Home Profile Services Leadership Clients News Events Contact Contact
Valuation Consulting Commercial Reasonableness Commercial Payor Reimbursement-benchmarking Litigationsupport Expertwitness Financial Analysis Modeling Intermediary Services Certificate of Need ACO Valuemetrics Strategic Consulting Industry Research Services





Living in Interesting Times:
100 Days Later - ObamaCare Still in Place

As President Donald Trump approaches his 100th day in office on April 29, 2017, industry commentators are reviewing the status of the campaign promises he made in his "100-day Action Plan to Make America Great Again." One such promise was to fully repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in his first 100 days as President. Although President Trump issued an executive order memorializing his intention to seek the prompt repeal of the ACA on Inauguration Day, the U.S. House of Representatives has, to date, been unable to garner enough votes to pass the Republicans' proposed bill, entitled the American Health Care Act (ACHA), through the Republican-controlled Congress. Since the bill was pulled on March 24th, Republicans have amended the bill, and on April 26th, received the backing of the House Freedom Caucus, which opposed the previous version of the bill. However, industry experts do not expect any changes to healthcare reform before Fall 2017. Upcoming issues of Health Capital Topics will feature ongoing coverage of major milestones and policy changes affecting healthcare reform, including negotiations surrounding the AHCA and other ACA repeal and replace efforts.

Over the past two weeks, Republicans have instituted new efforts to resurrect healthcare reform after the withdrawal of the American Health Care Act (AHCA). After the AHCA's noteworthy demise on March 24, 2017, when Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) pulled the bill just before a scheduled vote, Republicans have regrouped in order to pass a bill to "repeal and replace" the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). This Health Capital Topics article summarizes the current political environment of healthcare reform in the aftermath of the AHCA's withdrawal.  (Read more...) 
The prevalence and utilization of artificial intelligence (AI) is expanding in modern life, such as through the quotidian use of intelligent assistants such as Siri, Alexa, and Google. Similarly, the healthcare industry is experiencing a paradigm shift as a result of the growth of AI. The ever-expanding scope and increasing speed at which data is bombarding users of technology demands new tools to properly store, to allow for timely retrieval, and to effectively analyze that data. These changes will significantly impact the daily function of healthcare providers. This Health Capital Topics article is the first installment of a four-part series, that will examine AI through the conceptual framework of the Four Pillars of Healthcare, i.e., Reimbursement, Regulation, Technology, and Competition. This first article will focus on how AI is affecting the current healthcare reimbursement environment. (Read more...) 
The impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) on the U.S. medical malpractice system is relatively unknown, due to: (1) the lack of direct impacts; (2) the ACA's insurance provisions not becoming effective until 2014; and, (3) medical malpractice insurance being based on a historical "tail" method, i.e., the allowance of claims to be reported to an insurer of an expired policy. This uncertainty continues to reflect the concerns of medical liability insurers, in part, because there have been few, if any, answers to alleviate their uncertainty and measure the ACA's impact on the incidence and cost of medical malpractice. This is the third Health Capital Topics article in a three-part series on tort reform, and will summarize the impact of the ACA on the medical malpractice environment.  (Read more...)
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the final rule implementing the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) on November 4, 2016. This piece of legislation repealed the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula and replaced it with scheduled updates to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and the creation of the Quality Payment Program (QPP). With CMS projecting that up to 90-95% of Medicare Part B billings (i.e., billings for physician services) will meet the criteria for inclusion in the QPP, it is exceedingly important for physicians and other healthcare providers to prepare for MACRA implementation in 2017. This Health Capital Topics article is part one of a two-part series discussing the future implications of MACRA, and includes an overview of the QPP, the benefits and concerns regarding the QPP, and potential changes to MACRA under the current Trump Administration. (Read more...)
ANNOUNCING

Advanced Distance Education to Launch in 2017

The Institute for Healthcare Valuation (IHV) & Consultants' Training Institute (CTI) are pleased to announce premier healthcare valuation training through a distance education program, the Certificate of Educational Achievement (CEA) for Advanced Education in Healthcare Valuation. The program will launch in the summer of 2017 and will bridge the interdisciplinary nature of healthcare valuation to include: the Four Pillars of Healthcare (regulatory, reimbursement, competition, and technology); the market forces shaping the U.S. healthcare industry; and the valuation of healthcare enterprises, assets, and services. Legal professionals and healthcare providers, as well as those wishing to expand their scope of activities in healthcare valuation engagements and those seeking to enhance their current healthcare valuation service lines, will gain comprehensive knowledge through completing the expansive program. The program has been developed and is being presented by industry thought leaders Robert James Cimasi, MHA, ASA, MCBA, FRICS, CVA, CM&AA, Chief Executive Officer, and Todd A. Zigrang, MBA, MHA, FACHE, ASA, President of Health Capital Consultants, alongside a blockbuster faculty of healthcare subject matter experts from the legal, federal regulatory, and valuation professions.
HCC CEO Bob Cimasi Recognized as a "Pioneer of the Profession" 
under NACVA's "Industry Titans" Awards

HCC CEO Robert James Cimasi, MHA, ASA, FRICS, MCBA, CVA, CM&AA, has been
named a "Pioneer of the Profession," by the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts (NACVA) and Consultants Training Institute (CTI) as part of their Silver Anniversary recognition luncheon of valuation "Industry Titans," which distinguishes those whom have had the greatest impact on the profession.  Mr. Cimasi joins valuation profession luminaries, including: Dr. Shannon P. Pratt, Chris Mercer, James R. Hitchner, Roger J. Grabowski, Richard Wise, Jay E. Fishman, Nancy Fannon, Honorable Judge David Laro, Howard Lewis, and Mel H. Abraham, along with fourteen others, in receiving this honor. Congratulations to Bob Cimasi and his fellow "Pioneer of the Profession" honorees from the HCC Team and Topics Staff!