Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act of 2013

Graduate Medical Education; Health Care Quality, Patient Access to Health Care; Physician Workforce; Medicare Physician Payment Issues; Independent Payment Advisory Board. H.R. 574, The Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act of 2013.

Client expense: $333,296 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ), Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Government Accountability Office (GAO), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, White House Office

Graduate Medical Education; Health Care Quality, Patient Access to Health Care; Physician Workforce; Medicare Physician Payment Issues; Independent Payment Advisory Board. H.R. 574, The Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act of 2013.

Client expense: $128,353 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ), Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Government Accountability Office (GAO), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, White House Office

Graduate Medical Education; Health Care Quality, Patient Access to Health Care; Physician Workforce; Medicare Physician Payment Issues; Independent Payment Advisory Board. H.R. 574, The Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act of 2013.

Client expense: $220,175 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ), Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Government Accountability Office (GAO), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, White House Office

Graduate Medical Education; Health Care Quality, Patient Access to Health Care; Physician Workforce; Medicare Physician Payment Issues; Independent Payment Advisory Board. H.R. 574, The Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act of 2013.

Client expense: $142,079 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ), Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Government Accountability Office (GAO), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, White House Office

Preserving Access to Primary Care Services: Address the shortage of primary care physicians; designate primary care as a shortage profession; provide scholarships and loan forgiveness in exchange for primary care service commitments to practice in critical shortage areas; provide grants for medical school mentorship programs and primary care training in community health centers; increase Title VII funding for primary care health programs; increase funding for the National Health Service Corps, provide regulatory relief for primary care physicians; H.R. 7192/S. 1174, the Preserving Patient Access to Primary Care Act (111th Congress). Support Implementation and Improvement of the Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148, P.L. 111-152) by: Expanding coverage and improving Medicare benefits; Providing needed protections to guard against insurance practices that unfairly limit, deny or rescind coverage based on health status; public and private health insurers should encourage preventive health care by providing full coverage, with no cost-sharing, for preventive services recommended by an expert advisory group, such as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force; Ensuring access to primary care physicians; and beginning to bend the cost curve; Prohibiting insurers from excluding or charging excessive rates to children based on pre-existing conditions, which later will be expanded to all persons; Covering young adults on their parents' plans; Eliminating lifetime and annual limits on health insurance coverage; Requiring that health insurers spend more on patient care and less on administration; support enactment of S. 248, the Empowering States to Innovate Act, which amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) to: (1) allow states to apply for waivers of certain health insurance coverage requirements in such Act (including requirements for the establishment of qualified health plans and health insurance exchanges) for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2014 (currently, January 1, 2017), and (2) require the waiver application process to begin not later than 180 days after the enactment of this Act; Phasing out the Medicare Part D doughnut hole; Eliminating patient cost-sharing for preventive services offered by Medicare or private insurers; Increasing Medicare and Medicaid payments to primary care physicians; Establishing a new Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to help physicians and patients make care decisions based on the best available evidence; Creating a new Center on Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to fund pilots of delivery models to improve outcomes and reduce costs, including patient-centered medical homes; Training more primary care physicians through the National Health Service Corps, Title VII health professions funding, and redistributing unused graduate medical education positions to primary care specialties facing shortages; Beginning in 2014, ensuring that nearly all Americans have access to coverage either through subsidized private health insurance offered by state health exchanges or through Medicaid, if they don't already have access to coverage through an employer, Medicare, or another public program. Medicare Physician Payment Reform: Increase Medicare Fee Schedule payments to make primary care competitive in the market with other physician career and specialty choices; create a fast track authority to develop and implement new physician payment models that better align payment with effective, efficient, patient-centered care such as the Patient Centered Medical Home; provide a voluntary shared savings program, Accountable Care Organizations, that promotes accountability for services delivered to a defined Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) patient population with the goals of increasing the quality and efficiency of services delivered; provide separate Medicare payment for specific care coordination services provided principally by primary care physicians; revise Medicare budget neutrality rules to recognize the value of primary care in reducing Medicare baseline spending; increase the accuracy of physician work relative value units under the Medicare physician fee schedule; improve the accuracy of practice expense RVUs under the Medicare Fee Schedule; increase Medicare bonus payments for primary care services provided in designated shortage areas; provide stable, positive, predictable updates under Medicares reimbursement formula; and replacing the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula with a long term solution that provides for stable, predictable updates for physicians (H.R. 3961). Urged Congress to enact legislation that would provide stable payments for all physician specialties for at least five years while providing higher updates for undervalued evaluation and management services, require that different payment models (including Patient-Centered Medical Homes) be pilot-tested on a voluntary basis during the five year period of stable payments, and designate a specific transition period for broad adoption of the new models that have been shown to be the most effective based on the pilots. Advocated in support of H.R. 2, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act, which would repeal the SGR formula and move to a new value-based payment and delivery system under Medicare. Urged enactment of the Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act (H.R. 574), as introduced in Feb. 2013 by Representatives Allyson Schwartz (D-PA) and Joe Heck (R-NV). This legislation would eliminate the SGR once and for all and transition to better payment and delivery systems that are aligned with value. Specifically, H.R. 574 would repeal the SGR formula, provide more than 5 years of stable physician payments, with positive increases for all physician services, and higher payments for primary care, preventive and care coordination services, and establishes a process for practices to transition to new, more effective, models of care by 2018. Advocated for the Patient-Centered Medical Home model should be scaled up for broad Medicare adoption, recognized, through the medical neighborhood concept, that specialty and subspecialty practices, hospitals, and other healthcare professionals and entities that provide treatment to the patient need to be recognized and provided with incentives-both non-financial and financial-for engaging in patient-centered practices that complement and support the efforts of the PCMH to provide high quality, efficient, coordinated care; advocated for ACPs High Value, Cost-Conscious Care Initiative, which includes clinical, public policy, and educational components, designed to help physicians and patients understand the benefits, harms, and costs of an intervention and whether it provides good value, as well as to slow the unsustainable rate of health care cost increases while preserving high-value, high-quality care. Advocated for H.R. 4015/S.2000, the SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act of 2014, legislation introduced on Feb. 6, 2014 to repeal the SGR and transition to a new value-based payment and delivery system; Advocated for extending the Medicare Primary Care Incentive Program beyond its 2015 sunset date. This program, which began in 2011, pays eligible internal medicine specialists, family physicians, and geriatricians a 10 percent bonus on designated office visits and other primary care services. Medical Education: Provide incentives to medical schools, community health centers, or hospitals, to increase the numbers of physicians choosing primary care; authorize HHS to selectively eliminate Graduate Medical Education (GME) caps for residency programs in primary care, advocated for S. 1627, which would increase the number of Medicare-supported training positions for medical residents by 15 percent (approximately 15,000 slots) over five years, requiring at least 50 percent of the new positions to be allocated to specialties facing a current shortage; Advocated to protect Medicare beneficiary access to health care services by preserving existing Medicare financing for Graduate Medical Education (GME). In the 114th Congress, advocated for S.1148/H.R.2124 and H.R. 1117-to strategically increase the number of GME training positions in primary care specialties (including internal medicine) and other specialties facing shortages. FY2016 Appropriations: Advocated for the highest level of funding possible for the Labor-HHS-Education bill within the discretionary cap established by the Budget Control Act (BCA); Supported funding to "improve health care quality, enhance consumer choice, advance patient safety, improve efficiency, reduce medical errors, and broaden access to essential services; Advocated for funding for AHRQ and Patient Centered Outcome Research Trust Fund, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA); Title VII, Section 747, Primary Care Training and Enhancement; National Health Service Corps, Community Health Centers Fund, National Health Care Workforce Commission; Expressed concern to House and Senate leadership over the expiration, at the end of FY2015, of dedicated funding for Community Health Centers, the National Health Service Corps, and Teaching Health Centers. Public Health Programs and Funding: Increase funding to accomplish the core missions and activities of the major federal public health agencies, including: biomedical and behavioral research, disease prevention and health promotion, access to safety net health care services, health professions education, mental health and substance abuse, health services research, health care for American Indians and Alaska natives, food and drug safety. Improving Access to Primary Care in the Context of Comprehensive Healthcare Reform Legislation (H.R. 3962/H.R. 3590/H.R. 4872): Ensure that all Americans will have access to affordable coverage. Provide sliding scale subsidies based on income to buy coverage from qualified plans; Qualified plans should: provide evidence-based benefits, including preventive services; and be prohibited from excluding persons with pre-existing conditions, charging them more, cherry-picking enrollees, or cancelling or failing to renew coverage; Expand Medicaid to cover all persons below the Federal Poverty Level and ensure fair payments to participating physicians; As coverage becomes affordable, all persons should participate and coverage should be guaranteed; Responsibility for financing should be shared by individuals, employers and government. Regarding the Essential Health Benefits Bulletin, issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on December 16, 2011, the College advocated for striking a balance between comprehensiveness and affordability while giving States some freedom to determine a package that best serve the needs of residents. The College believes that strong oversight is needed when determining the initial benchmark plan (and whether it reflects the coverage requirements of the Affordable Care Act) and how the package will be updated, particularly if insurers are given the ability to substitute benefits within and across categories. State and the federal government must work in concert with physicians, health care providers and payers to determine and promote use of clinically effective and cost-effective services that result in improved patient health while bending the cost curve. Advocated to repeal the mandate that requires a prescription for over-the-counter medications purchased through a Health Savings Account. Advocated for legislation that would provide coverage under Medicare for voluntary consultations between doctors and patients to discuss advance care plans, as included in H.R. 1173, the Personalize Your Care Act of 2013; advocated in Aug. 2014 for the Medicare Advantage Participants Bill of Rights, H.R. 4998 and S. 2552, that would prevent Medicare Advantage plans from terminating physicians from Medicare Advantage plan networks without sufficient notice or cause. Under the Affordable Care Act, advocated to ensure that people residing in states with health insurance marketplaces operated by the federal government do not lose their premium subsidies in the event that the Supreme Court rules in favor of the petitioners in the King versus Burwell case. Congress should not make changes in the ACA that would result in more uninsured persons or weaken consumer protections. Essential Health Benefits: Commented on the proposed rule regarding essential benefits, actuarial value, and accreditation as issued by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services on November 20, 2012; Advocated that strong oversight is needed when determining the initial benchmark plan (and whether it reflects the coverage requirements of the Affordable Care Act) and how the package will be updated, particularly if insurers are given the ability to substitute benefits within categories. State and the federal government must work in concert with physicians, health care providers and payers to determine and promote use of clinically effective and cost-effective services that result in improved patient health while bending the cost curve. Pilot test new Medicare payment models that re-align incentives to support effective, efficient, patient-centered, coordinated care. Priority should be given to models designed to support the value of services provided by primary care physicians as well as to models that would create incentives, across physician specialties and sites of services, to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of care provided. Policy criteria for selecting the most promising models for pilot testing should be developed, in consultation with outside experts; The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH), which has shown great promise in meeting the policy objectives suggested above, should be among the models selected for broader testing on a national pilot basis; the establishing of a new CMS Innovation Center to pilot-test new payment models, such as the medical home; the use of the medical home model for treatment or services under private health plans, the requirement of health plans to provide incentives to promote and report on medical home services provided, the establishment of community health teams and a primary care extension program to educate and support primary care practices in the delivery of medical home services, and the establishment of a demonstration project to educate physicians and other clinicians in training in the competencies required to deliver care consistent with the medical home care model. National workforce policy to ensure sufficient numbers of primary care and other physicians: Urged support for a national workforce commission to recommend national goals relating to the numbers and distribution of physicians and other health care professionals, including increasing the supply of primary care physicians; Fully fund the commission at levels authorized in the Affordable Care Act; Increase the number of Medicare-funded graduate medical education positions available each year in adult primary care specialties; Provide new loan repayment and medical school scholarship programs in exchange for primary care service in critical shortage health facilities, or in critical shortage areas of the country; Increase funding for scholarships and loan repayment programs under Title VII as well as increase funding for the National Health Service Corps (NHSC); Provide new practice-entry bonus for scholarship or loan repayment award recipients who remain in underserved communities after completion of service obligation. Reform the medical liability system and the enormous costs associated with frivolous lawsuits and defensive medicine: Impose caps on non-economic damages; and test and fund new models--like health courts, which would have cases heard by an expert panel rather than by a lay jury; Advocated for the Saving Lives, Saving Costs Act (H.R. 4106 in the 113th Congress), which establishes a framework for health care liability lawsuits to undergo review by independent medical review panels if health care professionals (practicing physicians or their agents or employees) allege adherence to applicable clinical practice guidelines in the provision of health care goods or services.. Workforce: Advocated for H.R. 1201 (113th Congress), The Training Tomorrow's Doctors Today Act, S. 577 (113th Congress), the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2013, H.R. 487 (113th Congress), the Primary Care Workforce Access and Improvement Act of 2013 (113th Congress). Medicaid Pay Parity: Advocated for extending for at least two more years, beyond 2014, the Medicaid primary care payment increase, as enacted under the Affordable Care Act, which has only recently been implemented in a majority of states, and (2) including physicians practicing obstetrics and gynecology as qualified specialties, subject to the current eligibility requirement that at least 60 percent of their Medicaid billings are the primary care services as defined by the authorizing legislation, for the purposes of qualifying for the Medicaid primary care increases; Advocated for at least a two-year extension of the Medicaid payment parity provision beyond its 2014 expiration date, namely through the Ensuring Access to Primary Care for Women & Children Act. 21st Century Cures: Commented on H.R. 6, the 21st Century Cures Act, which provides broad reforms to help incentive innovation and cures for disease; addresses FDA oversight, increased funding for the National Institutes of Health, immunization, the prescription drug approval process, and reforms to Health Information Technology and Electronic Health Records.

