Dobson DaVanzo & Associates, LLC

This September 2024... Dobson | DaVanzo recently partnered with a client to assess the impacts of the CY 2025 Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) Proposed Rule payments to Home Health Agencies (HHAs). The team also examined trends in access to home health services by Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) beneficiaries under the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) that was implemented in 2020. Using OASIS-LDS files, Dobson | DaVanzo modeled projected changes in Medicare payments between 2024 and 2025 for each agency, state, and by urban or rural agency location, as well as the projected changes in the average wage index and projected changes in case mix due to the case mix recalibration. Our analysis showed that despite projected aggregate payment reductions of 1.7 percent across all agencies, there was significant variation in agency-level impacts, ranging between -5.2% (95th percentile) to 3.2% (5th percentile). Please reach out to our team if you have any questions or are interested in conducting research using on the Medicare Home Health benefit using FFS or Medicare Advantage claims data. Additionally, as CMS continues to focus on social determinants of health (SDOH), including exploring ways to incorporate SDOH data into Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) models, Dobson | DaVanzo has explored ways to utilize SDOH data to advocate for policies that improve equitable health access and outcomes. Recently, 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 (CDI) - at the county level for the United States. We then utilized our 100% Medicare claims data file to calculate a CDI score for each hospital based on where the beneficiaries live. 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. Subscribe to learn more and keep up to date with our happenings! https://lnkd.in/e5raZrpy

This June 2024... Dobson | DaVanzo is pleased to announce our largest contract with CMS to date as we were recently awarded the Medicare Part D Payment Process contract with the Centers for Medicare & 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. Together with our subcontractor Acumen, LLC, we look forward to supporting CMS in this important work! We also are happy to announce that, 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. Finally, we would like to welcome our newest intern, Eric Parrilla! Eric 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. Subscribe to learn more and keep up to date with our happenings! https://lnkd.in/e5raZrpy

This May 2024... Dobson | DaVanzo is pleased to announce that we were 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. Together with our subcontractor, Acumen, LLC, we look 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. We also are proud to announce a recently published study in The Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Journal, entitled, "Controlled CMS Data Demonstrates a Cost and Clinical Advantage for Hyperbaric Oxygen and Radiation Cystitis." Recent advances in radiation therapy have led to dramatic increases in cancer survivorship over recent decades, creating a larger population at risk for delayed complications stemming from radiation treatments, such as radiation cystitis. Dobson | DaVanzo, in conjunction with Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS), assessed the clinical outcomes and cost effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBO2) for radiation cystitis compared to conventional care. Among findings, D|D identified that treatment group beneficiaries had almost $11,548 lower total Medicare spending due to Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy relative to the comparison group, representing a 37% reduction in spending over the first year post-HBO2 relative to average spending in the pre-period. Full study found here: https://lnkd.in/edbh_vrU Subscribe to learn more and keep up to date with our happenings! https://lnkd.in/e5raZrpy

Dobson | DaVanzo is Excited to Celebrate its 17 Year Anniversary! "An organization, no matter how well designed, is only as good as the people who live and work in it." We have proved that to be true yet again, navigating as a team throughout one of the most difficult years ever. We remember Joan at this time, and carry on in her memory. Congratulations to Al and the entire Dobson DaVanzo & Associates, LLC staff on 17 successful years!

This woman-owned small business healthcare economics and policy consulting firm won a 5-year task order in support of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. ==>> https://lnkd.in/ephKzs-8 Dobson DaVanzo & Associates, LLC | Al Dobson | Joan DaVanzo

AAPACN partnered with Dobson DaVanzo & Associates, LLC to examine the quality improvement and financial ROI for nurse education and certification. The findings are unequivocal. Join us on May 15th for the full story. #skillednursing #LTPAC #SNFperformance #qualityimprovement

This January 2024... 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 also are proud that our analysis of final rule contributed to a correct payment amount. 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. Subscribe to learn more and keep up to date with our happenings! https://lnkd.in/e5raZrpy

A Year in Review from Dobson | DaVanzo As we begin a new year, we at Dobson | DaVanzo would like to reflect on the past year and take this occasion to thank our clients, colleagues, and companions for your partnership in tackling health economics and policy challenges.   In May, we celebrated the 16th anniversary of Dobson | DaVanzo's establishment. We have grown substantially from our start in 2007 with just three members, working together at Al and Joan’s kitchen table. 2023 was a year of continued growth, marked by the addition of two talented Research Analysts and new clients and contracts.   Throughout the past year, we had the opportunity to present our findings and attend several major healthcare conferences, including ISPOR 2023, the leading global conference for health economics and outcomes research, where we discussed the effect of COVID-19 on care for chronic wounds among Medicare beneficiaries. In addition, we participated in a panel at the 2023 AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting and attended sessions to broaden the company’s understanding of health equity and the use of AI/Machine Learning in health services research. Finally, we were pleased to continue our support of the DAVID A WINSTON HEALTH POLICY FELLOWSHIP and Scholarships by sponsoring a table at the 38th Annual Health Policy Ball in April. We are looking forward to the impact the 2023 recipients will have upon health policy in the coming years.   In 2023, we continued our commitment to helping our clients positively influence health policy and improve outcomes through our expertise with economic analyses and administrative claims data. One highlight from the past year was our co-authored publication in Health Affairs with the Federation of American Hospitals titled: "CMS Hospital Value-Based Programs: Refinements Are Needed to Reduce Health Disparities and Improve Outcomes." Our research indicated that adjustments may be required to existing value-based programs to account for community level health equity factors. We also partnered with the Alliance of Wound Care Stakeholders to publish research in the Journal of Medical Economics titled: “Chronic wound prevalence and the associated cost of treatment in Medicare beneficiaries: changes between 2014 and 2019.” We identified an increase in the prevalence of chronic wounds among Medicare beneficiaries as well as a shift in expenditures from hospital-based outpatient departments to physicians' offices. In other work, we leveraged our 100% Medicare claims data in combination with social determinants of health data to enhance the understanding of several distinct beneficiary populations. We are grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the dialogue and improve health equity.   We wish you a healthy and successful 2024 and look forward to our continued work together.

This November 2023... Dobson | DaVanzo was 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. We also proudly announced our 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. Want to learn more and keep up to date with our happenings? Please subscribe to our newsletter! https://lnkd.in/e5raZrpy