Health care M&A
With the goal of enhancing health care quality and outcomes for individuals with moderate to severe behavioral health conditions and substance use disorders (SUD), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently...more
On January 18, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a new innovation model designed to improve quality of care and behavioral and physical health outcomes for Medicaid and Medicare patients with...more
As physician groups and other stakeholders work to finalize comment letters on the calendar year (CY) 2024 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) proposed regulation by September 11, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services...more
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a Request for Information (RFI) on July 18 regarding the design of a future, episode-based payment model on behalf of CMS’s Center for Medicare and Medicaid...more
President Biden set an ambitious health care agenda in his campaign and maintained that focus as he took office. The Biden administration has expressed a strong commitment to “protect and build on the Affordable Care Act,...more
On October 13th our friends over at STAT broke the news [sorry, Paywall] about a “warranty” pilot program from Pfizer that offers both patients and health plans (including Medicare Part D plans) the opportunity to receive a...more
On April 21, 2019, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (“CMMI”) announced the CMS Primary Cares Initiative – a voluntary, risk-based initiative to transform the Medicare program’s reimbursement of primary care...more
On April 26, 2019, CMS issued a letter to State Medicaid Directors (2019 Letter) inviting states to partner with CMS in one of three new opportunities to test state-driven approaches to integrating care for individuals who...more
On April 22, 2019, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced two sweeping new payment innovation models under the Primary Cares Initiatives. The models will seek to incentivize primary care and other...more
Earlier this month, CMS proposed changes to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and Quality Payment Program with the goal of “modernizing Medicare and restoring the doctor-patient relationship.” The proposed changes achieve...more
CMS is seeking input on ways to reduce the regulatory burdens of the physician self-referral law (commonly known as the Stark Law), particularly as it relates to the ongoing effort to transition from a fee-for-service to a...more
• In order to encourage value-based reimbursement and care delivery, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published a Request for Information (RFI) seeking public input on how to address any undue regulatory...more
The government is focusing on opioids. Whether it be program policies, enforcement, or legislation, combating the opioid epidemic continues to be a major focus for government officials. It is also a major piece of the...more
Last fall, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a new direction for its Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation, CMS’s platform for testing innovative models for delivering high-quality care at lower...more
The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) is seeking ideas on how to better drive change and reduce regulatory burden. CMMI solicited ideas to shape the agency’s future activities through a September 2017 “request...more
Often lost in the cacophony of headlines surrounding rising health care costs is the promise that value-based contracting offers as a possible solution. In contrast to the traditional fee-for-service model, value-based...more
1332 Waivers Under Review at CMS - The Trump administration has approved one 1332 waiver to date, but four more are pending, including a sweeping Iowa waiver. Here is where things stand today...more
CMS recently announced that the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) is interested in lowering the cost of care for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries with behavioral health conditions while improving the...more
Since I began writing this year-end review in 2013, there have been some common themes – a shift to pay for quality and away from fee-for service, much of which has been brought about by the Affordable Care Act (ACA): efforts...more
President-elect Donald J. Trump campaigned on a promise to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”). For several years, the newly reelected Republican majority in Congress has likewise identified ACA repeal as a...more
Many observers view the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) as a game changer for the delivery and payment of health care services. On Oct. 14, 2016 the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services...more
Minnesota’s Governor and legislators propose financial assistance options for on- and off-Marketplace individual coverage; Vermont receives final federal approval for the country’s first all-payer ACO model; and a report...more
On the heels of the release of its final rule implementing the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its 2017 list of Advanced Alternative Payment...more
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Oct. 14, 2016, released the highly anticipated Final Rule implementing the Medicare physician payment reforms enacted as part of the Medicare Access and CHIP...more
After receiving roughly 4,000 comments to its proposed rule, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on October 14, 2016 released its final rule for implementing the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act...more