Client expense: $293,841 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), President of the U.S., SENATE

Preserving Access to Primary Care Services: Address the shortage of primary care physicians; designate primary care as a shortage profession; provide scholarships and loan forgiveness in exchange for primary care service commitments to practice in critical shortage areas; provide grants for medical school mentorship programs and primary care training in community health centers; increase Title VII funding for primary care health programs; increase funding for the National Health Service Corps, provide regulatory relief for primary care physicians; H.R. 7192/S. 1174, the Preserving Patient Access to Primary Care Act (111th Congress). Support Implementation and Improvement of the Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148, P.L. 111-152) by: Expanding coverage and improving Medicare benefits; Providing needed protections to guard against insurance practices that unfairly limit, deny or rescind coverage based on health status; public and private health insurers should encourage preventive health care by providing full coverage, with no cost-sharing, for preventive services recommended by an expert advisory group, such as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force; Ensuring access to primary care physicians; and beginning to bend the cost curve; Prohibiting insurers from excluding or charging excessive rates to children based on pre-existing conditions, which later will be expanded to all persons; Covering young adults on their parents' plans; Eliminating lifetime and annual limits on health insurance coverage; Requiring that health insurers spend more on patient care and less on administration; support enactment of S. 248, the Empowering States to Innovate Act, which amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) to: (1) allow states to apply for waivers of certain health insurance coverage requirements in such Act (including requirements for the establishment of qualified health plans and health insurance exchanges) for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2014 (currently, January 1, 2017), and (2) require the waiver application process to begin not later than 180 days after the enactment of this Act; Phasing out the Medicare Part D doughnut hole; Eliminating patient cost-sharing for preventive services offered by Medicare or private insurers; Increasing Medicare and Medicaid payments to primary care physicians; Establishing a new Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to help physicians and patients make care decisions based on the best available evidence; Creating a new Center on Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to fund pilots of delivery models to improve outcomes and reduce costs, including patient-centered medical homes; Training more primary care physicians through the National Health Service Corps, Title VII health professions funding, and redistributing unused graduate medical education positions to primary care specialties facing shortages; Beginning in 2014, ensuring that nearly all Americans have access to coverage either through subsidized private health insurance offered by state health exchanges or through Medicaid, if they don't already have access to coverage through an employer, Medicare, or another public program. Medicare Physician Payment Reform: Increase Medicare Fee Schedule payments to make primary care competitive in the market with other physician career and specialty choices; create a fast track authority to develop and implement new physician payment models that better align payment with effective, efficient, patient-centered care such as the Patient Centered Medical Home; provide a voluntary shared savings program, Accountable Care Organizations, that promotes accountability for services delivered to a defined Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) patient population with the goals of increasing the quality and efficiency of services delivered; provide separate Medicare payment for specific care coordination services provided principally by primary care physicians; revise Medicare budget neutrality rules to recognize the value of primary care in reducing Medicare baseline spending; increase the accuracy of physician work relative value units under the Medicare physician fee schedule; improve the accuracy of practice expense RVUs under the Medicare Fee Schedule; increase Medicare bonus payments for primary care services provided in designated shortage areas; provide stable, positive, predictable updates under Medicares reimbursement formula; and replacing the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula with a long term solution that provides for stable, predictable updates for physicians (H.R. 3961). Urged Congress to enact legislation that would provide stable payments for all physician specialties for at least five years while providing higher updates for undervalued evaluation and management services, require that different payment models (including Patient-Centered Medical Homes) be pilot-tested on a voluntary basis during the five year period of stable payments, and designate a specific transition period for broad adoption of the new models that have been shown to be the most effective based on the pilots. Advocated in support of H.R. 2, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act, which would repeal the SGR formula and move to a new value-based payment and delivery system under Medicare. Urged enactment of the Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act (H.R. 574), as introduced in Feb. 2013 by Representatives Allyson Schwartz (D-PA) and Joe Heck (R-NV). This legislation would eliminate the SGR once and for all and transition to better payment and delivery systems that are aligned with value. Specifically, H.R. 574 would repeal the SGR formula, provide more than 5 years of stable physician payments, with positive increases for all physician services, and higher payments for primary care, preventive and care coordination services, and establishes a process for practices to transition to new, more effective, models of care by 2018. Advocated for the Patient-Centered Medical Home model should be scaled up for broad Medicare adoption, recognized, through the medical neighborhood concept, that specialty and subspecialty practices, hospitals, and other healthcare professionals and entities that provide treatment to the patient need to be recognized and provided with incentives-both non-financial and financial-for engaging in patient-centered practices that complement and support the efforts of the PCMH to provide high quality, efficient, coordinated care; advocated for ACPs High Value, Cost-Conscious Care Initiative, which includes clinical, public policy, and educational components, designed to help physicians and patients understand the benefits, harms, and costs of an intervention and whether it provides good value, as well as to slow the unsustainable rate of health care cost increases while preserving high-value, high-quality care. Advocated for H.R. 4015/S.2000, the SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act of 2014, legislation introduced on Feb. 6, 2014 to repeal the SGR and transition to a new value-based payment and delivery system; Advocated for extending the Medicare Primary Care Incentive Program beyond its 2015 sunset date. This program, which began in 2011, pays eligible internal medicine specialists, family physicians, and geriatricians a 10 percent bonus on designated office visits and other primary care services. Medical Education: Provide incentives to medical schools, community health centers, or hospitals, to increase the numbers of physicians choosing primary care; authorize HHS to selectively eliminate Graduate Medical Education (GME) caps for residency programs in primary care, advocated for S. 1627, which would increase the number of Medicare-supported training positions for medical residents by 15 percent (approximately 15,000 slots) over five years, requiring at least 50 percent of the new positions to be allocated to specialties facing a current shortage; Advocated to protect Medicare beneficiary access to health care services by preserving existing Medicare financing for Graduate Medical Education (GME). In the 114th Congress, advocated for S.1148/H.R.2124 and H.R. 1117-to strategically increase the number of GME training positions in primary care specialties (including internal medicine) and other specialties facing shortages. FY2016 Appropriations: Advocated for the highest level of funding possible for the Labor-HHS-Education bill within the discretionary cap established by the Budget Control Act (BCA); Supported funding to "improve health care quality, enhance consumer choice, advance patient safety, improve efficiency, reduce medical errors, and broaden access to essential services; Advocated for funding for AHRQ and Patient Centered Outcome Research Trust Fund, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA); Title VII, Section 747, Primary Care Training and Enhancement; National Health Service Corps, Community Health Centers Fund, National Health Care Workforce Commission; Expressed concern to House and Senate leadership over the expiration, at the end of FY2015, of dedicated funding for Community Health Centers, the National Health Service Corps, and Teaching Health Centers. Public Health Programs and Funding: Increase funding to accomplish the core missions and activities of the major federal public health agencies, including: biomedical and behavioral research, disease prevention and health promotion, access to safety net health care services, health professions education, mental health and substance abuse, health services research, health care for American Indians and Alaska natives, food and drug safety. Improving Access to Primary Care in the Context of Comprehensive Healthcare Reform Legislation (H.R. 3962/H.R. 3590/H.R. 4872): Ensure that all Americans will have access to affordable coverage. Provide sliding scale subsidies based on income to buy coverage from qualified plans; Qualified plans should: provide evidence-based benefits, including preventive services; and be prohibited from excluding persons with pre-existing conditions, charging them more, cherry-picking enrollees, or cancelling or failing to renew coverage; Expand Medicaid to cover all persons below the Federal Poverty Level and ensure fair payments to participating physicians; As coverage becomes affordable, all persons should participate and coverage should be guaranteed; Responsibility for financing should be shared by individuals, employers and government. Regarding the Essential Health Benefits Bulletin, issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on December 16, 2011, the College advocated for striking a balance between comprehensiveness and affordability while giving States some freedom to determine a package that best serve the needs of residents. The College believes that strong oversight is needed when determining the initial benchmark plan (and whether it reflects the coverage requirements of the Affordable Care Act) and how the package will be updated, particularly if insurers are given the ability to substitute benefits within and across categories. State and the federal government must work in concert with physicians, health care providers and payers to determine and promote use of clinically effective and cost-effective services that result in improved patient health while bending the cost curve. Advocated to repeal the mandate that requires a prescription for over-the-counter medications purchased through a Health Savings Account. Advocated for legislation that would provide coverage under Medicare for voluntary consultations between doctors and patients to discuss advance care plans, as included in H.R. 1173, the Personalize Your Care Act of 2013; advocated in Aug. 2014 for the Medicare Advantage Participants Bill of Rights, H.R. 4998 and S. 2552, that would prevent Medicare Advantage plans from terminating physicians from Medicare Advantage plan networks without sufficient notice or cause. Under the Affordable Care Act, advocated to ensure that people residing in states with health insurance marketplaces operated by the federal government do not lose their premium subsidies in the event that the Supreme Court rules in favor of the petitioners in the King versus Burwell case. Congress should not make changes in the ACA that would result in more uninsured persons or weaken consumer protections. Essential Health Benefits: Commented on the proposed rule regarding essential benefits, actuarial value, and accreditation as issued by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services on November 20, 2012; Advocated that strong oversight is needed when determining the initial benchmark plan (and whether it reflects the coverage requirements of the Affordable Care Act) and how the package will be updated, particularly if insurers are given the ability to substitute benefits within categories. State and the federal government must work in concert with physicians, health care providers and payers to determine and promote use of clinically effective and cost-effective services that result in improved patient health while bending the cost curve. Pilot test new Medicare payment models that re-align incentives to support effective, efficient, patient-centered, coordinated care. Priority should be given to models designed to support the value of services provided by primary care physicians as well as to models that would create incentives, across physician specialties and sites of services, to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of care provided. Policy criteria for selecting the most promising models for pilot testing should be developed, in consultation with outside experts; The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH), which has shown great promise in meeting the policy objectives suggested above, should be among the models selected for broader testing on a national pilot basis; the establishing of a new CMS Innovation Center to pilot-test new payment models, such as the medical home; the use of the medical home model for treatment or services under private health plans, the requirement of health plans to provide incentives to promote and report on medical home services provided, the establishment of community health teams and a primary care extension program to educate and support primary care practices in the delivery of medical home services, and the establishment of a demonstration project to educate physicians and other clinicians in training in the competencies required to deliver care consistent with the medical home care model. National workforce policy to ensure sufficient numbers of primary care and other physicians: Urged support for a national workforce commission to recommend national goals relating to the numbers and distribution of physicians and other health care professionals, including increasing the supply of primary care physicians; Fully fund the commission at levels authorized in the Affordable Care Act; Increase the number of Medicare-funded graduate medical education positions available each year in adult primary care specialties; Provide new loan repayment and medical school scholarship programs in exchange for primary care service in critical shortage health facilities, or in critical shortage areas of the country; Increase funding for scholarships and loan repayment programs under Title VII as well as increase funding for the National Health Service Corps (NHSC); Provide new practice-entry bonus for scholarship or loan repayment award recipients who remain in underserved communities after completion of service obligation. Reform the medical liability system and the enormous costs associated with frivolous lawsuits and defensive medicine: Impose caps on non-economic damages; and test and fund new models--like health courts, which would have cases heard by an expert panel rather than by a lay jury; Advocated for the Saving Lives, Saving Costs Act (H.R. 4106 in the 113th Congress), which establishes a framework for health care liability lawsuits to undergo review by independent medical review panels if health care professionals (practicing physicians or their agents or employees) allege adherence to applicable clinical practice guidelines in the provision of health care goods or services.. Workforce: Advocated for H.R. 1201 (113th Congress), The Training Tomorrow's Doctors Today Act, S. 577 (113th Congress), the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2013, H.R. 487 (113th Congress), the Primary Care Workforce Access and Improvement Act of 2013 (113th Congress). Medicaid Pay Parity: Advocated for extending for at least two more years, beyond 2014, the Medicaid primary care payment increase, as enacted under the Affordable Care Act, which has only recently been implemented in a majority of states, and (2) including physicians practicing obstetrics and gynecology as qualified specialties, subject to the current eligibility requirement that at least 60 percent of their Medicaid billings are the primary care services as defined by the authorizing legislation, for the purposes of qualifying for the Medicaid primary care increases; Advocated for at least a two-year extension of the Medicaid payment parity provision beyond its 2014 expiration date, namely through the Ensuring Access to Primary Care for Women & Children Act. 21st Century Cures: Commented on H.R. 6, the 21st Century Cures Act, which provides broad reforms to help incentive innovation and cures for disease; addresses FDA oversight, increased funding for the National Institutes of Health, immunization, the prescription drug approval process, and reforms to Health Information Technology and Electronic Health Records.

Client expense: $96,858 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), President of the U.S., SENATE

Graduate Medical Education; Health Care Quality, Patient Access to Health Care; Physician Workforce; Medicare Physician Payment Issues; Independent Payment Advisory Board. H.R. 574, The Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act of 2013.

Client expense: $142,079 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ), Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Government Accountability Office (GAO), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, White House Office

Graduate Medical Education; Health Care Quality, Patient Access to Health Care; Physician Workforce; Medicare Physician Payment Issues; Independent Payment Advisory Board. H.R. 574, The Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act of 2013.

Client expense: $235,284 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ), Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Government Accountability Office (GAO), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, White House Office

