Billy Wynne

Commissioners Examine Countercyclical DSH Allotments; Commissioners Favor Recommending a Permanent ARPA-Like Policy The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) convened a session to discuss potential recommendations for countercyclical disproportionate share hospital (DSH) allotments. Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments offset hospital uncompensated care costs for Medicaid-enrolled and uninsured patients. During economic recessions, Medicaid…

Commissioners Begin Work on Potential Policy Recommendations to Enhance Capacity of State Medicaid FFS Programs The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) is interested in developing recommendations for policies to help state Medicaid fee-for-service (FFS) programs better serve beneficiaries. Today, a panel shared the perspectives of three states that use alternative approaches to…

Commission Discusses Focus Group Findings on the Experiences of Dual Eligibles in Integrated Care Models The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) held a presentation on the results of a focus group study on the experiences of individuals who are fully dually eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid benefits and enrolled in integrated…

National Advisory Council Explores How Research Can Contribute To Firearm Injury Prevention; Hears from CDC and NIH Regarding Current and Future Initiatives Firearm injury prevention is a strategic imperative of the National Advisory Council for Nursing Research (NACNR). The Council held a meeting focused on the role nurse scientists and nursing research can play in…

Certain Surprise Billing IDR Proceedings Can Resume The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that certified independent dispute resolution (IDR) entities can resume processing payment determinations on February 27, 2023 for payment disputes involving items or services furnished before October 25, 2022 (February 24 notice).   As a result of the decision in…

Portal for Plans and Issuers to Submit Gag Clause Prohibition Compliance Attestation, Due Dec. 31, 2023 The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) opened the portal for group health plans and health insurance issuers offering group or individual health insurance coverage to submit a Gag Clause Prohibition Compliance Attestation (GCPCA). Plans and issuers are…

Agency Announces Draft Research Plan on Interventions to Prevent Perinatal Depression The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released a draft research plan on interventions to prevent perinatal depression. USPSTF aims to use data on population characteristics to explore the degree to which study findings are representative of different populations of persons at risk for…

Innovation Center Accepting Applications for BPCI Advanced Two Year-Extension Period The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) announced it is now accepting applications for Medicare providers, suppliers, and accountable care organizations (ACOs) to participate in the forthcoming two-year extension of the Bundled Payments for Care Initiative (BPCI) Advanced Model. The model extension period will…

Office for Civil Rights Delivers Annual Reports to Congress on HIPAA Compliance and Breaches of Unsecured Protected Health Information The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Civil Rights (OCR) shared two reports to congress for 2021 on HIPAA compliance and breaches of unsecured protected health information (PHI) to help regulated entities better…

TEP Nominations Sought to Advise on Exchange Health Plan Quality Initiatives; Due Mar. 1 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking nominations for a Technical Expert Panel (TEP) to contribute direction and thoughtful input to measure development and maintenance for the exchange health plan Quality Rating System (QRS) and Quality Improvement Strategy…