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HMA Insights – including our new podcast – puts the vast depth of HMA’s expertise at your fingertips, helping you stay informed about the latest healthcare trends and topics. Below, you can easily search based on your topic of interest to find useful information from our podcast, blogs, webinars, case studies, reports and more.

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Brief & Report

HMA experts author LA city and county studies

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HMA Community Strategies (HMACS) experts have released a pair of evaluation reports commissioned by the City of Los Angeles and the County of Los Angeles.

HMACS worked with the Los Angeles Housing + Community Investment Department (HCIDLA) to facilitate the inaugural, interactive Los Angeles Poverty Prevention Summit and produced a report and policy recommendations.

The report, Breaking the Cycle of Poverty, Defining Innovative and Equitable Strategies, summarized ideas and input from the summit and provides analysis and recommendations to move forward by harnessing existing resources and leveraging them with other efforts to alleviate poverty in the county.

A second report, prepared for the Los Angeles County Chief Executive Office, evaluated strategies to combat homelessness put forth by the Office of Homeless Initiatives (HI). The evaluation of HI’s strategies is summarized in the report, Evaluating the Effectiveness of Los Angeles County’s Strategies to Expand and Enhance Interim Housing and Emergency Shelter Services. The report focuses on analyzing existing strategies and how they are preforming and goes on to identify best practices and areas of needed improvement.

HMACS is involved in continued work to address homelessness, poverty and other social determinants of health in Los Angeles County and beyond with the goal of improving health and wellbeing, particularly for at-risk patients and families.

The HMACS teams, led by Principal Charles Robbins, also included Catherine Guerrero, Nayely Chavez, and Rathi Ramasamy as well as Michael Stiffler and Kara Riehman.

Blog

HMA Analysis of New Requirements Expanding Medicare Advantage Eligibility to Individuals with End-Stage Renal Disease

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This week, our In Focus section comes from HMA Principal Eric Hammelman and Senior Consultant Narda Ipakchi. Today, Medicare beneficiaries with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) are only eligible to enroll in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans if they select a MA Special Needs Plan (SNP) that specifically serves individuals with ESRD or develop ESRD while already enrolled in a MA plan. In 2018, approximately 121,000 MA enrollees (0.6 percent of the MA population) had diagnoses of ESRD, accounting for approximately 20 percent of the total Medicare ESRD population.[1] The 21st Century Cures Act, which was passed in 2016, included a provision that alters the eligibility and enrollment options for Medicare beneficiaries with ESRD. Starting in 2021, Medicare beneficiaries with ESRD will be able to enroll in any MA plan in their area. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) estimates MA enrollment of individuals with ESRD will nearly double to 242,000 in 2024, or approximately 41 percent of the total Medicare ESRD population.[2]

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Blog

Medicaid Managed Care Enrollment Update – Q4 2019

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This week, our In Focus section reviews recent Medicaid enrollment trends in capitated, risk-based managed care in 29 states.[1] Many state Medicaid agencies post monthly enrollment figures by health plan for their Medicaid managed care population to their websites. This data allows for the timeliest analysis of enrollment trends across states and managed care organizations. All 29 states highlighted in this review have released monthly Medicaid managed care enrollment data into the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2019. This report reflects the most recent data posted. HMA has made the following observations related to the enrollment data shown on Table 1 (below):

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Blog

HMA to Lead Jail-Based Opioid Response Program in Pennsylvania

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In the nationwide effort to combat opioid use disorder (OUD), Health Management Associates (HMA) is expanding its successful Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) initiative to jails in Pennsylvania counties. The multi-tiered technical assistance approach, developed by HMA and implemented in the California correctional system, works to combat opioid overdoses by expanding access to treatment for OUD in jails and prisons.

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Blog

POTUS FY 2021 Budget: Summary of Medicare Provisions

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This week, our In Focus section examines President Trump’s budget for fiscal year (FY) 2021. The budget includes a number of legislative and administrative proposals related to Medicare that are estimated to reduce net Medicare spending by $872 billion over the next ten years. It is important to note that the legislative proposals included in the President’s budget are non-binding and serve as recommendations to Congress where they may or may not be advanced. Under a Democratic-majority House of Representatives, many of the legislative proposals outlined in the FY 2021 budget are unlikely to advance. Administrative proposals are more likely to move forward, as the administration can implement these policies through its regulatory channels. 

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Webinar

Webinar Replay: HMA Analysis of Medicare Advantage Advance Notice and Part C/D Proposed Rule

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This webinar was held on February 18, 2020.

On February 6, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued Part II of the Advance Notice of Methodological Changes for Calendar Year (CY) 2021 which includes proposed updates to Medicare Advantage (MA) payment rates. In a departure from previous years, the agency did not release a separate Call Letter which typically includes Part C and Part D policy guidance and bidding instructions. Instead, the agency released a proposed rule which includes proposed policy and technical changes, most of which are scheduled to go into effect in the 2022 plan year. CMS also issued separate bidding instructions for plans as they prepare their bids for CY2021.

During this webinar, an HMA team of Medicare experts including Jonathan Blum, Eric Hammelman, Julie Faulhaber, and Narda Ipakchi presented an overview of the payment rate updates and proposed policy changes included in the Advance Notice and Proposed Rule. They provided interested stakeholders with an overview and analysis of the proposed changes as well as what these changes mean for Medicare Advantage plans’ existing strategies and opportunities.

Learning Objectives

  • Understand what the expected 2021 rate increase for Medicaid Advantage plans means for continued industry growth and financial performance.
  • Learn about updates to the Medicare Advantage Star Ratings system, including proposals to increase measure weights for patient experience and complaints.
  • Learn about the proposed changes to network adequacy requirements and how the agency is promoting further use of telehealth among plans.
  • Understand CMS’ efforts to implement requirements that expand Medicare Advantage coverage to beneficiaries with ESRD.

HMA Speakers

Jon Blum, Managing Principal, Washington, DC
Eric Hammelman, Principal, Chicago
Narda Ipakchi, Senior Consultant, Washington, DC
Julie Faulhaber, Principal, Chicago