Preserving Access to Primary Care Services: Address the shortage of primary care physicians; designate primary care as a shortage profession; provide scholarships and loan forgiveness in exchange for primary care service commitments to practice in critical shortage areas; provide grants for medical school mentorship programs and primary care training in community health centers; increase Title VII funding for primary care health programs; increase funding for the National Health Service Corps, provide regulatory relief for primary care physicians; H.R. 7192/S. 1174, the Preserving Patient Access to Primary Care Act (111th Congress). Support Implementation and Improvement of the Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148, P.L. 111-152) by: Expanding coverage and improving Medicare benefits; Providing needed protections to guard against insurance practices that unfairly limit, deny or rescind coverage based on health status; public and private health insurers should encourage preventive health care by providing full coverage, with no cost-sharing, for preventive services recommended by an expert advisory group, such as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force; Ensuring access to primary care physicians; and beginning to bend the cost curve; Prohibiting insurers from excluding or charging excessive rates to children based on pre-existing conditions, which later will be expanded to all persons; Covering young adults on their parents' plans; Eliminating lifetime and annual limits on health insurance coverage; Requiring that health insurers spend more on patient care and less on administration; support enactment of S. 248, the Empowering States to Innovate Act, which amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) to: (1) allow states to apply for waivers of certain health insurance coverage requirements in such Act (including requirements for the establishment of qualified health plans and health insurance exchanges) for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2014 (currently, January 1, 2017), and (2) require the waiver application process to begin not later than 180 days after the enactment of this Act; Phasing out the Medicare Part D doughnut hole; Eliminating patient cost-sharing for preventive services offered by Medicare or private insurers; Increasing Medicare and Medicaid payments to primary care physicians; Establishing a new Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to help physicians and patients make care decisions based on the best available evidence; Creating a new Center on Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to fund pilots of delivery models to improve outcomes and reduce costs, including patient-centered medical homes; Training more primary care physicians through the National Health Service Corps, Title VII health professions funding, and redistributing unused graduate medical education positions to primary care specialties facing shortages; Beginning in 2014, ensuring that nearly all Americans have access to coverage either through subsidized private health insurance offered by state health exchanges or through Medicaid, if they don't already have access to coverage through an employer, Medicare, or another public program. Medicare Physician Payment Reform: Increase Medicare Fee Schedule payments to make primary care competitive in the market with other physician career and specialty choices; create a fast track authority to develop and implement new physician payment models that better align payment with effective, efficient, patient-centered care such as the Patient Centered Medical Home; provide a voluntary shared savings program, Accountable Care Organizations, that promotes accountability for services delivered to a defined Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) patient population with the goals of increasing the quality and efficiency of services delivered; provide separate Medicare payment for specific care coordination services provided principally by primary care physicians; revise Medicare budget neutrality rules to recognize the value of primary care in reducing Medicare baseline spending; increase the accuracy of physician work relative value units under the Medicare physician fee schedule; improve the accuracy of practice expense RVUs under the Medicare Fee Schedule; increase Medicare bonus payments for primary care services provided in designated shortage areas; provide stable, positive, predictable updates under Medicares reimbursement formula; and replacing the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula with a long term solution that provides for stable, predictable updates for physicians (H.R. 3961). Urged Congress to enact legislation that would provide stable payments for all physician specialties for at least five years while providing higher updates for undervalued evaluation and management services, require that different payment models (including Patient-Centered Medical Homes) be pilot-tested on a voluntary basis during the five year period of stable payments, and designate a specific transition period for broad adoption of the new models that have been shown to be the most effective based on the pilots. Advocated in support of H.R. 2, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act, which would repeal the SGR formula and move to a new value-based payment and delivery system under Medicare. Urged enactment of the Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act (H.R. 574), as introduced in Feb. 2013 by Representatives Allyson Schwartz (D-PA) and Joe Heck (R-NV). This legislation would eliminate the SGR once and for all and transition to better payment and delivery systems that are aligned with value. Specifically, H.R. 574 would repeal the SGR formula, provide more than 5 years of stable physician payments, with positive increases for all physician services, and higher payments for primary care, preventive and care coordination services, and establishes a process for practices to transition to new, more effective, models of care by 2018. Advocated for the Patient-Centered Medical Home model should be scaled up for broad Medicare adoption, recognized, through the medical neighborhood concept, that specialty and subspecialty practices, hospitals, and other healthcare professionals and entities that provide treatment to the patient need to be recognized and provided with incentives-both non-financial and financial-for engaging in patient-centered practices that complement and support the efforts of the PCMH to provide high quality, efficient, coordinated care; advocated for ACPs High Value, Cost-Conscious Care Initiative, which includes clinical, public policy, and educational components, designed to help physicians and patients understand the benefits, harms, and costs of an intervention and whether it provides good value, as well as to slow the unsustainable rate of health care cost increases while preserving high-value, high-quality care. Advocated for halting the nearly 25 percent cut in physician payments resulting from the flawed SGR formula, which was scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2014; Advocated for H.R. 2810, the SGR Repeal and Medicare Beneficiary Access Act of 2013, which would repeal the SGR and transition to a new value-based payment and delivery system; Advocated for H.R. 4015/S.2000, the SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act of 2014, legislation introduced on Feb. 6, 2014 to repeal the SGR and transition to a new value-based payment and delivery system. Medical Education: Provide incentives to medical schools, community health centers, or hospitals, to increase the numbers of physicians choosing primary care; authorize HHS to selectively eliminate Graduate Medical Education (GME) caps for residency programs in primary care, advocated for S. 1627, which would increase the number of Medicare-supported training positions for medical residents by 15 percent (approximately 15,000 slots) over five years, requiring at least 50 percent of the new positions to be allocated to specialties facing a current shortage; Advocated to protect Medicare beneficiary access to health care services by preserving existing Medicare financing for Graduate Medical Education (GME). FY2016 Appropriations: Advocated for the highest level of funding possible for the Labor-HHS-Education bill within the discretionary cap established by the Budget Control Act (BCA); Supported funding to "improve health care quality, enhance consumer choice, advance patient safety, improve efficiency, reduce medical errors, and broaden access to essential services; Advocated for funding for AHRQ, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA); Title VII, Section 747, Primary Care Training and Enhancement; National Health Service Corps, Community Health Centers Fund, National Health Care Workforce Commission; Expressed concern to House and Senate leadership over the expiration, at the end of FY2015, of dedicated funding for Community Health Centers, the National Health Service Corps, and Teaching Health Centers. Public Health Programs and Funding: Increase funding to accomplish the core missions and activities of the major federal public health agencies, including: biomedical and behavioral research, disease prevention and health promotion, access to safety net health care services, health professions education, mental health and substance abuse, health services research, health care for American Indians and Alaska natives, food and drug safety. Advocated to federal health agencies that wellness programs must not be used as a means to discriminate against the sick and vulnerable. Wellness programs must be developed to encourage prevention and improve health rather than penalize those who are medically unable to meet wellness program goals; Advocated that employers and health plans should fund programs proven to be effective in reducing obesity, stopping smoking, deterring alcohol abuse, and promoting wellness and providing coverage or subsidies for individuals to participate in such programs. Improving Access to Primary Care in the Context of Comprehensive Healthcare Reform Legislation (H.R. 3962/H.R. 3590/H.R. 4872): Ensure that all Americans will have access to affordable coverage. Provide sliding scale subsidies based on income to buy coverage from qualified plans; Qualified plans should: provide evidence-based benefits, including preventive services; and be prohibited from excluding persons with pre-existing conditions, charging them more, cherry-picking enrollees, or cancelling or failing to renew coverage; Expand Medicaid to cover all persons below the Federal Poverty Level and ensure fair payments to participating physicians; As coverage becomes affordable, all persons should participate and coverage should be guaranteed; Responsibility for financing should be shared by individuals, employers and government. Regarding the Essential Health Benefits Bulletin, issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on December 16, 2011, the College advocated for striking a balance between comprehensiveness and affordability while giving States some freedom to determine a package that best serve the needs of residents. The College believes that strong oversight is needed when determining the initial benchmark plan (and whether it reflects the coverage requirements of the Affordable Care Act) and how the package will be updated, particularly if insurers are given the ability to substitute benefits within and across categories. State and the federal government must work in concert with physicians, health care providers and payers to determine and promote use of clinically effective and cost-effective services that result in improved patient health while bending the cost curve. Advocated to repeal the mandate that requires a prescription for over-the-counter medications purchased through a Health Savings Account. Advocated for legislation that would provide coverage under Medicare for voluntary consultations between doctors and patients to discuss advance care plans, as included in H.R. 1173, the Personalize Your Care Act of 2013; advocated in Aug. 2014 for the Medicare Advantage Participants Bill of Rights, H.R. 4998 and S. 2552, that would prevent Medicare Advantage plans from terminating physicians from Medicare Advantage plan networks without sufficient notice or cause. Essential Health Benefits: Commented on the proposed rule regarding essential benefits, actuarial value, and accreditation as issued by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services on November 20, 2012; Advocated that strong oversight is needed when determining the initial benchmark plan (and whether it reflects the coverage requirements of the Affordable Care Act) and how the package will be updated, particularly if insurers are given the ability to substitute benefits within categories. State and the federal government must work in concert with physicians, health care providers and payers to determine and promote use of clinically effective and cost-effective services that result in improved patient health while bending the cost curve. Pilot test new Medicare payment models that re-align incentives to support effective, efficient, patient-centered, coordinated care. Priority should be given to models designed to support the value of services provided by primary care physicians as well as to models that would create incentives, across physician specialties and sites of services, to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of care provided. Policy criteria for selecting the most promising models for pilot testing should be developed, in consultation with outside experts; The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH), which has shown great promise in meeting the policy objectives suggested above, should be among the models selected for broader testing on a national pilot basis; the establishing of a new CMS Innovation Center to pilot-test new payment models, such as the medical home; the use of the medical home model for treatment or services under private health plans, the requirement of health plans to provide incentives to promote and report on medical home services provided, the establishment of community health teams and a primary care extension program to educate and support primary care practices in the delivery of medical home services, and the establishment of a demonstration project to educate physicians and other clinicians in training in the competencies required to deliver care consistent with the medical home care model. National workforce policy to ensure sufficient numbers of primary care and other physicians: Urged support for a national workforce commission to recommend national goals relating to the numbers and distribution of physicians and other health care professionals, including increasing the supply of primary care physicians; Fully fund the commission at levels authorized in the Affordable Care Act; Increase the number of Medicare-funded graduate medical education positions available each year in adult primary care specialties; Provide new loan repayment and medical school scholarship programs in exchange for primary care service in critical shortage health facilities, or in critical shortage areas of the country; Increase funding for scholarships and loan repayment programs under Title VII as well as increase funding for the National Health Service Corps (NHSC); Provide new practice-entry bonus for scholarship or loan repayment award recipients who remain in underserved communities after completion of service obligation. Reform the medical liability system and the enormous costs associated with frivolous lawsuits and defensive medicine: Impose caps on non-economic damages; and test and fund new models--like health courts, which would have cases heard by an expert panel rather than by a lay jury; Advocated for the Saving Lives, Saving Costs Act (H.R. 4106 in the 113th Congress), which establishes a framework for health care liability lawsuits to undergo review by independent medical review panels if health care professionals (practicing physicians or their agents or employees) allege adherence to applicable clinical practice guidelines in the provision of health care goods or services.. Workforce: Advocated for H.R. 1201 (113th Congress), The Training Tomorrow's Doctors Today Act, S. 577 (113th Congress), the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2013, H.R. 487 (113th Congress), the Primary Care Workforce Access and Improvement Act of 2013 (113th Congress) Medicaid Pay Parity: Advocated for extending for at least two more years, beyond 2014, the Medicaid primary care payment increase, as enacted under the Affordable Care Act, which has only recently been implemented in a majority of states, and (2) including physicians practicing obstetrics and gynecology as qualified specialties, subject to the current eligibility requirement that at least 60 percent of their Medicaid billings are the primary care services as defined by the authorizing legislation, for the purposes of qualifying for the Medicaid primary care increases; Advocated for at least a two-year extension of the Medicaid payment parity provision beyond its 2014 expiration date, namely through the Ensuring Access to Primary Care for Women & Children Act. Tobacco Regulation: Expressed strong opposition to House appropriators to any amendment that would exempt any type of cigar from regulation under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, P.L. 111-31, or would impede the rulemaking process the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has initiated to determine the appropriate level of oversight for tobacco products not currently regulated by the agency; the FDA should retain the authority to regulate all tobacco products, including cigars, and should be permitted to use a science-based process for determining those regulations; Advocated in Aug. 2014 for the Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention Act of 2014, which gives the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission the authority to require the use of child-proof packaging on liquid nicotine containers sold to consumers.

Client expense: $98,691 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), President of the U.S., SENATE

