When the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2021-2030 National Health Expenditure (NHE) report, prepared by the CMS Office of the Actuary in March, the headlines across healthcare news media were consistent: “National health spending projected to top $6.8 trillion in 2030.” Anyone familiar with health policy discussions has come to expect [...] Read More
On April 28, 2022, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the final 2023 Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters. See the Press Release here and the Fact Sheet here. In a statement, HHS Secretary Becerra said that “[b]y including new standardized plan [...] Read More
On April 18th, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the fiscal year (2023) proposed Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems for Acute Care Hospitals and the Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System rule. See the press release here. CMS has provided a rule overview fact sheet and maternal health fact sheet relating to [...] Read More
The role of private equity in healthcare has received a great deal of attention in recent years, with some lauding its potential to improve operational efficiencies and speed the adoption of new technologies and others asserting that its very nature is in opposition to the principles of healthcare. The discussion has frequently lacked common definitions [...] Read More
On Friday, April 1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced plans to lift the emergency public health order which has restricted immigration at the nation’s borders since the beginning of the pandemic. The order, known as Title 42 for the section of the federal code under which it was enacted, was originally [...] Read More
On March 30th, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the fiscal year (FY) 2023 proposed Hospice Wage Index, Payment Rate Update, and Quality Reporting Requirements rule. See the fact sheet here. This proposed rule includes the annual payment and quality measure updates, and a request for feedback on health equity activities. This [...] Read More
With the deadline for the reauthorization of the Medical Device User Fee Amendments (MDUFA) looming in September, many observers expect that the push for reform in the regulation of in vitro diagnostic (IVD) tests may soon be coming to a head on Capitol Hill. At its core, the debate boils down to whether regulatory oversight [...] Read More
The Medicare Advantage program (also known as Medicare Part C) has long been touted for its potential to lower costs, expand consumer choice, and improve health outcomes.[i] The popularity of Medicare Advantage (MA) plans has increased in the past decade with prospective enrollees enticed by benefits ranging from dental care to pest control and targeted [...] Read More
The Northern Virginia Health Policy Forum convenes monthly to provide opportunities for health policy professionals to learn from each other and from guest speakers. February’s session featured a conversation with Tamara Syrek Jensen, JD, Director of the Coverage and Analysis Group, Centers for Clinical Standards and Quality, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and Jason [...] Read More
On the evening of December 17, 2021, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a follow-up to its final rule, Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems for Acute Care Hospitals and the Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System and Final Policy Changes and Fiscal Year 2022 Rates,[1],[2] which addresses policies that were proposed but [...] Read More