In an issue brief prepared for The Commonwealth Fund and The SCAN Foundation, HMA consultant Jennifer Podulka and Vice President Jonathan Blum, analyze the temporary COVID-19-related changes to Medicare regulations, described the benefits and risks of the changes, and offered a framework to support policymakers’ decisions on the future of these temporary policies.
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HMA authors report examining future of COVID-19 Medicare regulation changes
A new Issue Brief, authored by Jennifer Podulka and Jon Blum, examines the many changes to Medicare regulations put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. The brief, Which Medicare Changes Should Continue Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic? Four Questions for Policymakers, tracks and categorizes the regulatory changes, describes the benefits and risks of the changes, and establishes a framework to support policymakers’ decisions regarding the future for the changes after the pandemic ends.
HMA publishes white paper “Moving Beyond COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Risk Corridors”
HMA has published a white paper identifying the appropriate, and inappropriate, uses of risk corridors in the context of Medicaid managed care capitation rate setting. The paper is timely due to the widespread use of risk corridors by states during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) and the potential continuation of those risk corridors after the PHE ends.
Download the Executive Summary here.
Leavitt Partners to Become Part of Health Management Associates
Today, Jay Rosen, founder and president of Health Management Associates (HMA), and Governor Mike Leavitt, founder and Chair of Leavitt Partners, announced the two firms have come together as one entity. Leavitt Partners will continue operating as Leavitt Partners, an HMA Company.
Health Management Associates Awarded on the Forbes America’s Best Management Consulting Firms 2021 List
Health Management Associates (HMA) has been awarded on the Forbes list of America’s Best Management Consulting Firms 2021. This prestigious award is presented by Forbes and Statista Inc., the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider. The awards list was announced on March 16th, 2021 and can currently be viewed on the Forbes website.
Webinar Replay: Improving COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence in Underserved Populations
This webinar was held on March 16, 2021.
COVID-19 vaccination has lagged among underserved populations and communities of color in part because of a deeply rooted historical skepticism concerning the safety and efficacy of certain medical treatments and procedures. During this webinar, experts from HMA, Tufts Health Plan, and ConsejoSano discussed how healthcare providers and public health officials can engage underserved populations and communities of color, build trust through tailored strategies, and raise the level of comfort and confidence among individuals still reticent to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand the drivers of lagging COVID-19 vaccination rates among underserved populations and communities of color.
- Find out how to build confidence in the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines using strategies tailored to specific populations and specific healthcare settings.
- Understand the special challenges and promising strategies for increasing vaccine confidence among individuals with behavioral health issues.
- Explore a novel high-tech, high-touch multicultural engagement solution for tailoring vaccine confidence strategies to diverse populations.
- Learn how to tackle underlying health equity challenges that might hinder efforts to improve COVID vaccination rates among underserved populations and communities of color.
Speakers
Margaret Kirkegaard, MD, Principal, HMA
Karen Hill, Senior Consultant, HMA
Deb Peartree, Senior Consultant, HMA
Gary Rosenfield, SVP of Business Development & Strategy, ConsejoSano
Juan Lopera, Corporate Business Diversity Officer, VP of Marketing & RI Medicaid, Tufts Health Plan
Commonwealth Fund Blog Post Highlights Medicare Changes Related to COVID-19
Jennifer Podulka penned a blog post for The Commonwealth Fund in conjunction with The SCAN Foundation, highlighting the legislative and regulatory changes made to Medicare in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She was part of the HMA team who authored an Issue Brief and policy tracker earlier this year.
Health Management Associates Launches Institute on Addiction
Health Management Associates (HMA) announced today creation of the HMA Institute on Addiction (IOA), a division dedicated to supporting the national effort to build an evidence-based, patient-centered, and sustainable addiction treatment ecosystem.