Preserving Access to Primary Care Services: Address the shortage of primary care physicians; designate primary care as a shortage profession; provide scholarships and loan forgiveness in exchange for primary care service commitments to practice in critical shortage areas; provide grants for medical school mentorship programs and primary care training in community health centers; increase Title VII funding for primary care health programs; increase funding for the National Health Service Corps, provide regulatory relief for primary care physicians; H.R. 7192/S. 1174, the Preserving Patient Access to Primary Care Act (111th Congress). Support Implementation and Improvement of the Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148, P.L. 111-152) by: Expanding coverage and improving Medicare benefits; Providing needed protections to guard against insurance practices that unfairly limit, deny or rescind coverage based on health status; public and private health insurers should encourage preventive health care by providing full coverage, with no cost-sharing, for preventive services recommended by an expert advisory group, such as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force; Ensuring access to primary care physicians; and beginning to bend the cost curve; Prohibiting insurers from excluding or charging excessive rates to children based on pre-existing conditions, which later will be expanded to all persons; Covering young adults on their parents' plans; Eliminating lifetime and annual limits on health insurance coverage; Requiring that health insurers spend more on patient care and less on administration; support enactment of S. 248, the Empowering States to Innovate Act, which amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) to: (1) allow states to apply for waivers of certain health insurance coverage requirements in such Act (including requirements for the establishment of qualified health plans and health insurance exchanges) for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2014 (currently, January 1, 2017), and (2) require the waiver application process to begin not later than 180 days after the enactment of this Act; Phasing out the Medicare Part D doughnut hole; Eliminating patient cost-sharing for preventive services offered by Medicare or private insurers; Increasing Medicare and Medicaid payments to primary care physicians; Establishing a new Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to help physicians and patients make care decisions based on the best available evidence; Creating a new Center on Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to fund pilots of delivery models to improve outcomes and reduce costs, including patient-centered medical homes; Training more primary care physicians through the National Health Service Corps, Title VII health professions funding, and redistributing unused graduate medical education positions to primary care specialties facing shortages; Beginning in 2014, ensuring that nearly all Americans have access to coverage either through subsidized private health insurance offered by state health exchanges or through Medicaid, if they don't already have access to coverage through an employer, Medicare, or another public program. Medicare Physician Payment Reform: Increase Medicare Fee Schedule payments to make primary care competitive in the market with other physician career and specialty choices; create a fast track authority to develop and implement new physician payment models that better align payment with effective, efficient, patient-centered care such as the Patient Centered Medical Home; provide a voluntary shared savings program, Accountable Care Organizations, that promotes accountability for services delivered to a defined Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) patient population with the goals of increasing the quality and efficiency of services delivered; provide separate Medicare payment for specific care coordination services provided principally by primary care physicians; revise Medicare budget neutrality rules to recognize the value of primary care in reducing Medicare baseline spending; increase the accuracy of physician work relative value units under the Medicare physician fee schedule; improve the accuracy of practice expense RVUs under the Medicare Fee Schedule; increase Medicare bonus payments for primary care services provided in designated shortage areas; provide stable, positive, predictable updates under Medicares reimbursement formula; and replacing the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula with a long term solution that provides for stable, predictable updates for physicians (H.R. 3961). Urged Congress to enact legislation that would provide stable payments for all physician specialties for at least five years while providing higher updates for undervalued evaluation and management services, require that different payment models (including Patient-Centered Medical Homes) be pilot-tested on a voluntary basis during the five year period of stable payments, and designate a specific transition period for broad adoption of the new models that have been shown to be the most effective based on the pilots. Advocated in support of H.R. 2, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act, which would repeal the SGR formula and move to a new value-based payment and delivery system under Medicare. Urged enactment of the Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act (H.R. 574), as introduced in Feb. 2013 by Representatives Allyson Schwartz (D-PA) and Joe Heck (R-NV). This legislation would eliminate the SGR once and for all and transition to better payment and delivery systems that are aligned with value. Specifically, H.R. 574 would repeal the SGR formula, provide more than 5 years of stable physician payments, with positive increases for all physician services, and higher payments for primary care, preventive and care coordination services, and establishes a process for practices to transition to new, more effective, models of care by 2018. Advocated for the Patient-Centered Medical Home model should be scaled up for broad Medicare adoption, recognized, through the medical neighborhood concept, that specialty and subspecialty practices, hospitals, and other healthcare professionals and entities that provide treatment to the patient need to be recognized and provided with incentives-both non-financial and financial-for engaging in patient-centered practices that complement and support the efforts of the PCMH to provide high quality, efficient, coordinated care; advocated for ACPs High Value, Cost-Conscious Care Initiative, which includes clinical, public policy, and educational components, designed to help physicians and patients understand the benefits, harms, and costs of an intervention and whether it provides good value, as well as to slow the unsustainable rate of health care cost increases while preserving high-value, high-quality care. Advocated for halting the nearly 25 percent cut in physician payments resulting from the flawed SGR formula, which was scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2014; Advocated for H.R. 2810, the SGR Repeal and Medicare Beneficiary Access Act of 2013, which would repeal the SGR and transition to a new value-based payment and delivery system; Advocated for H.R. 4015/S.2000, the SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act of 2014, legislation introduced on Feb. 6, 2014 to repeal the SGR and transition to a new value-based payment and delivery system. Medical Education: Provide incentives to medical schools, community health centers, or hospitals, to increase the numbers of physicians choosing primary care; authorize HHS to selectively eliminate Graduate Medical Education (GME) caps for residency programs in primary care, advocated for S. 1627, which would increase the number of Medicare-supported training positions for medical residents by 15 percent (approximately 15,000 slots) over five years, requiring at least 50 percent of the new positions to be allocated to specialties facing a current shortage; Advocated to protect Medicare beneficiary access to health care services by preserving existing Medicare financing for Graduate Medical Education (GME). FY2016 Appropriations: Advocated for the highest level of funding possible for the Labor-HHS-Education bill within the discretionary cap established by the Budget Control Act (BCA); Supported funding to "improve health care quality, enhance consumer choice, advance patient safety, improve efficiency, reduce medical errors, and broaden access to essential services; Advocated for funding for AHRQ, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA); Title VII, Section 747, Primary Care Training and Enhancement; National Health Service Corps, Community Health Centers Fund, National Health Care Workforce Commission; Expressed concern to House and Senate leadership over the expiration, at the end of FY2015, of dedicated funding for Community Health Centers, the National Health Service Corps, and Teaching Health Centers. Public Health Programs and Funding: Increase funding to accomplish the core missions and activities of the major federal public health agencies, including: biomedical and behavioral research, disease prevention and health promotion, access to safety net health care services, health professions education, mental health and substance abuse, health services research, health care for American Indians and Alaska natives, food and drug safety. Advocated to federal health agencies that wellness programs must not be used as a means to discriminate against the sick and vulnerable. Wellness programs must be developed to encourage prevention and improve health rather than penalize those who are medically unable to meet wellness program goals; Advocated that employers and health plans should fund programs proven to be effective in reducing obesity, stopping smoking, deterring alcohol abuse, and promoting wellness and providing coverage or subsidies for individuals to participate in such programs. Improving Access to Primary Care in the Context of Comprehensive Healthcare Reform Legislation (H.R. 3962/H.R. 3590/H.R. 4872): Ensure that all Americans will have access to affordable coverage. Provide sliding scale subsidies based on income to buy coverage from qualified plans; Qualified plans should: provide evidence-based benefits, including preventive services; and be prohibited from excluding persons with pre-existing conditions, charging them more, cherry-picking enrollees, or cancelling or failing to renew coverage; Expand Medicaid to cover all persons below the Federal Poverty Level and ensure fair payments to participating physicians; As coverage becomes affordable, all persons should participate and coverage should be guaranteed; Responsibility for financing should be shared by individuals, employers and government. Regarding the Essential Health Benefits Bulletin, issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on December 16, 2011, the College advocated for striking a balance between comprehensiveness and affordability while giving States some freedom to determine a package that best serve the needs of residents. The College believes that strong oversight is needed when determining the initial benchmark plan (and whether it reflects the coverage requirements of the Affordable Care Act) and how the package will be updated, particularly if insurers are given the ability to substitute benefits within and across categories. State and the federal government must work in concert with physicians, health care providers and payers to determine and promote use of clinically effective and cost-effective services that result in improved patient health while bending the cost curve. Advocated to repeal the mandate that requires a prescription for over-the-counter medications purchased through a Health Savings Account. Advocated for legislation that would provide coverage under Medicare for voluntary consultations between doctors and patients to discuss advance care plans, as included in H.R. 1173, the Personalize Your Care Act of 2013; advocated in Aug. 2014 for the Medicare Advantage Participants Bill of Rights, H.R. 4998 and S. 2552, that would prevent Medicare Advantage plans from terminating physicians from Medicare Advantage plan networks without sufficient notice or cause. Essential Health Benefits: Commented on the proposed rule regarding essential benefits, actuarial value, and accreditation as issued by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services on November 20, 2012; Advocated that strong oversight is needed when determining the initial benchmark plan (and whether it reflects the coverage requirements of the Affordable Care Act) and how the package will be updated, particularly if insurers are given the ability to substitute benefits within categories. State and the federal government must work in concert with physicians, health care providers and payers to determine and promote use of clinically effective and cost-effective services that result in improved patient health while bending the cost curve. Pilot test new Medicare payment models that re-align incentives to support effective, efficient, patient-centered, coordinated care. Priority should be given to models designed to support the value of services provided by primary care physicians as well as to models that would create incentives, across physician specialties and sites of services, to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of care provided. Policy criteria for selecting the most promising models for pilot testing should be developed, in consultation with outside experts; The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH), which has shown great promise in meeting the policy objectives suggested above, should be among the models selected for broader testing on a national pilot basis; the establishing of a new CMS Innovation Center to pilot-test new payment models, such as the medical home; the use of the medical home model for treatment or services under private health plans, the requirement of health plans to provide incentives to promote and report on medical home services provided, the establishment of community health teams and a primary care extension program to educate and support primary care practices in the delivery of medical home services, and the establishment of a demonstration project to educate physicians and other clinicians in training in the competencies required to deliver care consistent with the medical home care model. National workforce policy to ensure sufficient numbers of primary care and other physicians: Urged support for a national workforce commission to recommend national goals relating to the numbers and distribution of physicians and other health care professionals, including increasing the supply of primary care physicians; Fully fund the commission at levels authorized in the Affordable Care Act; Increase the number of Medicare-funded graduate medical education positions available each year in adult primary care specialties; Provide new loan repayment and medical school scholarship programs in exchange for primary care service in critical shortage health facilities, or in critical shortage areas of the country; Increase funding for scholarships and loan repayment programs under Title VII as well as increase funding for the National Health Service Corps (NHSC); Provide new practice-entry bonus for scholarship or loan repayment award recipients who remain in underserved communities after completion of service obligation. Reform the medical liability system and the enormous costs associated with frivolous lawsuits and defensive medicine: Impose caps on non-economic damages; and test and fund new models--like health courts, which would have cases heard by an expert panel rather than by a lay jury; Advocated for the Saving Lives, Saving Costs Act (H.R. 4106 in the 113th Congress), which establishes a framework for health care liability lawsuits to undergo review by independent medical review panels if health care professionals (practicing physicians or their agents or employees) allege adherence to applicable clinical practice guidelines in the provision of health care goods or services.. Workforce: Advocated for H.R. 1201 (113th Congress), The Training Tomorrow's Doctors Today Act, S. 577 (113th Congress), the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2013, H.R. 487 (113th Congress), the Primary Care Workforce Access and Improvement Act of 2013 (113th Congress) Medicaid Pay Parity: Advocated for extending for at least two more years, beyond 2014, the Medicaid primary care payment increase, as enacted under the Affordable Care Act, which has only recently been implemented in a majority of states, and (2) including physicians practicing obstetrics and gynecology as qualified specialties, subject to the current eligibility requirement that at least 60 percent of their Medicaid billings are the primary care services as defined by the authorizing legislation, for the purposes of qualifying for the Medicaid primary care increases; Advocated for at least a two-year extension of the Medicaid payment parity provision beyond its 2014 expiration date, namely through the Ensuring Access to Primary Care for Women & Children Act. Tobacco Regulation: Expressed strong opposition to House appropriators to any amendment that would exempt any type of cigar from regulation under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, P.L. 111-31, or would impede the rulemaking process the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has initiated to determine the appropriate level of oversight for tobacco products not currently regulated by the agency; the FDA should retain the authority to regulate all tobacco products, including cigars, and should be permitted to use a science-based process for determining those regulations; Advocated in Aug. 2014 for the Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention Act of 2014, which gives the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission the authority to require the use of child-proof packaging on liquid nicotine containers sold to consumers.

Client expense: $205,772 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), President of the U.S., SENATE

H.R. 713/S. 367-Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act (Repeal of Therapy Caps) Payments to Physical Therapists under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Permanent Repeal of/alternatives to the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) Formula H.R. 574 Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act Opposition of Multiple Procedure Payment Reduction for PT Services Physician Quality Reporting System H.R. 2914 Promoting Integrity in Medicare Act H.R. 1310 and S. 236 Medicare Patient Empowerment Act Prevention Initiatives for Fraud and Abuse in the Medicare program Accountable Care Organizations/Patient Centered Medical Homes Electronic Health Records/ Health Information Technology incentives for Physical Therapists Development of Alternatives to Medicare Therapy Cap Medicare Payment Reform Local Coverage Determinations NCCI Edits Protection of programs related to physical therapy in deficit reduction Medicare Advantage PCORI National Priority for Research and Research Agenda Health Information Technology Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act Functional Limitation Reporting Therapy Cap: Manual Medical Review Essential Health Benefits Sustainable Growth Rate Reform H.R. 1179/S. 569 Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act Medicaid Essential Health Benefits EHR/LTPAC Settings: Transitions of Care Medicare Improvement Standards Bundled Payment Models Common assessment tool for Medicare post-acute care Medicare appeals process H.R. 3426 Prevent Interruptions in Physical Therapy Act/S.2818 H.R. 942 and S. 948 Ensuring Access to Quality Complex Rehabilitation Technology H.R. 2810 Medicare Patient Access and Quality Improvement Act Inclusion of physical therapists in quality programs in SGR Reform H.R. 4015 and S.2000: SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act of 2014 FTC Anti-competition Self-referral S.1871 SGR Repeal and Medicare Beneficiary Access Act S.2110 Medicare SGR Repeal and Beneficiary Access Improvement Act S. 2157 Commonsense Medicare SGR Repeal and Beneficiary Access Improvement Act H.R.4302 Protecting Access to Medicare Act Statement for the record on Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Current Hospital Issues in Medicare H.R. 4755 Access to In-patient Rehabilitation Therapy Act H.R. 4994/S.2553 IMPACT Act Able Act Comments on CY2015 OPPS rule H.R. 5380 Medicare Telehealth Parity Act Comments on draft Fraud & Abuse Legislation Hospital Improvements for Payment Act H.R. 5380 Medicare Telehealth Parity Act

Client expense: $308,338 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ), Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Defense, Dept of (DOD), Education, Dept of, Government Accountability Office (GAO), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), Natl Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, Small Business Administration (SBA), Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA), White House Office

S. 264, H.R. 1263, the Excellence in Mental Health Act H.R. 794, To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for treatment of clinical psychologists as physicians for purposes of furnishing clinical psychologist services under the Medicare Program. H.R. 574, the Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act of 2013 S. 577, H.R. 1201, Training Tomorrows Doctors Today Act S. 236, H.R. 1310, the Medicare Patient Empowerment Act of 2013 H.R. 1331, the Electronic Health Records Improvement Act S. 351, H.R. 351, the Protecting Seniors Access to Medicare Act of 2013 H.R. 297, the Childrens Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act of 2013 H.R. 2545, the Accuracy in Medicare Physician Payment Act of 2013 S. 1064, Medicare Mental Health Access Act H.R. 2810, the Medicare Patient Access and Quality Improvement Act of 2013 H.R. 3128, the Protect Patients Act of 2013 H.R. 3717, the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2013 H.R. 3662, the Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2013 H.R. 4302, the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 H.R. 4015, the SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act of 2014 S. 2110, the Medicare SGR Repeal and Beneficiary Access Improvement Act of 2014 S. 2122, the Responsible Medicare SGR Repeal and Beneficiary Access Improvement Act of 2014 H.R. 4762, the Medicare Transitional Care Act of 2014 H.R. 5353, the Medicaid Parity Act of 2014 H.R. 5136, the Breaking Addiction Act of 2014 H.R. 5339, the Expanding Opportunities for Recovery Act of 2014 H.R. 5587, the Opioid Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 2014 Revisions to Payment Policies under the Physician Fee Schedule, Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule, Access to Identifiable Data for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation Models & Other Revisions to Part B for CY 2015 (CMS-2014-0094-2364)

Client expense: $72,153 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE

S. 153, H.R. 274, the Mental Health First Aid Act of 2013 S. 195, H.R. 628, the Mental Health in Schools Act of 2013 H.R. 1100, the Mental Health on Campus Improvement Act S. 264, H.R. 1263, the Excellence in Mental Health Act H.R. 794, To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for treatment of clinical psychologists as physicians for purposes of furnishing clinical psychologist services under the Medicare Program. H.R. 574, the Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act of 2013 S. 577, H.R. 1201, Training Tomorrows Doctors Today Act S. 236, H.R. 1310, the Medicare Patient Empowerment Act of 2013 H.R. 1331, the Electronic Health Records Improvement Act H.R. 1427, the Truth in Healthcare Marketing Act of 2013 S. 351, H.R. 351, the Protecting Seniors Access to Medicare Act of 2013 S. 265, Community-Based Mental Health Improvements Act S. 648, Helping Educators Support All Students Act S.162, Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Act of 2013; S. 649, Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act of 2013 S. 2461: The CHIP Extension Act of 2014 S. 2728: The Community Based Medical Education Act H.R. 1615, A bill to provide for a study by the Institute of Medicine on gaps in mental health services and how these gaps can increase the risk of violent acts. H.R. 2037, the Native American Psychiatric and Mental Health Care Improvement Act H.R. 2545, the Accuracy in Medicare Physician Payment Act of 2013 S. 1064, Medicare Mental Health Access Act H.R. 2775, No Subsidies Without Verification Act H.R. 2810, the Medicare Patient Access and Quality Improvement Act of 2013 H.R. 3128, the Protect Patients Act of 2013 H.R. 2817, the Protect Patient Access to Quality Health Professionals Act of 2013 H.R. 2734, the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act Reauthorization of 2013 H.R. 2910, the Gun Violence Prevention and Reduction Act H.R. 3717, the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2013 H Con Res 69, the Stop Harming Our Kids Resolution of 2013 H.R. 4302, the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 H.R. 4015, the SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act of 2014 S. 2110, the Medicare SGR Repeal and Beneficiary Access Improvement Act of 2014 S. 2122, the Responsible Medicare SGR Repeal and Beneficiary Access Improvement Act of 2014 H.R. 4762, the Medicare Transitional Care Act of 2014 H.R. 4574, the Strengthening Mental Health in Our Communities Act H.R. 4783, the Promoting Healthy Minds for Safer Communities Act H.R. 4581, the Parental Control Act of 2014 H.R. 5353, the Medicaid Parity Act of 2014 H.R. 5136, the Breaking Addiction Act of 2014 H.R. 5587, the Opioid Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 2014 H.R. 5339, the Expanding Opportunities for Recovery Act of 2014 H.R. 5364: The CHIP Extension and Improvement Act of 2014

Client expense: $72,153 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE

HR 1201 "Training Tomorrow's Doctors Today Act" All Provisions S 577 "Resident Physician Shortage Act of 2013" All Provisions HR 574 "Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act" All Provisions H.R. 4302 Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 All Provisions P.L. 111-148 and P.L. 111-152 Affordable Care Act. All provisions related to implementation of health care reform including the Medicare and Medicaid programs, tax and insurance policies, graduate medical education, biomedical research, public and preventative health measures, and other policies concerning hospitals, physicians, health plans, employers and individuals. H.R. 1180 The Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2013. All Provisions. H.R. 1920 DSH Reduction Relief Act of 2013. All Provisions. S. 1012 The Medicare Audit Improvement Act of 2013. All Provisions. H.R. 1250 The Medicare Audit Improvement Act of 2013. All Provisions. H. R. 2810 Medicare Patient Access and Quality Improvement Act of 2013. All Provisions. Senate Finance Committee: The SGR Repeal and Medicare Beneficiary Access Improvement Act of 2013. All Provisions. The SGR Repeal and Medicare Beneficiary Accesst Improvement Act of 2013, offered as a substitute amendment to H.R.2810 Medicare Patient Access and Quality Improvement Act of 2013. All Provisions. H.J. Res.59 Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 Short Title: Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 and Pathway for SGR Reform Act of 2013. All Provisions related to the Medicare Physican Payment H.R. 3698 Two-Midnight Rule Relay Act, All provision Medicare Advantage 2015 Advance Notice of Methodological Changes for Calendar Year 2015 for Medicare Advantage Capitation Rates, Part C and Part D Payment Policies and 2015 Call Letter. All Provisions S.1932 Medicare Better Care Program. All provisions. H.R. 3890 Medicare Better Care Program. All provisions. H.R. 4188 Establishing Beneficiary Equity in the Hospital Readmission Program Act. All provisions. H.R. 1920 DSH Reduction Relief Act of 2013. All provisions. S. 2082 Two-Midnight Rule Coordination and Improvement Act of 2014. All provisions. H.R. 4673 Bundling and Coordinating Post-Acute Care Act of 2014. All provisions. H.R. 4994 Impact Act of 2014 - Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014. All provisions. H.R. 4188 Establishing Beneficiary Equity in the Hospital Readmission Program Act. All provisions. Medicare Shared Savings Program/Accountable Care Organizations: Potential Regulatory Reforms H.R. 5481 To continue the use of a 3-month quarter EHR reporting period for health care providers to demonstrate meaningful use for 2015 under the Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive payment programs, and for other purposes. Hospital Improvements for Payment Act of 2014 Discussion Draft - All Provisions H.R. 5771 Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014. All Provisions CMMI Demonstration Project

