Last month, Dobson | DaVanzo spoke at the National Association of Long-Term Care Hospitals (NALTH) Fall 2024 Leadership Conference. The presentation covered trends in Medicare post-acute care, findings from a Dobson | DaVanzo analysis of Medicare Advantage (MA) data, and potential impacts on LTCHs related to the Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM).

Dobson | DaVanzo values the opportunity to connect with this unique group of providers and to support them with data and policy analyses as the healthcare industry continues to experience volatility and change.

We are pleased to announce that Dobson | DaVanzo was recently awarded the Medicare Part D Payment Process contract with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) under our General Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedule (MAS). Activities under this contract have two main objectives: maintaining the integrity of prescription drug event (PDE) data and supporting Part D payment processes, including analyzing key inputs to the annual Part D payment reconciliation, while ensuring the smooth implementation of Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) changes that impact these areas. 

This is our largest contract with CMS to date – Dobson | DaVanzo, together with our subcontractor Acumen, LLC, looks forward to supporting CMS in this important work. 

In addition to the most current 100% Medicare Fee-for-Service Research Identifiable Files, Dobson | DaVanzo’s access to the latest available (2022 preliminary) Medicare Advantage Encounter and Medicaid TAF data was recently approved by CMS. Further, our access to the latest (2022) post-acute assessment data (MDS, OASIS, and IRF-PAI) was also approved. 

Our access to the latest Medicare Fee-for-Service, Medicare Advantage, and Medicaid data enables analyses of ongoing trends in healthcare, particularly as beneficiaries continue to shift from Fee-for-Service to Medicare Advantage and as Medicaid enrollment changes. We utilize these data to assess geographic variation in practice patterns, demographics, risk, program impacts, and care quality. We also utilize these data to analyze policy changes and to inform quality and performance improvement efforts among providers, suppliers, and other involved organizations. 

For more information, please send us an email at info@dobsondavanzo.com. 

Eric Parrilla is our newest intern at Dobson | DaVanzo. He is a rising second-year undergraduate attending The University of Chicago currently majoring in Public Policy Studies and Economics. Eric brings policy research experience from his work as a student journalist and a fellow for a local school board member in Miami-Dade County. Eric aims to continue supporting economic policy analyses as he moves forward in his career, either in the federal government or in the private sector.

We are pleased to announce that Dobson | DaVanzo was recently awarded the Medicare Part D Claims Analyses contract with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

This project supports CMS in managing and providing oversight of the Part D benefit through a variety of analyses that assess the program, its impact on the health outcomes of beneficiaries, and the implications of future policy changes. The Medicare Part D Claims Analyses are an important resource used by CMS to monitor sponsor compliance with the Part D program requirements and the effectiveness of their quality improvement efforts.

Dobson | DaVanzo, together with our subcontractor, Acumen, LLC, looks forward to supporting CMS in this important work through our analyses that monitor and measure the compliance of Medicare Part D sponsors with federal regulations.

At Dobson | DaVanzo, our consultants have a long history of helping clients evaluate and respond to policy changes by providing sophisticated, yet clear, analyses. Our team conducted an analysis to identify possible underlying causes of a significantly decreased prospective payment amount for a particular procedure in a recent final rule. Our analysis replicated CMS’ calculations, using 100% Medicare Fee-for-Service claims data, and provided our client with critical information to further their dialogue with CMS, which ultimately resulted in CMS’ revision of the final rule to increase the payment amount.  

Dobson | DaVanzo is pleased to announce that we have been selected to conduct and produce Community Health Network, Inc.'s (CHNw) 2024 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) reports. This project will assess the health needs of communities throughout Central Indiana served by CHNw. Throughout 2024, our team will develop five comprehensive reports, tailored to each of CHNw's distinguished acute care facilities. We look forward to producing insightful findings and impactful recommendations as we collaborate to enhance community health and well-being of Indiana residents. 

Dobson | DaVanzo (D|D) is delighted to announce a transformative partnership with Eastern Research Group Inc. (ERG) as one of their subcontractors on ERG’s recently awarded contract with the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) Office of Science and Data Policy (SDP) to address challenges within the healthcare landscape. 

Together, ERG, D|D, and other subcontractors will have the opportunity to provide analytical and technical support to ASPE’s Office of SDP on a wide array of critical subject areas, ranging from public health and emergency preparedness to medical product development, the opioid epidemic, and economic/regulatory impact analyses. Through this partnership, D|D looks forward to leveraging our collective expertise to support ASPE. 

Dobson | DaVanzo (D|D) proudly announces its partnership with the American Association of Post-Acute Care Nursing (AAPACN) to explore the potential positive financial implications linked to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) employing AAPACN-certified individuals. 

D|D's analytical approach distinguishes itself by adopting a comprehensive healthcare finance perspective to examine facility revenues, costs, margins, and case volume over a multi-year period. Our approach aims to provide nuanced insights into the financial landscape, demonstrating the firm's commitment to delivering valuable recommendations. Drawing from our extensive experience with Medicare SNF claims, Medicare Cost Report data, and prior healthcare finance analyses, D|D looks forward to contributing to the body of research on post-acute care nursing. 

Dobson | DaVanzo is pleased to announce a recently published study in Journal of Medical Economics, entitled, "Chronic wound prevalence and the associated cost of treatment in Medicare beneficiaries: changes between 2014 and 2019". The full publication can be found here.