A Short-Term Path to Avoid ACA Uncertainty as the Pandemic Continues
In this week’s In Focus section, Health Management Associates (HMA) Managing Director MMS Matt Powers, Senior Consultant Kaitlyn Feiock, and Regional Vice President Kathleen Nolan look at the future of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). On November 10, 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) heard oral arguments for California v. Texas, challenging the constitutionality and severability of the ACA. This challenge became possible after the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which zeroed out the individual mandate penalty for not purchasing health insurance. While most experts agree that an entire invalidation of the ACA is the least likely outcome based on the oral arguments, some uncertainty remains and more than $100 billion federal funds are at risk. The ACA standardized insurance rules offset premium costs for many individual market consumers and provided authority and funding for Medicaid Expansions in the overwhelming majority of states. The ACA also included other provisions that may be at risk but are not the subject of this note, such as the creation of Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) and the Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office, as well as demonstration authority that has led to the creation of numerous coverage models. As states, Congress, and the federal executive branch face the possibility that the ACA may not survive in its present form, what mitigation strategies are available at the state and federal levels to stabilize uncertainties and protect against abrupt coverage changes?
COVID-19 economic impact on health insurance September 2020
In April 2020, HMA released COVID-19 Impact on Medicaid, Marketplace, and the Uninsured, by State. Our experts assessed COVID-19’s potential impact on health insurance coverage for each state and forecasts Medicaid enrollment could increase by 11 to 23 million across all states over the next several months.
The May 2020 updated analysis, HMA Updated Estimates of COVID Impact on Health Insurance Coverage, projects the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health insurance coverage and cost by state through 2022. The analysis provides deeper insights into how health insurance coverage is estimated to take years to more closely resemble pre-COVID-19 coverage levels.
The September 2020 summary update on the estimated impact of COVID-19 on the economic downturn looks at the uncertainty surrounding the economic pace of recovery, estimated Medicaid enrollment, and the estimated growth in individual coverage.
Health Management Associates Names Douglas Elwell CEO; Charles (Chuck) Milligan Joins Firm as COO
Health Management Associates (HMA) announced today that Chief Operating Officer Douglas (Doug) L. Elwell will assume the role of Chief Executive Officer, effective Nov. 1.
Webinar Replay: Expert Guidance and Support for Effective and Equitable COVID-19 Vaccination
This webinar was held on September 18, 2020.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to sweep across the country and new “hotspots” emerge daily, multiple research labs are working at an extraordinary pace to develop a viable vaccine. However, prior to the release of a vaccine, or more likely multiple vaccines, the public health and health care delivery systems must be ready. We need protocols for vaccine storage and handling for different vaccine types, as well as measured plans for rapid and efficient vaccine distribution and administration. Myriad factors must be considered to ensure safe and effective transport, storage, management, distribution, and tracking of millions of vaccine doses. Many states, cities, counties, and local communities are struggling to keep up with current public health needs, including contact tracing, preparation for a seasonal flu campaign and ensuring that school-aged children do not fall behind on important immunizations.
In this webinar, HMA experts presented practical guidelines and tools to help public health professionals, health plans, community organizations, and others plan for effectively distributing and managing COVID-19 vaccine(s) in their jurisdictions. Presenters also touched on issues ranging from physical infrastructure needs for vaccine storage and distribution to meeting tracking requirements, and the importance of using an equity lens across all aspects of vaccine campaign planning.
Learning Objectives:
- Gain a comprehensive understanding of what is needed to prepare for managing a COVID-19 vaccine from acquisition to distribution.
- Explore tools designed to help identify the number of vaccinators needed and the costs to meet desired coverage levels.
- Learn practical insights for planning and preparing for a mass vaccination event on a local level
- Understand how to ensure an equity lens is used when determining priority populations for distribution
- Identify the roles of various stakeholders participating in vaccine delivery
HMA Speakers
Michelle Parra, PhD, Principal, Los Angeles, and former director of the Vaccine Preventable Disease Control Program for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
Greg Vachon, MD, MPH, Principal, Chicago, Board Certified in Internal Medicine with expertise in digital health solutions and information technology for integration and population health management
Margaret Kirkegaard, MD, MPH, Principal, Chicago, Board Certified in Family Medicine with expertise in practice transformation and population-based health care delivery for vulnerable and underserved groups.