Client expense: $160,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), SENATE

H.R. 713/S. 367-Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act (Repeal of Therapy Caps) Payments to Physical Therapists under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Permanent Repeal of/alternatives to the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) Formula H.R. 574 Medicare Physician Payment Innovation ActOpposition of Multiple Procedure Payment Reduction for PT Services Physician Quality Reporting System H.R. 2914 Promoting Integrity in Medicare Act H.R. 1310 and S. 236 Medicare Patient Empowerment Act Prevention Initiatives for Fraud and Abuse in the Medicare program Accountable Care Organizations/Patient Centered Medical Homes Electronic Health Records/ Health Information Technology incentives for Physical Therapists Development of Alternatives to Medicare Therapy Cap Medicare Payment Reform Local Coverage Determinations NCCI Edits Protection of programs related to physical therapy in deficit reduction Medicare Advantage PCORI National Priority for Research and Research Agenda Health Information Technology Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act Functional Limitation Reporting Therapy Cap: Manual Medical Review Essential Health Benefits Sustainable Growth Rate Reform H.R. 1179/S. 569 Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act Medicaid Essential Health Benefits EHR/LTPAC Settings: Transitions of Care Medicare Improvement Standards Bundled Payment Models Common assessment tool for Medicare post-acute care Medicare appeals process H.R. 3426 Prevent Interruptions in Physical Therapy Act/S.2818 H.R. 942 and S. 948 Ensuring Access to Quality Complex Rehabilitation Technology H.R. 2810 Medicare Patient Access and Quality Improvement Act Inclusion of physical therapists in quality programs in SGR Reform H.R. 4015 and S.2000: SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act of 2014 FTC Anti-competition Self-referral S.1871 SGR Repeal and Medicare Beneficiary Access Act S.2110 Medicare SGR Repeal and Beneficiary Access Improvement Act S. 2157 Commonsense Medicare SGR Repeal and Beneficiary Access Improvement Act H.R.4302 Protecting Access to Medicare Act Statement for the record on Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Current Hospital Issues in Medicare H.R. 4755 Access to In-patient Rehabilitation Therapy Act H.R. 4994/S.2553 IMPACT Act Able Act Comments on CY2015 OPPS rule H.R. 5380 Medicare Telehealth Parity Act Comments on draft Fraud & Abuse Legislation Hospital Improvements for Payment Act H.R. 5380 Medicare Telehealth Parity Act

Client expense: $308,338 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ), Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Defense, Dept of (DOD), Education, Dept of, Government Accountability Office (GAO), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), Natl Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, Small Business Administration (SBA), Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA), White House Office

H.R.351 - Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act of 2013 H.R.574 - Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act of 2013 H.R.647 - Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2014 H.R.1179 - Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2013 H.R.1250 - Medicare Audit Improvement Act 2013 H.R.1487 - Improved Health Care Lower Cost Act of 2013 H.R.1838 - Enhanced Access to Medicaid Services H.R.2810 - Medicare Patient Access and Quality Improvement Act of 2013 H.R.3144 - Fairness for Beneficiaries Act of 2013 H.R.4015 - SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act of 2014 H.R.5460 - Medicare Ambulance Access, Fraud Prevention and Reform Act of 2014 S.313 - Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2014 S.351 - Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act of 2013 S.569 - Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2013 S.755 - Enhanced Access to Medicaid Services S.1012 - Medicare Audit Improvement Act 2013 S.1871 - SGR Repeal and Medicare Beneficiary Access of 2013 S.2110 - Medicare SGR Repeal and Beneficiary Access Improvement Act of 2014 S.2157 - Commonsense Medicare SGR Repeal and Beneficiary Access Improvement Act of 2014 S.2240 - Medicare Choices Empowerment and Protection Act S.2501 - Hospital Readmission Accuracy and Accountability Act

Client expense: $228,645 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE

H.R.36 - Health Care Safety Net Enhancement Act of 2013 H.R.235 - Veteran Emergency Medical Technician Support Act of 2013 H.R.351 - Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act of 2013 H.R.574 - Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act of 2013 H.R.647 - Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2014 H.R.809 - Field EMS Quality, Innovation, and Cost Effectiveness Improvements Act of 2013 H.R.1098 - Traumatic Brain Injury Reauthorization Act of 2013 H.R.1201 - Training Tomorrow's Doctors Today Act H.R.1263 - Excellence in Mental Health Act H.R.1179 - Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2013 H.R.1180 - Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2013 H.R.1487 - Improved Health Care Lower Cost Act of 2013 H.R.1838 - Enhanced Access to Medicaid Services H.R.2186 - Verifying Authority and Legality In Drug Compounding Act of 2013 H.R.2900 - Offering Patients True Individualized Options Now (Option Act of 2013) H.R.2300 - Empowering Patients First Act of 2013 H.R.2810 - Medicare Patient Access and Quality Improvement Act of 2013 H.R.3392 - Patient Safety and Drug Abuse Prevention Act H.R.3528 - National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting Reauthorization Act of 2013 H.R.3548 - Improving Trauma Care Act of 2013 H.R.3717 - Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2013 H.R.4015 - SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act of 2014 H.R.4080 - Trauma Systems and Regionalization of Emergency Care Reauthorization Act H.R.4106 - Saving Lives, Saving Costs Act H.R.4169 - Stop Overdose Stat Act H.R.4574 - Strengthening Mental Health in Our Communities Act of 2014 H.R.5460 - Medicare Ambulance Access, Fraud Prevention and Reform Act of 2014 S.44 - Medical Care Access Protection (MCAP) Act of 2013 S.264 - Excellence in Mental Health Act S.265 - Community-Based Mental Health Infrastructure Improvements Act S.313 - Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2014 S.328 - Strengthening Rural Access to Emergency Services Act S.351 - Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act of 2013 S.569 - Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2013 S.577 - Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2013 S.755 - Enhanced Access to Medicaid Services S.961 - Health Care Safety Net Enhancement Act of 2013 S.1871 - SGR Repeal and Medicare Beneficiary Access of 2013 S.2110 - Medicare SGR Repeal and Beneficiary Access Improvement Act of 2014 S.2157 - Commonsense Medicare SGR Repeal and Beneficiary Access Improvement Act of 2014 S.2240 - Medicare Choices Empowerment and Protection Act S.2400 - Field EMS Innovation Act S.2405 - Trauma Systems and Regionalization of Emergency Care Reauthorization Act S.2406 - Improving Trauma Care Act of 2014 S.2501 - Hospital Readmission Accuracy and Accountability Act S.2539 - Traumatic Brain Injury Reauthorization Act of 2014 S.2755 - Overdose Prevention Act

Client expense: $228,645 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE

S. 264, H.R. 1263, the Excellence in Mental Health Act H.R. 794, To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for treatment of clinical psychologists as physicians for purposes of furnishing clinical psychologist services under the Medicare Program. H.R. 574, the Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act of 2013 S. 577, H.R. 1201, Training Tomorrows Doctors Today Act S. 236, H.R. 1310, the Medicare Patient Empowerment Act of 2013 H.R. 1331, the Electronic Health Records Improvement Act S. 351, H.R. 351, the Protecting Seniors Access to Medicare Act of 2013 H.R. 297, the Childrens Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act of 2013 H.R. 2545, the Accuracy in Medicare Physician Payment Act of 2013 S. 1064, Medicare Mental Health Access Act H.R. 2810, the Medicare Patient Access and Quality Improvement Act of 2013 H.R. 3128, the Protect Patients Act of 2013 H.R. 3717, the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2013 H.R. 3662, the Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2013 H.R. 4302, the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 H.R. 4015, the SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act of 2014 S. 2110, the Medicare SGR Repeal and Beneficiary Access Improvement Act of 2014 S. 2122, the Responsible Medicare SGR Repeal and Beneficiary Access Improvement Act of 2014 H.R. 4762, the Medicare Transitional Care Act of 2014 H.R. 5353, the Medicaid Parity Act of 2014 H.R. 5136, the Breaking Addiction Act of 2014 H.R. 5339, the Expanding Opportunities for Recovery Act of 2014 H.R. 5587, the Opioid Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 2014 Revisions to Payment Policies under the Physician Fee Schedule, Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule, Access to Identifiable Data for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation Models & Other Revisions to Part B for CY 2015 (CMS-2014-0094-2364)

Client expense: $72,153 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE

S. 153, H.R. 274, the Mental Health First Aid Act of 2013 S. 195, H.R. 628, the Mental Health in Schools Act of 2013 H.R. 1100, the Mental Health on Campus Improvement Act S. 264, H.R. 1263, the Excellence in Mental Health Act H.R. 794, To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for treatment of clinical psychologists as physicians for purposes of furnishing clinical psychologist services under the Medicare Program. H.R. 574, the Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act of 2013 S. 577, H.R. 1201, Training Tomorrows Doctors Today Act S. 236, H.R. 1310, the Medicare Patient Empowerment Act of 2013 H.R. 1331, the Electronic Health Records Improvement Act H.R. 1427, the Truth in Healthcare Marketing Act of 2013 S. 351, H.R. 351, the Protecting Seniors Access to Medicare Act of 2013 S. 265, Community-Based Mental Health Improvements Act S. 648, Helping Educators Support All Students Act S.162, Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Act of 2013; S. 649, Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act of 2013 S. 2461: The CHIP Extension Act of 2014 S. 2728: The Community Based Medical Education Act H.R. 1615, A bill to provide for a study by the Institute of Medicine on gaps in mental health services and how these gaps can increase the risk of violent acts. H.R. 2037, the Native American Psychiatric and Mental Health Care Improvement Act H.R. 2545, the Accuracy in Medicare Physician Payment Act of 2013 S. 1064, Medicare Mental Health Access Act H.R. 2775, No Subsidies Without Verification Act H.R. 2810, the Medicare Patient Access and Quality Improvement Act of 2013 H.R. 3128, the Protect Patients Act of 2013 H.R. 2817, the Protect Patient Access to Quality Health Professionals Act of 2013 H.R. 2734, the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act Reauthorization of 2013 H.R. 2910, the Gun Violence Prevention and Reduction Act H.R. 3717, the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2013 H Con Res 69, the Stop Harming Our Kids Resolution of 2013 H.R. 4302, the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 H.R. 4015, the SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act of 2014 S. 2110, the Medicare SGR Repeal and Beneficiary Access Improvement Act of 2014 S. 2122, the Responsible Medicare SGR Repeal and Beneficiary Access Improvement Act of 2014 H.R. 4762, the Medicare Transitional Care Act of 2014 H.R. 4574, the Strengthening Mental Health in Our Communities Act H.R. 4783, the Promoting Healthy Minds for Safer Communities Act H.R. 4581, the Parental Control Act of 2014 H.R. 5353, the Medicaid Parity Act of 2014 H.R. 5136, the Breaking Addiction Act of 2014 H.R. 5587, the Opioid Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 2014 H.R. 5339, the Expanding Opportunities for Recovery Act of 2014 H.R. 5364: The CHIP Extension and Improvement Act of 2014

Client expense: $72,153 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE

Graduate Medical Education; Health Care Quality, Patient Access to Health Care; Physician Workforce; Medicare Physician Payment Issues; Independent Payment Advisory Board. H.R. 574, The Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act of 2013.

Client expense: $159,694 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ), Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Government Accountability Office (GAO), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, White House Office

