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Open Recommendations (139 total)

Public Health Preparedness: Mpox Response Highlights Need for HHS to Address Recurring Challenges

GAO-24-106276
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Health and Human Services The Secretary of Health and Human Services should develop and implement a coordinated, department-wide after-action program that encourages collaboration between HHS's component agencies, including integrating the existing public health emergency after-action programs of these component agencies. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Public Health Preparedness: Mpox Response Highlights Need for HHS to Address Recurring Challenges

GAO-24-106276
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Health and Human Services The Secretary of Health and Human Services should develop and implement a coordinated, department-wide after-action program that includes relevant external stakeholders involved in each public health emergency response—such as other federal agencies, jurisdictions, and nongovernmental partners—when identifying challenges and associated solutions. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Autism Research and Support Services: Federal Interagency Coordination and Monitoring Efforts Could Be Further Strengthened

GAO-24-106446
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Health and Human Services The Secretary of Health and Human Services should ensure that NIH documents the procedures the Office of National Autism Coordination uses, in its support of the IACC and the National Autism Coordinator, to help ensure federal autism activities are not unnecessarily duplicative. Such documentation should describe the roles and responsibilities of different entities, sources of information used, the time frames for conducting analyses, and how outcomes will be reported. (Recommendation 2)
Open
HHS agreed with GAO's recommendation. We will update the status of this recommendation when HHS provides its 180 day letter (expected in summer 2024).

Autism Research and Support Services: Federal Interagency Coordination and Monitoring Efforts Could Be Further Strengthened

GAO-24-106446
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Health and Human Services The Secretary of Health and Human Services should establish a process for clearly tracking and reporting progress made toward goals established by the IACC for federal autism activities, coordinating with federal partners as appropriate. Such progress tracking should describe where performance is lagging, and why desired results were not achieved, if any. (Recommendation 1)
Open
HHS agreed with GAO's recommendation. We will update the status of this recommendation when HHS provides its 180 day letter (expected in summer 2024).

Head Start: Opportunities Exist to Better Align Resources with Child Poverty

GAO-24-106077
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Health and Human Services The Secretary of Health and Human Services should direct OHS to use the data it already collects to assess relative rates of access to Head Start services and to help identify areas where additional services may be needed. (Recommendation 2)
Open
HHS agreed with this recommendation. OHS said it would explore methods to use data it already collects to help identify areas where additional services may be needed. OSH noted it is committed to using data it already collects to identify communities and geographical areas where additional services may be warranted. This includes data on the geographic location of existing Head Start service locations and the number of Head Start and Early Head Start funded slots at these locations. We will monitor the progress of these efforts.

Head Start: Opportunities Exist to Better Align Resources with Child Poverty

GAO-24-106077
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Health and Human Services The Secretary of Health and Human Services should direct OHS to use its existing grant-making authority to consider the geographic distribution of Head Start resources across communities when awarding competitive grants. (Recommendation 1)
Open
HHS agreed with this recommendation. OHS said it would explore methods to include geographic distribution of existing Head Start services and available measures of need to be considered in the grant award process, within the constraints of its statutory authority. For example, due to statutory provisions governing the distribution of Head Start funds, the agency's authority to distribute funds and award grants is limited by the amount of funding available and the need to ensure that grants stay within the service area and maintain stable funding within states. We will monitor the progress of OHS's efforts to address this recommendation.

Maternal Health: HHS Should Improve Assessment of Efforts to Address Worsening Outcomes

GAO-24-106271
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Health and Human Services The Secretary of Health and Human Services should ensure that the Office on Women's Health and Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation performance strategy includes key performance management practices—including near-term goals with quantitative targets and time frames to define intended results and associated performance measures for the near-term goals—to assess the performance of HHS's maternal health efforts against the Maternal Health Blueprint's goals. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Maternal Health: HHS Should Improve Assessment of Efforts to Address Worsening Outcomes

GAO-24-106271
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Health and Human Services The Director of CDC should ensure that the Perinatal Quality Collaborative program establishes quantitative targets for its near-term goals to provide a basis for comparing planned and actual results. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Critical Infrastructure Protection: Agencies Need to Enhance Oversight of Ransomware Practices and Assess Federal Support

GAO-24-106221
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Health and Human Services The Secretary of Health and Human Services should, in coordination with CISA and sector entities, determine the extent to which the healthcare and public health sector is adopting leading cybersecurity practices that help reduce the sector's risk of ransomware. (Recommendation 3)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Critical Infrastructure Protection: Agencies Need to Enhance Oversight of Ransomware Practices and Assess Federal Support

GAO-24-106221
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Health and Human Services The Secretary of Health and Human Services should, in coordination with CISA and sector entities, develop and implement routine evaluation procedures that measure the effectiveness of federal support in helping reduce the risk of ransomware to the healthcare and public health sector. (Recommendation 4)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
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