recovery and Restoration
Washington D.C. — Today, the COVID Patient Recovery Alliance released an interim report, “Towards Recovery and Restoration: Policy Recommendations to Improve the Care of Individuals Living with Long-COVID.” The multi-sector alliance, convened by Governor Michael O. Leavitt, former Governor of Utah and former U.S. Secretary for Health and Human Services (HHS), and Nancy-Ann DeParle, former Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy for President Barack Obama, aims to help the health care sector and federal policymakers address the health care challenges faced by individuals with post-acute sequelae of COVID-19, known as “long-COVID.”
The Alliance is a multi-disciplinary group of more than 20 leading organizations and individual experts across the health care sector. Together they are marshaling resources in a coordinated effort to analyze data to inform the development of models of care and assess the adequacy of current payment structures to help ensure individuals with long-COVID can get the care they need to recover and return to full health. Alliance members are leading health care organizations and include health care providers, health systems, health researchers, health data scientists, health policy experts, consumer advocates, and others.
The Alliance’s interim report offers more than two dozen federal policy recommendations and actionable steps Congress and the Administration can take to empower the health care sector to provide comprehensive, high-quality care and ongoing support to individuals suffering from long-COVID. The recommendations are organized into two domains of focus: models of care and payment systems. Recommendations to Congress and the Administration focus on:
- Supporting the important role of primary care and other providers;
- Optimizing care for the underserved,
- Promoting ongoing research and education,
- Supporting analysis of health care coverage sources,
- Paying for high-value care delivery, and
- Leveraging tools and authorities of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
“While there is much we as a nation do not know about long-COVID, we know that the pain and suffering is very real for too many,” said Governor Leavitt. “This report represents an urgent step in our collective duty to identify concrete solutions for individuals with long-COVID and their families, and our communities on the road to recovery.”
“COVID-19 continues to cause cascading effects on communities across the country, and we must tackle the pandemic from all angles,” said DeParle. “The recommendations in the Alliance’s interim report prioritize connecting all individuals with long-COVID, regardless of socioeconomic or insurance status, to the high-value care they need to return to thriving.”
Long-COVID is commonly estimated to afflict 10 to 30 percent of individuals with COVID-19. Common symptoms of long-COVID include fatigue, cough, shortness of breath, muscle and joint pain, chest pain, loss of taste and smell, difficulties in thinking or concentrating (“brain fog”), depression, anxiety, and abnormal sleep patterns. Of note, these symptoms can occur even in people who had mildly symptomatic COVID-19. (If you are experiencing any of these symptoms after being infected with COVID-19, contact your health care provider for more information and note many providers have developed specific care plans to support your recovery.)
Press Contact: Kelly Niebel, [email protected]
Policy Lead: Josh Trent, [email protected]
About Leavitt Partners:
Leavitt Partners seeks to improve lives by advancing value-based care, striving to make health more accessible, effective, and sustainable. The firm provides clients with investment support, member-based alliances, and strategic advisory services, striving to make health more accessible, effective, and sustainable. For more information, visit www.LeavittPartners.com.