Pub.Law 111-148 & 111-152 - Discussed implementation of health care law that would reform the health care system to provide affordable quality health care, reduce drug costs and expand access to long-term services and supports. Discussed how to implement Medicaid provisions of Affordable Care Act. (PL. 111-148)S. 374, Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act - Lobbied in support of this legislation to eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on Medicare coverage for in-patient psychiatric hospital services (112th). Discussed improving access to care for underserved population. (no bill) Discussed importance of maintaining low income subsididies and supports in Medicare. (no bill) Discussed the importance of coordinating services for those who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid in order to ensure that beneficiaries receive all needed benefits but there is no duplication. (no bill) Discussed whether, and under what circumstances, managed care could effectively be used to provide benefits to dual eligible beneficiaries. (no bill) Discussed additional methods for fighting fraud and waste in Health Care. (no bill) Discussed Medigap and need for guaranteed issue for all populations and need to increase medical loss ratio. Discussed durable medical equipment bidding. (no bill) Lobbied for legislation to provide Medicare beneficiaries with additional opportunities to enroll in Medicare Part B.(no bill) Lobbied against the use of the Social Security account number on Government-issued identification cards issued in connection with Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP benefits and for other purposes. (no bill) Discussed support to curb waste and fraud from the Medicare and Medicaid programs. (no bill) H.R. 3630, Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 - Discussed the legislation as it pertained to SGR. Discussed Medicare Reform. (no bill) H.R. 2305/S. 1123, PRIME ACT (Preventing and Reducing Improper Medicare Expenditures) - Discussed support for bill and urged cosponsorship. Discussed the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit program and changes needed to further lower prescription drug costs. (no bill) H.R. 1588/S. 740, Medicare Drug Savings Act - Discussed the Medicare Drug Savings Act to require drug manufacturers to provide rebates for drugs provided to Medicare Part D low-income subsidy beneficiaries, including those who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. Discussed potential improvements to the Medicare Savings Programs for low-income befeficiaries. (no bill) Discussed proposals that would establish per-capita caps under Medicaid as well as other Medicaid financing proposals including block grants and changes to the current FMAP structure. (no bill) H.R. 1717 - Discussed Medicare DMEPOS Market Pricing Program Act. Discussed the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit program and changes needed to further lower prescription drug costs and related agency proposed rule changes. (no bill) H.R.3830/S.1900 - Discussed pending U.S. trade agreement negotiations and trade promotional or "fast track" authority legislation and their potential impact on Medicare and Medicaid prescription drug programs. S. 2461 - Discussed Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) extension and CHIP Extension Act of 2014. Discussed Part D Payment for Drugs for Beneficiaries Enrolled in Hospice - Final 2014 CMS Guidance. H.R.5294, Health Equity & Accountability Act of 2014 - Addresses health care disparities; no endorsement due to budget impact. Medicare Advantage- Answered questions from some Hill offices. (no bill) Medicare Supplemental Insurance - Stated opposition to the elimination of first dollar coverage. (no bill) Discussed LTSS issues, including financing. (no bill)Discussed Medicare Graduate Nursing Education pilot design. (no bill) Discussed Prescription Drug Affordability. (no bill) Discussed Prescription Drug Shortages. (no bill) H.R. 3342, Affordable Medicines Utilization Act of 2011 - Lobbied to encourage state Medicaid programs to use safe, effective generic medications. H.R. 2576 - Discussion to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify the calculation of modified adjusted gross income for purposes of determining eligibility for certain healthcare-related programs. Discussed opposition to caps on dual eligibles; discussed managed care and dual eligibles. (no bill) Discussed with CMS demonstration programs for dual eligibles and process related to the demonstrations, as well as other work of the Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office, discussed consumer choice and continuity of care in Medicaid managed long-term services and supports programs, discussed focus groups on dual eligibles. Discussed Hospital & Critical Access Hospitals Conditions of Participation proposed regulations; requested that advanced practice registered nurses and physicians assistants be allowed the full scope of services in hospital admitting and visiting privileges. (no bill) Discussed Hospital Outpatient Therapeutic Services Final Rule underscoring that advanced practice registered nurses and physicians should be allowed to supervise such outpatient service clinics without physician oversight as long as in line with state scope of practice laws. (no bill) Discussed health disparities. (no bill) Discussed Medicaid reform, Medicare/Medicaid "dual eligibles" integration efforts and financial alignment demonstrations; and other CMS demonstration initiatives. (no bill) S. 3586, Recruiting Individuals to Drive Elders (RIDE) Act - Discussed Medicaid non-emergency transportation bill (112th). Discussed proposals that would establish per-capita caps under Medicaid as well as other Medicaid financing proposals including block grants and changes to the current FMAP structure. (no bill) Discussed extension of funding originally provided under the Medicare Improvement for Patients and Providers Act (P.L. 110-275) to State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIPs), Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRICs), and Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) for Medicare outreach and enrollment counseling. (no bill) Discussed the prevention of cuts to beneficiaries in the Medicare program. (no bill) Discussed the prevention of an increase in the age of eligibility in the Medicare program. (no bill) Discussed the patch to the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) in the Medicare program. (no bill) Discussed concerns of block granting Medicaid. (no bill) Discussed the Kansas managed long-term services and supports waiver proposals and related implementation issues. (no bill). H.R.928/S.408, the Medicare Drug Savings Act - Discussed requirement for drug manufacturers to provide rebates for drugs provided to Medicare Part D low-income subsidy beneficiaries, including those who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. Discussed Health Disparities. (no bill) Discussed medicare demonstration project replacing standard medicare cards with Smart Card technology. (no bill) H.R. 574 - The Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act of 2013. Discussed Medicaid expansion and estate recovery. (no bill) S. 2491, Discussed Medicare Protection Act. Discussed concern about CMS guidance on prescription drugs for medicare beneficiaries receiving hospice and coordination between hospice providers and medicare Part D sponsors. (no bill) Discussed long-term services and supports in Hill briefings. (no bill) H.R. 1173 - Discussed advance care planning, CMS payment for advance care planning, advanced illness, and Personalize Your Care Act.H.R. 1179/S.569, Improving Access to Medicare Act - Discussed support of Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act and urged cosponsorship and advancement of the bill. Discussed CMS information regarding healthcare marketplaces. H.R. 2305/S.1123, Preventing and Reducing Improper Medicare and Medicaid Expenditures Act. Bill reduces waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid programs. Discussed Competitive bidding of durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies. (no bill) Discussed repeal of Affordable Care Act provision making prescriptions necessary for over-the-counter drugs purchased with flexible spending accounts. (no bill) Discussed Medicare supplemental coverage. (no bill) Discussed the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit program and changes needed to further lower prescription drug cost. (no bill) Discussed potential improvements to the Medicare Savings Programs for low-income beneficiaries. (no bill) H.R. 83, Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations, 2015 - Lobbied to protect vital health and social services programs from enhanced reductions from the prior year baseline, and to prevent repeal of certain financial and health care-related regulation.(no bill) Discussed potential improvements to the Medicare Savings Programs for low-income beneficiares. (no bill) Discussed pending U.S. trade agreement negotiations, including trade promotional or 'fast track' authority, and their potential impact on Medicare and Medicaid prescription drug programs. (no bill) Discussed fraud, Medicare home healthcare, ways to find savings in Medicare without harming Medicare beneficiaries (care coordination, prescription drugs, waste, fraud and abuse). Discussed You've Earned A Say, ways to find savings in medicare without harming medicare beneficiaries (care coordination, prescription drugs, waste, fraud and abuse). PL.111-148 - Discussed implementation of provision to require reporting of nursing home staffing data based on payroll data and executive actions related to nursing homes, IMPACT Act, PL 113-185).. Discussed the draft legislation on Medicare fraud and abuse. Protecting the Integrity of Medicare Act. (no bill) Discussed the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit program and changes needed to further lower prescription drug costs and related agency proposed rule changes. (no bill) H.R. 1588/S.740 - Discussed the Medicare Drug Savings Act to require drug manufacturers to provide rebates for drugs provided to Medicare Part D low-income subsidy beneficiaries, including those who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. H.R. 3830/S. 1900 - Discussed pending U.S. trade agreement negotiations and trade promotional or "fast track" authority legislation and their potential impact on Medicare and Medicaid prescription drug programs. S. 2461 - Discussed Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Extension Act of 2014. Discussed Part D Payment for Drugs for Beneficiaries Enrolled in Hospice-Final 2014 CMS Guidance. Discussed the Protecting Integrity of Medicare Act. (no bill) H.R.5435, Home Infusion Site of Care Act - Sent letter of endorsement H.R. 5958 - Discussed the ACO Improvement Act. H.J. Res. 124, Continuing Appropriations Resolution - Lobbied to protect funding levels for CMS program management under Continuing Resolution. H.R. 1179/S. 569 - Discussed observation impace on Medicare beneficiaries, counting time in observation toward Medicare's three-day inpatient hospital stay requirement for Medicare skilled nursing facility coverage, and the Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act (CMS & MedPAC). PL. 113-295 - Responded to inquiry about Medicare offsets on Achieving a Better Life Expense Act.Discussed Medicare Advantage. (no bill) Discussed H.R. 3616, Protecting Seniors from Healthcare Fraud Act. Discussed observation care and "two-midnight rule". (no bill) H.R. 1070, the Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act - Discussed and sent letter of endorsement to bill. Discussed the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit program and changes needed to further lower prescription drug costs and related agency proposed rule changes. (no bill) H.R. 1588/S.740, Medicaid Drug Savings Act - Discussed the requirement for drug manufacturers to provide rebates for drugs provided to Medicare Part D low-income subsidy beneficiaries, including those who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. Discussed potential improvements to the Medicare Savings Programs for low-income beneficiaries. (no bill) Discussed pending U.S. Trade agreement negotiations, including trade promotional or "fast track" authority, and their potential impact on Medicare and Medicaid prescription drug programs. (no bill) H.R. 2810/S.1871/H.R. 4015/S.2110 - Discussed SGR repeal and health care extender provisions, including the Qualified Individual low-income Medicare beneficiary assistance program. H.R. 4418, The Expanding Availability of Medicare Data Act - Sent letter of endorsement. Discussed Medicare data and billing transparency. (no bill) Discussed socio-economic risk adjustment. (no bill) S. 2240 - Discussed Medicare Choices Empowerment and Protection Act. H.R. 3024 - Discussed the Medicare Common Access Card Act. Discussed Medicare expansion. (no bill) Discussed Medicaid Labs Spousal Impoverishment provisions (PL. 111-198). Discussed transparency in healthcare. (no bill) Discussed Medicaid managed care regulations. (CMS, no bill) PL.111-148 - Discussed long-term services and supports broadly and Older Americans Act. Submitted comments on Medicare Physician fee schedule final rule and advance care planning (CMS - 1612-FC). Discussed Medicare enrollment and notification of eligibility. (no bill) Discussed Medicare in-office ancillary services exception. (no bill)

Client expense: $2,180,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Administration on Aging, Agriculture, Dept of (USDA), Bureau of the Census, Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Congressional Budget Office (CBO), Energy, Dept of, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Federal Highway Administration (FHA), Federal Reserve System, Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Government Accountability Office (GAO), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Housing & Urban Development, Dept of (HUD), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Justice, Dept of (DOJ), Labor, Dept of (DOL), Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), Natl Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Natl Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), SENATE, Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), Social Security Administration (SSA), Transportation, Dept of (DOT), Treasury, Dept of, Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA), White House Office

Reform of Medicare physician fee schedule and formula [Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act (H.R. 574); Medicare Patient Access and Quality Improvement Act (H.R. 2810); SGR Repeal and Medicare Beneficiary Access Act (S. 1871); SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act (H.R. 4015); con't.Medicare SGR Repeal and Beneficiary Access Improvement Act (S. 2110)]; Issues pertaining to medical home

Client expense: Not reported · Firm income: $50,000

Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), SENATE

Issues pertaining to Medicaid reform, block grant proposals, per capita caps Medicare and Medicaid Graduate Medical education, Medicaid provider taxes, Medicare bad debt payments Medicare and Medicaid paymentMedicaid Waivers Extension of Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate Medicare Evaluation and Management Reimbursement Reduction Proposal Issues related to waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicaid Medicare Disproportionate Share Hospital Payments H.R. 574 Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act of 2013, all provisions H.R. 1853 Medicaid Accountability and Care Act, all provisions H.R. 574 Medicare Physician Payment Act, all provisions 5.577/HR 1180 Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act , all provisions H.R. 1201 Training Tomorrow's Doctors Act, all provisions H.R. 1250/5.1012 Medicare Audit Improvement Act, all provisions H.R. 1487 Improved Healthcare at a Lower Cost Act, all provisions H.R. 1698 Stabilize Medicaid and CHIP Coverage, all provisions H.R. 1326 Health Care Price Transparency Promotion Act, all provisions H.R. 1920 DSH Reduction Relief Act, all provisions Issues related to Medicaid enrollment of newborns CMS FY2014 Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System Rule Issues related to admission and medical review criteria for inpatient services ("two midnights rule") S.1555 DSH Reduction Relief Act of 2013, all provisions S.1871 SGR Repeal and Medicare Beneficiary Access Act - all sections H.R. 2810 Medicare Patient Access and Quality Improvement Act - all sections H.R. 4302 Protecting Access to Medicare Act - all sections H.R. 4015 SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act S. 1980 Medicaid and CHIP Continuous Quality Act H.R. 3678 Two-Midnight Rule Delay Act - all sections H.R. 4188 Establishing Beneficiary Equity in the Hospital Readmission Program Act S. 2082 Two-Midnight Rule Coordination and Improvement Act S. 2501 Hospitals Readmissions Program Accuracy and Accountability Act, all sections Issues related to quality measures reporting in Medicaid S. 2461 CHIP Extension act of 2014, all provisions Issues related to Medicare payment for patients in "observation status" in hospitals CMS FY 2014 Outpatient Prospective Payment System Rule Issues related to Medicare Recovery Audit Contractors S. 2941 Medicare Protection Act, all Provisions Extension of SSA 1902 (a) (b) (c) - Medicaid Primary Care payment parity Childrens Health Insurance Program Medicare Hospital Re-admissions Program Meaningful Use Stage 2 H.R. 5481 The Flexibility in Health IT Reporting Act H.R. 5364 CHIP Extension and Improvement Act, All provisions Hospital Improvements for Payment Act of 2014 (generally and specific sections) Section 101: Hospital Prospective Payment System 102: Per Diem payment rate for short lengths of stay 103: Repeal of the Two- Midnights payment reduction 104 and 105: Monitoring performance of and improvements to the RAC program 109: Hospital assessment data 110: Cost information on hospital payments 201: Repeal of the moratorium on physician owned hospitals 214: Tennessee DSH allotment for FY2015 and succeeding fiscal years 216: NOTICE Act 217: Establishing equity in the Hospital Readmissions Program Act

Client expense: $240,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE, White House Office

S.382 Medicaid and Medicare Payment Reform Discussions, hearings, etc.; H.R.574; S.1012 and H.R.1250 Medicare Audit Improvement Act; H.R.2053 and S.183 Medicare Hospital Wage Index Floor for non-rural areas; H.R.1920 the DSH Reduction Relief Act of 2013; S.351 and H.R.351 Repeal of IPAB; H.J.Res59; S.1143 and H.R.2801 Protecting Access to Rural Therapy Services Act; H.R.4302 Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014; H.R.4930 Ace Kids Act;

Client expense: Not reported · Firm income: $10,000

Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE

Expand the authority and types of services that can be reimbursed to doctors of chiropractic under Medicare. PL -111-148 - Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. PL -111-152 - Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. PL -111-5 - America Recovery and Reinvestment Act. PL-113-6 - Department of Defense, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act H.R. 574 - Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act H.R. 351 - Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act S. 351 - Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act H.R. 2810 - Medicare Patient Access And Quality Improvement Act PL 113-76 - Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2014 H.R. 4302 - Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 H.R. 5780 - Protecting the Integrity of Medicare Act of 2014

Client expense: $53,625 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Defense, Dept of (DOD), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), SENATE, Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA)

