Billy Wynne

Health Subcommittee Grapples with Health Care Cybersecurity Challenges in the Wake of Change Healthcare Cyberattack The House Energy and Commerce (E&C) Health Subcommittee convened a hearing to address health care cybersecurity in the aftermath of the Change Healthcare ransomware attack, which severely disrupted the health care industry. Committee members heard from industry experts on the…

Ranking Members Question Biden Administration on Dietary Guidelines Development The Ranking Members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee John Boozman (R-AR) sent a letter to the Biden Administration requesting information on how it is developing federal nutrition guidelines in the Dietary Guidelines for…

Commissioners Explore Available Data on Medicaid Unwinding, Contemplate Next Steps The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) convened a session on Medicaid Unwinding. Principal Analysis and Research Advisor Martha Heberlein led panelists through a discussion exploring the lessons learned, the information available on policy successes and failures, and beneficiary experiences. Commissioners expressed an…

Nominations for the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee, Due September 30 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is seeking nominations for membership on the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC). HICPAC consists of 14 experts in fields including, but not limited to, infectious diseases, infection prevention, healthcare epidemiology, nursing, clinical and…

MACPAC Approves Recommendations to Improve Medicaid Financing Transparency and State Medicaid Agency Contracts The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) met to vote on updated recommendations to improve transparency in Medicaid and CHIP financing as well as optimizing state Medicaid agency contracts. All recommendations were approved as drafted. Recommendations for Improving Transparency in…

Commissioners Discuss Approaches for Updating the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and to Incentivize Clinician Participation in A-APMs The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) convened a session to discuss various approaches to updating payments under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS). Under current law, starting in 2026, eligible clinicians engaged in advanced alternative payment models (A-APMs) will see their payment…

Committee Begins Discussion on Potential Medicare Physician Payment Reforms The Senate Finance Committee convened a hearing to begin discussions on a potential overhaul of the Medicare physician payment system. The hearing highlighted concerns regarding low physician adoption rates for Medicare reimbursements related to advance care planning, administrative burdens like prior authorization, and disparities in Medicare…

Commissioners Discuss Ways to Lower Payments for Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities for Select Conditions The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) convened a session to discuss alternative approaches to lower payments for services provided in inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) for select conditions that are also treated in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). This work builds upon MedPAC’s 2023…

MedPAC Commissioners Continue to Discuss MA Encounter Data Completeness and Advocate for Further Research into Encounter Data as the Singular Data Source for Comparison The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) convened a follow-up session to examine Medicare Advantage (MA) encounter data completeness. In March, MedPAC staff compared encounter data to provider-reported data which showed that…

FY 2025 IPPS and LTCH PPS Proposed Rule Proposes 2.6 Percent Overall Increase for Hospitals; Includes New Episode-Based CMMI Model Today, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the fiscal year (FY) 2025 inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) and long-term care hospital prospective payment system (LTCH PPS) proposed rule (press release, fact sheet), which applies to…