Chronic wounds represent a burden to society that is large, impacting the quality of life of nearly 2.5% of the total population in the United States. Given the increasing age of the population, the continued threat of diabetes and obesity worldwide, and the persistent problem of infection, it is expected that chronic wounds will continue to be a substantial clinical, social, and economic challenge.

Dobson | DaVanzo has conducted a retrospective analysis of Medicare claims data to determine the cost of wound care and prevalence of chronic wounds for Medicare beneficiaries in the aggregate, by wound type, and by setting between the years 2014 and 2019. This analysis is an extension of a previous study conducted prior to 2014. 

In this study, it was found that over the 5-year period, wound prevalence amongst Medicare beneficiaries increased from 13% to 16.4%, with great increases in the number of arterial ulcers, skin disorders, and traumatic wounds. Furthermore, a decrease in chronic wound-related costs with a shift in chronic wound care expenditures from the hospital-based outpatient department to the physician’s office was observed. 

CMS's Office of Minority Health (OMH) recently released several infographics highlighting Z Codes and the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH). Z Codes are a subset of ICD-10-CM codes that relate to factors affecting a patient's health that are not already classified as a disease or injury, with codes Z55-Z65 used to report SDOH data such as housing status, food and economic insecurity, and transportation access. The infographics include best practices for utilizing Z Codes to capture SDOH information and provide multiple examples of how SDOH data can improve equity in health care outcomes and research. OMH also included a list of the 17 new Z Codes added in April and October of this year. These infographics are the latest effort by CMS to combat health disparities by helping promote health equity.

Dobson | DaVanzo has a proven history of utilizing SDOH data to help advocate for policies that improve equitable health access and outcomes, as demonstrated by our recent article in Health Affairs, co-authored with the Federation of American Hospitals, titled: "CMS Hospital Value-Based Programs: Refinements Are Needed to Reduce Health Disparities and Improve Outcomes." In a separate project, Dobson | DaVanzo was tasked with highlighting SDOH and health outcome disparities for the Appalachia region. To do this, our team constructed a socioeconomic and health outcomes index - the Community Determinant Index - at the county level for the United States, then utilized our 100% Medicare claims data file to calculate a CDI score for each hospital based on the beneficiaries treated. Our work helped highlight that some Appalachian providers are treating those with higher need and likely need increased payments to better support and address the health of their population.

Dobson | DaVanzo is pleased to announce that we will be continuing our work with SDOH data. We have been tasked with assessing the extent to which patients receiving care at providers participating in the 340B Drug Pricing Program differ across key SDOH metrics compared to patients at non-340B providers. The 340B Drug Pricing Program allows healthcare entities such as critical access hospitals, disproportionate share hospitals, and sole community hospitals, among others, to purchase outpatient medications at discounted rates, enabling the providers to use the savings for providing services to underserved populations. By linking claims data with SDOH data, we hope to enhance the understanding of potential vulnerabilities and inequities facing patients receiving care at 340B providers. Dobson | DaVanzo is grateful for the opportunity to work with SDOH data, and we hope that our contribution will help further the cause of improved health equity.

We are pleased to announce that Dobson | DaVanzo was recently awarded the Part D Formulary and Benefits Assessments contract with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

A key aim of this work is to determine whether the Part D formulary and benefit offerings are being administered as approved by Title I of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA). The addition of this drug benefit to Medicare represents a landmark change to the Medicare program that significantly improved the health care coverage available to millions of Medicare beneficiaries.

Dobson | DaVanzo, together with our subcontractor, Acumen, LLC, look forward to supporting CMS in this important work through monitoring and performing oversight analyses for the Medicare Part D program.

We are pleased to announce that Dobson | DaVanzo was recently awarded the Monitoring and Data Validation of Part C and Part D Reporting Requirements contract with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

A key aim of this work is to ensure that Medicare beneficiaries have access to information regarding their health and drug plans, as well as to ensure that beneficiaries are provided with high quality care that is safe, effective, and timely. The Part C and Part D Reporting Requirements are one important data source used by CMS for the oversight of the Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit programs.

Dobson | DaVanzo, together with our subcontractor, Acumen, LLC, look forward to supporting CMS in this important work through monitoring and measuring compliance of Medicare Advantage Organizations (MAOs) and Prescription Drug Plans (PDPs) with federal regulations.

Richa Zirath joined Dobson | DaVanzo in July as a Research Analyst. She holds a B.S. in Business Administration with concentrations in financial analysis and data analytics from the University at Buffalo, as well as an MPP with a concentration in health policy from George Washington University.

Richa has had previous experience in the non-profit government sector and health care consulting field. As a Health Policy Research Fellow at the Milken Institute of Public Health, Richa focused on state Medicaid coverage of registered dietitian nutritionists and medical nutrition therapy for adults and children.

Sandra Agik, one of Dobson | DaVanzo's senior managers, recently attended the 2023 AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting (ARM) as a panelist on a career panel titled: "Working in Contract Research: Career options supporting policymakers with actionable and impactful research." Each year, the Annual Research Meeting (ARM) convenes a diverse group of health services research and health policy professionals to showcase new research, innovative methods, and engage in discussions about the impact of health services research on health policy and practice.

While at the ARM, Sandra attended several sessions related to health equity and the use of AI/Machine Learning in health services research. By attending these sessions, Dobson | DaVanzo is able to keep up with the latest insights on health equity and explore new ideas on how best to leverage our existing AI/Machine Learning capabilities. Additionally, we were excited to connect with current thought leaders in the field and look forward to strengthening our existing partnerships.