Preserving Access to Primary Care Services: Address the shortage of primary care physicians; designate primary care as a shortage profession; provide scholarships and loan forgiveness in exchange for primary care service commitments to practice in critical shortage areas; provide grants for medical school mentorship programs and primary care training in community health centers; increase Title VII funding for primary care health programs; increase funding for the National Health Service Corps,provide regulatory relief for primary care physicians; H.R. 7192/S. 1174, the Preserving Patient Access to Primary Care Act (111th Congress). Support Implementation and Improvement of the Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148, P.L. 111-152) by: Expanding coverage and improving Medicare benefits; Providing needed protections to guard against insurance practices that unfairly limit, deny or rescind coverage based on health status; public and private health insurers should encourage preventive health care by providing full coverage, with no cost-sharing, for preventive services recommended by an expert advisory group, such as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force; Ensuring access to primary care physicians; and beginning to bend the cost curve; Prohibiting insurers from excluding or charging excessive rates to children based on pre-existing conditions, which later will be expanded to all persons; Covering young adults on their parents' plans; Eliminating lifetime and annual limits on health insurance coverage; Requiring that health insurers spend more on patient care and less on administration; support enactment of S. 248, the Empowering States to Innovate Act, which amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) to: (1) allow states to apply for waivers of certain health insurance coverage requirements in such Act (including requirements for the establishment of qualified health plans and health insurance exchanges) for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2014 (currently, January 1, 2017), and (2) require the waiver application process to begin not later than 180 days after the enactment of this Act; Phasing out the Medicare Part D doughnut hole; Eliminating patient cost-sharing for preventive services offered by Medicare or private insurers; Increasing Medicare and Medicaid payments to primary care physicians; Establishing a new Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to help physicians and patients make care decisions based on the best available evidence; Creating a new Center on Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to fund pilots of delivery models to improve outcomes and reduce costs, including patient-centered medical homes; Training more primary care physicians through the National Health Service Corps, Title VII health professions funding, and redistributing unused graduate medical education positions to primary care specialties facing shortages; Beginning in 2014, ensuring that nearly all Americans have access to coverage either through subsidized private health insurance offered by state health exchanges or through Medicaid, if they don't already have access to coverage through an employer, Medicare, or another public program. Medicare Physician Payment Reform: Increase Medicare Fee Schedule payments to make primary care competitive in the market with other physician career and specialty choices; create a fast track authority to develop and implement new physician payment models that better align payment with effective, efficient, patient-centered care such as the Patient Centered Medical Home; provide a voluntary shared savings program, Accountable Care Organizations, that promotes accountability for services delivered to a defined Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) patient population with the goals of increasing the quality and efficiency of services delivered; provide separate Medicare payment for specific care coordination services provided principally by primary care physicians; revise Medicare budget neutrality rules to recognize the value of primary care in reducing Medicare baseline spending; increase the accuracy of physician work relative value units under the Medicare physician fee schedule; improve the accuracy of practice expense RVUs under the Medicare Fee Schedule; increase Medicare bonus payments for primary care services provided in designated shortage areas; provide stable, positive, predictable updates under Medicares reimbursement formula; and replacing the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula with a long term solution that provides for stable, predictable updates for physicians (H.R. 3961). Urged Congress to enact legislation that would provide stable payments for all physician specialties for at least five years while providing higher updates for undervalued evaluation and management services, require that different payment models (including Patient-Centered Medical Homes) be pilot-tested on a voluntary basis during the five year period of stable payments, and designate a specific transition period for broad adoption of the new models that have been shown to be the most effective based on the pilots. Urged enactment of the Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act (H.R. 574), as introduced in Feb. 2013 by Representatives Allyson Schwartz (D-PA) and Joe Heck (R-NV). This legislation would eliminate the SGR once and for all and transition to better payment and delivery systems that are aligned with value. Specifically, H.R. 574 would repeal the SGR formula, provide more than 5 years of stable physician payments, with positive increases for all physician services, and higher payments for primary care, preventive and care coordination services, and establishes a process for practices to transition to new, more effective, models of care by 2018.Advocated for the Patient-Centered Medical Home model should be scaled up for broad Medicare adoption, recognized, through the medical neighborhood concept, that specialty and subspecialty practices, hospitals, and other healthcare professionals and entities that provide treatment to the patient need to be recognized and provided with incentivesboth non-financial and financialfor engaging in patient-centered practices that complement and support the efforts of the PCMH to provide high quality, efficient, coordinated care; advocated for ACPs High Value, Cost-Conscious Care Initiative, which includes clinical, public policy, and educational components, designed to help physicians and patients understand the benefits, harms, and costs of an intervention and whether it provides good value, as well as to slow the unsustainable rate of health care cost increases while preserving high-value, high-quality care. Advocated for halting the nearly 25 percent cut in physician payments resulting from the flawed SGR formula, which was scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2014; Advocated for H.R. 2810, the SGR Repeal and Medicare Beneficiary Access Act of 2013, which would repeal the SGR and transition to a new value-based payment and delivery system; Advocated for H.R. 4015/S.2000, the SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act of 2014, legislation introduced on Feb. 6, 2014 to repeal the SGR and transition to a new value-based payment and delivery system. Medical Education: Provide incentives to medical schools, community health centers, or hospitals, to increase the numbers of physicians choosing primary care; authorize HHS to selectively eliminate Graduate Medical Education (GME) caps for residency programs in primary care, advocated for S. 1627, which would increase the number of Medicare-supported training positions for medical residents by 15 percent (approximately 15,000 slots) over five years, requiring at least 50 percent of the new positions to be allocated to specialties facing a current shortage; Advocated to protect Medicare beneficiary access to health care services by preserving existing Medicare financing for Graduate Medical Education (GME). FY2015 Appropriations: Advocated for the highest level of funding possible for the Labor-HHS-Education bill within the discretionary cap established by the Budget Control Act (BCA); Supported funding to "improve health care quality, enhance consumer choice, advance patient safety, improve efficiency, reduce medical errors, and broaden access to essential services; Advocated for funding for AHRQ, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA); Title VII, Section 747, Primary Care Training and Enhancement; National Health Service Corps, Community Health Centers Fund, National Health Care Workforce Commission, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Operations and Management of Exchanges; Expressed concern to House and Senate leadership over the expiration, at the end of FY2015, of dedicated funding for Community Health Centers, the National Health Service Corps, and Teaching Health Centers. Public Health Programs and Funding: Increase funding to accomplish the core missions and activities of the major federal public health agencies, including: biomedical and behavioral research, disease prevention and health promotion, access to safety net health care services, health professions education, mental health and substance abuse, health services research, health care for American Indians and Alaska natives, food and drug safety. Advocated to federal health agencies that wellness programs must not be used as a means to discriminate against the sick and vulnerable. Wellness programs must be developed to encourage prevention and improve health rather than penalize those who are medically unable to meet wellness program goals; Advocated that employers and health plans should fund programs proven to be effective in reducing obesity, stopping smoking, deterring alcohol abuse, and promoting wellness and providing coverage or subsidies for individuals to participate in such programs. Improving Access to Primary Care in the Context of Comprehensive Healthcare Reform Legislation (H.R. 3962/H.R. 3590/H.R. 4872): Ensure that all Americans will have access to affordable coverage. Provide sliding scale subsidies based on income to buy coverage from qualified plans; Qualified plans should: provide evidence-based benefits, including preventive services; and be prohibited from excluding persons with pre-existing conditions, charging them more, cherry-picking enrollees, or cancelling or failing to renew coverage; Expand Medicaid to cover all persons below the Federal Poverty Level and ensure fair payments to participating physicians; As coverage becomes affordable, all persons should participate and coverage should be guaranteed; Responsibility for financing should be shared by individuals, employers and government. Regarding the Essential Health Benefits Bulletin, issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on December 16, 2011, the College advocated for striking a balance between comprehensiveness and affordability while giving States some freedom to determine a package that best serve the needs of residents. The College believes that strong oversight is needed when determining the initial benchmark plan (and whether it reflects the coverage requirements of the Affordable Care Act) and how the package will be updated, particularly if insurers are given the ability to substitute benefits within and across categories.State and the federal government must work in concert with physicians, health care providers and payers to determine and promote use of clinically effective and cost-effective services that result in improved patient health while bending the cost curve. Advocated to repeal the mandate that requires a prescription for over-the-counter medications purchased through a Health Savings Account. Advocated for legislation that would provide coverage under Medicare for voluntary consultations between doctors and patients to discuss advance care plans, as included in H.R. 1173, the Personalize Your Care Act of 2013; advocated in Aug. 2014 for the Medicare Advantage Participants Bill of Rights, H.R. 4998 and S. 2552, that would prevent Medicare Advantage plans from terminating physicians from Medicare Advantage plan networks without sufficient notice or cause. Essential Health Benefits: Commented on the proposed rule regarding essential benefits, actuarial value, and accreditation as issued by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services on November 20, 2012; Advocated that strong oversight is needed when determining the initial benchmark plan (and whether it reflects the coverage requirements of the Affordable Care Act) and how the package will be updated, particularly if insurers are given the ability to substitute benefits within categories. State and the federal government must work in concert with physicians, health care providers and payers to determine and promote use of clinically effective and cost-effective services that result in improved patient health while bending the cost curve. Pilot test new Medicare payment models that re-align incentives to support effective, efficient, patient-centered, coordinated care. Priority should be given to models designed to support the value of services provided by primary care physicians as well as to models that would create incentives, across physician specialties and sites of services, to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of care provided. Policy criteria for selecting the most promising models for pilot testing should be developed, in consultation with outside experts; The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH), which has shown great promise in meeting the policy objectives suggested above, should be among the models selected for broader testing on a national pilot basis; the establishing of a new CMS Innovation Center to pilot-test new payment models, such as the medical home; the use of the medical home model for treatment or services under private health plans, the requirement of health plans to provide incentives to promote and report on medical home services provided, the establishment of community health teams and a primary care extension program to educate and support primary care practices in the delivery of medical home services, and the establishment of a demonstration project to educate physicians and other clinicians in training in the competencies required to deliver care consistent with the medical home care model. National workforce policy to ensure sufficient numbers of primary care and other physicians: Urged support for a national workforce commission to recommend national goals relating to the numbers and distribution of physicians and other health care professionals, including increasing the supply of primary care physicians; Fully fund the commission at levels authorized in the Affordable Care Act; Increase the number of Medicare-funded graduate medical education positions available each year in adult primary care specialties; Provide new loan repayment and medical school scholarship programs in exchange for primary care service in critical shortage health facilities, or in critical shortage areas of the country; Increase funding for scholarships and loan repayment programs under Title VII as well as increase funding for the National Health Service Corps (NHSC); Provide new practice-entry bonus for scholarship or loan repayment award recipients who remain in underserved communities after completion of service obligation. Reform the medical liability system and the enormous costs associated with frivolous lawsuits and defensive medicine: Impose caps on non-economic damages; and test and fund new models--like health courts, which would have cases heard by an expert panel rather than by a lay jury; Advocated for the Saving Lives, Saving Costs Act (H.R. 4106), which establishes a framework for health care liability lawsuits to undergo review by independent medical review panels if health care professionals (practicing physicians or their agents or employees) allege adherence to applicable clinical practice guidelines in the provision of health care goods or services. Workforce: Advocated for H.R. 1201, The Training Tomorrow's Doctors Today Act, S. 577, the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2013, H.R. 487, the Primary Care Workforce Access and Improvement Act of 2013, and legislation to permanently reauthorize the Conrad State 30 J-1 visa waiver program through S. 616, the Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Act.Medicaid Pay Parity: Advocated for extending for at least two more years, beyond 2014, the Medicaid primary care payment increase, as enacted under the Affordable Care Act, which has only recently been implemented in a majority of states, and (2) including physicians practicing obstetrics and gynecology as qualified specialties, subject to the current eligibility requirement that at least 60 percent of their Medicaid billings are the primary care services as defined by the authorizing legislation, for the purposes of qualifying for the Medicaid primary care increases; Advocated for at least a two-year extension of the Medicaid payment parity provision beyond its 2014 expiration date, namely through the Ensuring Access to Primary Care for Women & Children Act. Tobacco Regulation: Expressed strong opposition to House appropriators to any amendment that would exempt any type of cigar from regulation under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, P.L. 111-31, or would impede the rulemaking process the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has initiated to determine the appropriate level of oversight for tobacco products not currently regulated by the agency; the FDA should retain the authority to regulate all tobacco products, including cigars, and should be permitted to use a science-based process for determining those regulations; Advocated in Aug. 2014 for the Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention Act of 2014, which gives the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission the authority to require the use of child-proof packaging on liquid nicotine containers sold to consumers. Advance Care Planning: Urged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to adopt the American Medical Associations new Current Procedural Terminology Codes for advance care planning.

Client expense: $225,016 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), President of the U.S., SENATE

