Wolters Kluwer Highlights Top Four Challenges Facing New CMS Administrator, Chiquita Brooks-LaSure
22 Februar 2021 - 2:25PM
Business Wire
Wolters Kluwer:
What: Chiquita Brooks-LaSure has been nominated by the
Biden administration as the new Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services (CMS) administrator. She will be facing an array of
challenges ranging from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic to the
future solvency of Medicare, to a wholesale review of dramatic
changes in the federal agency.
Why: With the Biden administration implementing sweeping
policy changes across the board, the new CMS administrator will be
tasked with building a forward-looking agency while addressing a
legacy of challenges and pressures. Here are the top four areas
demanding attention:
- Imminent threat of Medicare insolvency: In September
2020, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) issued a worrisome
outlook on the solvency of the Hospital Insurance (HI) Trust Fund,
which pays for Medicare Part A hospital stays, skilled nursing
facilities as well as hospice care. The CBO forecasted the HI fund
would become insolvent by 2024, a full two years sooner than
originally forecast by an April Medicare Trustees report. Facing
economic impacts from the pandemic and increased baby boomer
enrollments, the new CMS administrator can help restore longer-term
solvency by:
- Targeting addressable high cost care such as sepsis,
clostridioides difficile (C.diff) and other healthcare-associated
infections (HAI)
- Focusing on digital models for more effective opioid
stewardship and clinical surveillance for hospitals
- Accelerating tech to increase value-based reimbursement
adoption
- Accelerating CMS innovation and advocacy momentum: CMS
has historically been a leader in promoting healthcare data
innovation. The new administrator can reinvigorate that charge by:
- Going beyond the information blocking rules and transforming
data practices to improve reporting, access, exchange, and use of
electronic health information (EHI)
- Supporting artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives that enable
large-scale data interoperability and better population health
analytics
- Fragmented approaches to health disparities and
inequities: The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a glaring spotlight
on systemic health inequalities. The new administrator will need to
take a cohesive, multi-pronged approach to address the big picture
by:
- Applying advanced data science to target social determinants of
health (SDoH), especially by unifying and mobilizing vast troves of
data collected during the pandemic
- Proactively dismantling work verification requirements for
Medicaid that have been burdensome for enrollees and increased the
risk of losing healthcare in the near-term during a pandemic
- Applying a population health approach to get patients back in
to see their doctors for care that has been postponed by the
pandemic
- Daunting implementation of the Biden administration's
American Rescue Plan (ARP): CMS will play a notable role in
this wide-reaching $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package. For
example, the AARP calls for expanding Medicaid. This will be
achieved with incentives for states to expand their Medicaid
rolls.
Who: Healthcare industry veteran Frank Jackson, vice
president and general manager of Health Language at Wolters Kluwer,
Health is available for further comment and discussion on the
challenges that lie ahead for the CMS nominee.
Contact: To arrange an interview with Frank Jackson on
this or any other healthcare sector-related topics, please contact
Ashley Beine at ashley.beine@wolterskluwer.com.
About Wolters Kluwer Wolters Kluwer (WKL) is a global
leader in professional information, software solutions, and
services for the clinicians, nurses, accountants, lawyers, and tax,
finance, audit, risk, compliance, and regulatory sectors. We help
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Wolters Kluwer reported 2019 annual revenues of €4.6 billion.
The group serves customers in over 180 countries, maintains
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people worldwide. The company is headquartered in the
Netherlands.
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evidence-based solutions that engage clinicians, patients,
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Ashley Beine Senior Public Relations and Public Affairs
Specialist 262-685-8721 ashley.beine@wolterskluwer.com