COVID-19 cases are currently on the decline in the U.S. and effective vaccines have been developed, approved and are being distributed at record pace – all cause for celebration. However, new variants and societal fatigue are continuing dangers to the health and well-being of Americans as the government and healthcare industry race to vaccinate and protect people from the novel pathogen. As we complete our first full year living in the COVID-19 public health emergency, this blog explores two questions worth asking:

1. How far are we into this pandemic (in terms of herd immunity); and
2. What are our policy options to take advantage of this recent decline in cases and steadily increasing availability of vaccines?

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On September 18, 2020, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized the Radiation Oncology Bundled Payment Model and delayed implementation to July 2021. Through our access to Medicare claims data, Dobson | DaVanzo will be developing national and regional benchmarks to help providers assess their current performance and identify areas for potential savings under the new bundled payment model. We can help providers make use of their own CMS provided data by constructing episodes of care and dissecting their historical Medicare payments for various components of radiation therapy episodes as well as the utilization and costs of different treatment modalities.

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