A flurry of national news reports continues to document the large-scale restructuring taking place at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), where 10,000 jobs were reportedly slashed earlier this month, a move also impacting the workforce at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). An estimated 300 CMS workers are expected to be affected by this action, while NPR reported that the HHS teams focusing on sexual violence prevention were also eliminated – on the first day of April’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Also recently, RACmonitor and Monitor Mondays have come into possession of a CMS memo, dated March 5, in which the agency warns that it may take action to prevent hospitals and other providers suspected of using “dangerous chemicals and surgical mutilation of children” relative to gender dysphoria, which the agency claims have “proliferated.” In fact, other executive actions taken by the Trump Administration also appear to have anticipated deleterious impacts on the health of America’s LGBTQ+ population.

It seems part of an overarching theme in which the Administration is waging social wars using gutted federal agencies more as a weaponized tactic than as a mechanism to serve the public.

Reporting this story during the next live edition of Monitor Mondays will be physician Drew Updike, a recognized leader in hospital utilization management, denials, clinical documentation integrity (CDI), coding, and hospital operations.

The long-running broadcast will also include these instantly recognizable features:

• Risky Business: Healthcare attorney David Glaser, shareholder in the law offices of Fredrikson & Byron, will join the broadcast with his trademark segment.

• The RAC Report: Healthcare attorney Knicole Emanuel, partner at the law firm of Nelson Mullins, will report the latest news about auditors.

• Legislative Update: Adam Brenman, senior government affairs liaison for Zelis, will report on congressional action taking place in Washington, D.C.

• Monday Rounds: Dr. Shaemarke Magan, medical director for CaroMont Health in Gastonia, North Carolina, will make his Monday rounds, substituting for Dr. Ronald Hirsch.