Applied Policy has discussed the broad implications of the recent court reviews of Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo and Relentless, Inc. v. Department of Commerce, in which the Supreme Court overruled Chevron deference in a 6-3 vote. Going forward, we expect more agency regulations to be overturned by courts, agencies to decline to issue regulations […]
Read MoreOn June 27, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Prospective Payment System (PPS) proposed rule for calendar year (CY) 2025. See the fact sheet here. This rule proposes to: increase ESRD payment rates by 2.2 percent, implement a new ESRD PPS-specific wage index, modify the low-volume payment […]
Read MoreEach June, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) is required to report to Congress on the Medicare program. This report includes chapters on: Approaches for updating clinician payments and incentivizing participation in alternative payment models; Provider networks and prior authorization in Medicare Advantage (MA); Assessing data sources for measuring health care utilization by Medicare Advantage […]
Read MoreThe World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO), concluded its annual meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 1 without consensus on the WHO Pandemic Agreement. The initiative for a pandemic agreement began in December 2021, as countries grappled with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal was to create a legally binding […]
Read MoreMomentous changes are coming to Medicare’s Part D program that will reshape the landscape of out-of-pocket (OOP) prescription drug costs for beneficiaries. Starting January 1, 2025, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) will introduce a $2,000 OOP cap on Part D costs for Medicare beneficiaries. Additionally, the new Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, sometimes referred to as […]
Read MoreOn May 8, 2024, CMS released the Alternative Payment Model Updates and the Increasing Organ Transplant Access (IOTA) Model proposed rule. This rule was accompanied by a fact sheet, a press release, and frequently asked questions. See the model summary here. The rule proposes a new mandatory payment model, IOTA, which would subject eligible kidney [...] Read More
Applied Policy attended the Medical Device Manufacturers Association (MDMA) Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., held from April 17-19. The event featured discussions with members of Congress and representatives from the FDA and the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH). Dora Hughes, M.D., M.P.H., CMS’s Acting Chief Medical Officer and Acting Director of the Center [...] Read More
On April 29, 2024, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a plan for Promoting Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence in Automated and Algorithmic Systems by State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Governments in the Administration of Public Benefits, continuing the rollout of actions mandated under the Biden Administration’s Executive Order 14110 on the [...] Read More
Health Policy Associate Meghan Basler represented Applied Policy at this year's American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) HEALTHCON Conference, April 14-17. Although the event took place in Las Vegas, Nevada, Basler was able to participate virtually, live streaming the sessions via Zoom. This unique setup allowed her to engage fully with the speakers and content, [...] Read More
On May 1, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through its Office for Civil Rights (OCR), finalized the Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance rule. HHS also issued a Fact Sheet and press release on the final rule. The goal of the rule [...] Read More