Preserving Access to Primary Care Services: Address the shortage of primary care physicians; designate primary care as a shortage profession; provide scholarships and loan forgiveness in exchange for primary care service commitments to practice in critical shortage areas; provide grants for medical school mentorship programs and primary care training in community health centers; increase Title VII funding for primary care health programs; increase funding for the National Health Service Corps,provide regulatory relief for primary care physicians; H.R. 7192/S. 1174, the Preserving Patient Access to Primary Care Act (111th Congress). Support Implementation and Improvement of the Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148, P.L. 111-152) by: Expanding coverage and improving Medicare benefits; Providing needed protections to guard against insurance practices that unfairly limit, deny or rescind coverage based on health status; public and private health insurers should encourage preventive health care by providing full coverage, with no cost-sharing, for preventive services recommended by an expert advisory group, such as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force; Ensuring access to primary care physicians; and beginning to bend the cost curve; Prohibiting insurers from excluding or charging excessive rates to children based on pre-existing conditions, which later will be expanded to all persons; Covering young adults on their parents' plans; Eliminating lifetime and annual limits on health insurance coverage; Requiring that health insurers spend more on patient care and less on administration; support enactment of S. 248, the Empowering States to Innovate Act, which amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) to: (1) allow states to apply for waivers of certain health insurance coverage requirements in such Act (including requirements for the establishment of qualified health plans and health insurance exchanges) for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2014 (currently, January 1, 2017), and (2) require the waiver application process to begin not later than 180 days after the enactment of this Act; Phasing out the Medicare Part D doughnut hole; Eliminating patient cost-sharing for preventive services offered by Medicare or private insurers; Increasing Medicare and Medicaid payments to primary care physicians; Establishing a new Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to help physicians and patients make care decisions based on the best available evidence; Creating a new Center on Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to fund pilots of delivery models to improve outcomes and reduce costs, including patient-centered medical homes; Training more primary care physicians through the National Health Service Corps, Title VII health professions funding, and redistributing unused graduate medical education positions to primary care specialties facing shortages; Beginning in 2014, ensuring that nearly all Americans have access to coverage either through subsidized private health insurance offered by state health exchanges or through Medicaid, if they don't already have access to coverage through an employer, Medicare, or another public program. Medicare Physician Payment Reform: Increase Medicare Fee Schedule payments to make primary care competitive in the market with other physician career and specialty choices; create a fast track authority to develop and implement new physician payment models that better align payment with effective, efficient, patient-centered care such as the Patient Centered Medical Home; provide a voluntary shared savings program, Accountable Care Organizations, that promotes accountability for services delivered to a defined Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) patient population with the goals of increasing the quality and efficiency of services delivered; provide separate Medicare payment for specific care coordination services provided principally by primary care physicians; revise Medicare budget neutrality rules to recognize the value of primary care in reducing Medicare baseline spending; increase the accuracy of physician work relative value units under the Medicare physician fee schedule; improve the accuracy of practice expense RVUs under the Medicare Fee Schedule; increase Medicare bonus payments for primary care services provided in designated shortage areas; provide stable, positive, predictable updates under Medicares reimbursement formula; and replacing the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula with a long term solution that provides for stable, predictable updates for physicians (H.R. 3961). Urged Congress to enact legislation that would provide stable payments for all physician specialties for at least five years while providing higher updates for undervalued evaluation and management services, require that different payment models (including Patient-Centered Medical Homes) be pilot-tested on a voluntary basis during the five year period of stable payments, and designate a specific transition period for broad adoption of the new models that have been shown to be the most effective based on the pilots. Urged enactment of the Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act (H.R. 574), as introduced in Feb. 2013 by Representatives Allyson Schwartz (D-PA) and Joe Heck (R-NV). This legislation would eliminate the SGR once and for all and transition to better payment and delivery systems that are aligned with value. Specifically, H.R. 574 would repeal the SGR formula, provide more than 5 years of stable physician payments, with positive increases for all physician services, and higher payments for primary care, preventive and care coordination services, and establishes a process for practices to transition to new, more effective, models of care by 2018.Advocated for the Patient-Centered Medical Home model should be scaled up for broad Medicare adoption, recognized, through the medical neighborhood concept, that specialty and subspecialty practices, hospitals, and other healthcare professionals and entities that provide treatment to the patient need to be recognized and provided with incentivesboth non-financial and financialfor engaging in patient-centered practices that complement and support the efforts of the PCMH to provide high quality, efficient, coordinated care; advocated for ACPs High Value, Cost-Conscious Care Initiative, which includes clinical, public policy, and educational components, designed to help physicians and patients understand the benefits, harms, and costs of an intervention and whether it provides good value, as well as to slow the unsustainable rate of health care cost increases while preserving high-value, high-quality care. Advocated for halting the nearly 25 percent cut in physician payments resulting from the flawed SGR formula, which was scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2014; Advocated for H.R. 2810, the SGR Repeal and Medicare Beneficiary Access Act of 2013, which would repeal the SGR and transition to a new value-based payment and delivery system; Advocated for H.R. 4015/S.2000, the SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act of 2014, legislation introduced on Feb. 6, 2014 to repeal the SGR and transition to a new value-based payment and delivery system. Medical Education: Provide incentives to medical schools, community health centers, or hospitals, to increase the numbers of physicians choosing primary care; authorize HHS to selectively eliminate Graduate Medical Education (GME) caps for residency programs in primary care, advocated for S. 1627, which would increase the number of Medicare-supported training positions for medical residents by 15 percent (approximately 15,000 slots) over five years, requiring at least 50 percent of the new positions to be allocated to specialties facing a current shortage; Advocated to protect Medicare beneficiary access to health care services by preserving existing Medicare financing for Graduate Medical Education (GME). FY2015 Appropriations: Advocated for the highest level of funding possible for the Labor-HHS-Education bill within the discretionary cap established by the Budget Control Act (BCA); Supported funding to "improve health care quality, enhance consumer choice, advance patient safety, improve efficiency, reduce medical errors, and broaden access to essential services; Advocated for funding for AHRQ, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA); Title VII, Section 747, Primary Care Training and Enhancement; National Health Service Corps, Community Health Centers Fund, National Health Care Workforce Commission, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Operations and Management of Exchanges; Expressed concern to House and Senate leadership over the expiration, at the end of FY2015, of dedicated funding for Community Health Centers, the National Health Service Corps, and Teaching Health Centers. Public Health Programs and Funding: Increase funding to accomplish the core missions and activities of the major federal public health agencies, including: biomedical and behavioral research, disease prevention and health promotion, access to safety net health care services, health professions education, mental health and substance abuse, health services research, health care for American Indians and Alaska natives, food and drug safety. Advocated to federal health agencies that wellness programs must not be used as a means to discriminate against the sick and vulnerable. Wellness programs must be developed to encourage prevention and improve health rather than penalize those who are medically unable to meet wellness program goals; Advocated that employers and health plans should fund programs proven to be effective in reducing obesity, stopping smoking, deterring alcohol abuse, and promoting wellness and providing coverage or subsidies for individuals to participate in such programs. Improving Access to Primary Care in the Context of Comprehensive Healthcare Reform Legislation (H.R. 3962/H.R. 3590/H.R. 4872): Ensure that all Americans will have access to affordable coverage. Provide sliding scale subsidies based on income to buy coverage from qualified plans; Qualified plans should: provide evidence-based benefits, including preventive services; and be prohibited from excluding persons with pre-existing conditions, charging them more, cherry-picking enrollees, or cancelling or failing to renew coverage; Expand Medicaid to cover all persons below the Federal Poverty Level and ensure fair payments to participating physicians; As coverage becomes affordable, all persons should participate and coverage should be guaranteed; Responsibility for financing should be shared by individuals, employers and government. Regarding the Essential Health Benefits Bulletin, issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on December 16, 2011, the College advocated for striking a balance between comprehensiveness and affordability while giving States some freedom to determine a package that best serve the needs of residents. The College believes that strong oversight is needed when determining the initial benchmark plan (and whether it reflects the coverage requirements of the Affordable Care Act) and how the package will be updated, particularly if insurers are given the ability to substitute benefits within and across categories.State and the federal government must work in concert with physicians, health care providers and payers to determine and promote use of clinically effective and cost-effective services that result in improved patient health while bending the cost curve. Advocated to repeal the mandate that requires a prescription for over-the-counter medications purchased through a Health Savings Account. Advocated for legislation that would provide coverage under Medicare for voluntary consultations between doctors and patients to discuss advance care plans, as included in H.R. 1173, the Personalize Your Care Act of 2013; advocated in Aug. 2014 for the Medicare Advantage Participants Bill of Rights, H.R. 4998 and S. 2552, that would prevent Medicare Advantage plans from terminating physicians from Medicare Advantage plan networks without sufficient notice or cause. Essential Health Benefits: Commented on the proposed rule regarding essential benefits, actuarial value, and accreditation as issued by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services on November 20, 2012; Advocated that strong oversight is needed when determining the initial benchmark plan (and whether it reflects the coverage requirements of the Affordable Care Act) and how the package will be updated, particularly if insurers are given the ability to substitute benefits within categories. State and the federal government must work in concert with physicians, health care providers and payers to determine and promote use of clinically effective and cost-effective services that result in improved patient health while bending the cost curve. Pilot test new Medicare payment models that re-align incentives to support effective, efficient, patient-centered, coordinated care. Priority should be given to models designed to support the value of services provided by primary care physicians as well as to models that would create incentives, across physician specialties and sites of services, to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of care provided. Policy criteria for selecting the most promising models for pilot testing should be developed, in consultation with outside experts; The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH), which has shown great promise in meeting the policy objectives suggested above, should be among the models selected for broader testing on a national pilot basis; the establishing of a new CMS Innovation Center to pilot-test new payment models, such as the medical home; the use of the medical home model for treatment or services under private health plans, the requirement of health plans to provide incentives to promote and report on medical home services provided, the establishment of community health teams and a primary care extension program to educate and support primary care practices in the delivery of medical home services, and the establishment of a demonstration project to educate physicians and other clinicians in training in the competencies required to deliver care consistent with the medical home care model. National workforce policy to ensure sufficient numbers of primary care and other physicians: Urged support for a national workforce commission to recommend national goals relating to the numbers and distribution of physicians and other health care professionals, including increasing the supply of primary care physicians; Fully fund the commission at levels authorized in the Affordable Care Act; Increase the number of Medicare-funded graduate medical education positions available each year in adult primary care specialties; Provide new loan repayment and medical school scholarship programs in exchange for primary care service in critical shortage health facilities, or in critical shortage areas of the country; Increase funding for scholarships and loan repayment programs under Title VII as well as increase funding for the National Health Service Corps (NHSC); Provide new practice-entry bonus for scholarship or loan repayment award recipients who remain in underserved communities after completion of service obligation. Reform the medical liability system and the enormous costs associated with frivolous lawsuits and defensive medicine: Impose caps on non-economic damages; and test and fund new models--like health courts, which would have cases heard by an expert panel rather than by a lay jury; Advocated for the Saving Lives, Saving Costs Act (H.R. 4106), which establishes a framework for health care liability lawsuits to undergo review by independent medical review panels if health care professionals (practicing physicians or their agents or employees) allege adherence to applicable clinical practice guidelines in the provision of health care goods or services. Workforce: Advocated for H.R. 1201, The Training Tomorrow's Doctors Today Act, S. 577, the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2013, H.R. 487, the Primary Care Workforce Access and Improvement Act of 2013, and legislation to permanently reauthorize the Conrad State 30 J-1 visa waiver program through S. 616, the Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Act.Medicaid Pay Parity: Advocated for extending for at least two more years, beyond 2014, the Medicaid primary care payment increase, as enacted under the Affordable Care Act, which has only recently been implemented in a majority of states, and (2) including physicians practicing obstetrics and gynecology as qualified specialties, subject to the current eligibility requirement that at least 60 percent of their Medicaid billings are the primary care services as defined by the authorizing legislation, for the purposes of qualifying for the Medicaid primary care increases; Advocated for at least a two-year extension of the Medicaid payment parity provision beyond its 2014 expiration date, namely through the Ensuring Access to Primary Care for Women & Children Act. Tobacco Regulation: Expressed strong opposition to House appropriators to any amendment that would exempt any type of cigar from regulation under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, P.L. 111-31, or would impede the rulemaking process the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has initiated to determine the appropriate level of oversight for tobacco products not currently regulated by the agency; the FDA should retain the authority to regulate all tobacco products, including cigars, and should be permitted to use a science-based process for determining those regulations; Advocated in Aug. 2014 for the Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention Act of 2014, which gives the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission the authority to require the use of child-proof packaging on liquid nicotine containers sold to consumers. Advance Care Planning: Urged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to adopt the American Medical Associations new Current Procedural Terminology Codes for advance care planning.

Client expense: $101,504 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), President of the U.S., SENATE

General Medicare Protection, Repeal of Sustainable Growth Rate: H.R. 574, Prevention of Fraud, Waste, and Abuse: H.R. 2305 and H.R. 3090 and S. 1123 and S. 1019 and H.R. 4998 and S. 2552, Savings on Medical Expenses: H.R. 4104 and H.R. 1179 and S. 569, Workforce Advancements: S. 2251 and H.R. 4445.

Client expense: $40,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE

Doc Fix, HR 2810/HR 574/HR 4015; Review Medical Records, HR 975/S. 628.

Client expense: $162,500 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE, U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA)

S. 236, Medicare Patient Empowerment Act: Private contracting for patients and physicians S. 351, Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act of 2013: Repeal of the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) S. 577, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2013: Graduate medical education-residency training S. 972, Cutting Costly Codes Act Prohibit replacement of ICD-9 with ICD-10H.R. 351, Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act of 2013: Repeal of the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB)H.R. 574, Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act of 2013: Medicare physician payment-sustainable growth rate (SGR) reform H.R. 969, Medical Practice Freedom Act of 2013: Medical licensure H.R. 1180, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2013: Graduate medical education-residency training H.R.1201, Training Tomorrow's Doctors Today Act: Graduate medical education-residency training H.R. 1310, Medicare Patient Empowerment Act: Private contracting for patients and physicians H.R. 1333, Electronic Health Records Improvement Act: Electronic medical record penalties and incentive payments H.R.1701, Cutting Costly Codes Act Prohibit replacement of ICD-9 with ICD-10 H.R. 2810, Medicare Patient Access and Quality Improvement Act: Medicare physician payment-sustainable growth rate (SGR) reform H.R. 4302, the Protecting Access to Medicare Act: Medicare physician payment-sustainable growth rate (SGR) reform H.R.4418: Expanding the Availability of Medicare Data Act: making Medicare data available for clinical data registries

Client expense: $40,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE

S. 236, Medicare Patient Empowerment Act: Private contracting for patients and physicians S. 351, Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act of 2013: Repeal of the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) S. 577, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2013: Graduate medical education-residency training S. 972, Cutting Costly Codes Act Prohibit replacement of ICD-9 with ICD-10H.R. 351, Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act of 2013: Repeal of the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB)H.R. 574, Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act of 2013: Medicare physician payment-sustainable growth rate (SGR) reform H.R. 969, Medical Practice Freedom Act of 2013: Medical licensure H.R. 1180, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2013: Graduate medical education-residency training H.R.1201, Training Tomorrow's Doctors Today Act: Graduate medical education-residency training H.R. 1310, Medicare Patient Empowerment Act: Private contracting for patients and physicians H.R. 1333, Electronic Health Records Improvement Act: Electronic medical record penalties and incentive payments H.R.1701, Cutting Costly Codes Act Prohibit replacement of ICD-9 with ICD-10 H.R. 2810, Medicare Patient Access and Quality Improvement Act: Medicare physician payment-sustainable growth rate (SGR) reform H.R. 4302, the Protecting Access to Medicare Act: Medicare physician payment-sustainable growth rate (SGR) reform H.R.4418: Expanding the Availability of Medicare Data Act: making Medicare data available for clinical data registries

Client expense: $40,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE

H.R. 713/S. 367-Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act (Repeal of Therapy Caps) Payments to Physical Therapists under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Permanent Repeal of/alternatives to the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) Formula H.R. 574 Medicare Physician Payment Innovation ActOpposition of Multiple Procedure Payment Reduction for PT Services Physician Quality Reporting System H.R. 2914 Promoting Integrity in Medicare Act H.R. 1310 and S. 236 Medicare Patient Empowerment Act Prevention Initiatives for Fraud and Abuse in the Medicare program Accountable Care Organizations/Patient Centered Medical Homes Electronic Health Records/ Health Information Technology incentives for Physical Therapists Development of Alternatives to Medicare Therapy Cap Medicare Payment Reform Local Coverage Determinations NCCI Edits Protection of programs related to physical therapy in deficit reduction Medicare Advantage PCORI National Priority for Research and Research Agenda Health Information Technology Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act Functional Limitation Reporting Therapy Cap: Manual Medical Review Essential Health Benefits Sustainable Growth Rate Reform H.R. 1179/S. 569 Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act Medicaid Essential Health Benefits EHR/LTPAC Settings: Transitions of Care Medicare Improvement Standards Bundled Payment Models Common assessment tool for Medicare post-acute care Medicare appeals process H.R. 3426 Prevent Interruptions in Physical Therapy Act/S.2818 H.R. 942 and S. 948 Ensuring Access to Quality Complex Rehabilitation Technology H.R. 2810 Medicare Patient Access and Quality Improvement Act Inclusion of physical therapists in quality programs in SGR Reform H.R. 4015 and S.2000: SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act of 2014 FTC Anti-competition Self-referral S.1871 SGR Repeal and Medicare Beneficiary Access Act S.2110 Medicare SGR Repeal and Beneficiary Access Improvement Act S. 2157 Commonsense Medicare SGR Repeal and Beneficiary Access Improvement Act H.R.4302 Protecting Access to Medicare Act Statement for the record on Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Current Hospital Issues in Medicare H.R. 4755 Access to In-patient Rehabilitation Therapy Act H.R. 4994/S.2553 IMPACT Act Able Act Comments on CY2015 OPPS rule H.R. 5380 Medicare Telehealth Parity Act Comments on draft Fraud & Abuse Legislation

Client expense: $308,338 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ), Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Defense, Dept of (DOD), Education, Dept of, Government Accountability Office (GAO), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), Natl Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, Small Business Administration (SBA), Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA), White House Office

S. 153/H.R. 274 The Mental Health First Aid Act of 2013 S. 195/H.R. 628 The Mental Health in Schools Act of 2013 H.R. 1100 The Mental Health on Campus Improvement Act S. 264/H.R. 1263 The Excellence in Mental Health Act H.R. 794 To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for treatment of clinical psychologists as physicians for purposes of furnishing clinical psychologist services under the Medicare Program. H.R. 574 The Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act of 2013 S. 577/H.R. 1201 Training Tomorrows Doctors Today Act S. 236/H.R. 1310 the Medicare Patient Empowerment Act of 2013 H.R. 1331 The Electronic Health Records Improvement Act H.R. 1427 The Truth in Healthcare Marketing Act of 2013 S. 351/H.R. 351 The Protecting Seniors Access to Medicare Act of 2013 H.R. 297 The Childrens Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act of 2013 S. 265 Community-Based Mental Health Improvements Act S. 648 Helping Educators Support All Students Act S.162 Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Act of 2013; S. 649 Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act of 2013 S. 2461 The CHIP Extension Act of 2014 S. 2728 The Community Based Medical Education Act H.R. 1615 A bill to provide for a study by the Institute of Medicine on gaps in mental health services and how these gaps can increase the risk of violent acts. H.R. 2037 The Native American Psychiatric and Mental Health Care Improvement Act H.R. 2545 The Accuracy in Medicare Physician Payment Act of 2013 S. 1064 Medicare Mental Health Access Act H.R. 2775 No Subsidies Without Verification Act H.R. 2810 The Medicare Patient Access and Quality Improvement Act of 2013 H.R. 3128 The Protect Patients Act of 2013 H.R. 2817 The Protect Patient Access to Quality Health Professionals Act of 2013 H.R. 2734 The Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act Reauthorization of 2013 H.R. 2910 The Gun Violence Prevention and Reduction Act H.R. 3717 The Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2013 H Con Res 69 The Stop Harming Our Kids Resolution of 2013 H.R. 4302 The Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 H.R. 4015 The SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act of 2014 S. 2110 The Medicare SGR Repeal and Beneficiary Access Improvement Act of 2014 S. 2122 The Responsible Medicare SGR Repeal and Beneficiary Access Improvement Act of 2014 H.R. 4762 The Medicare Transitional Care Act of 2014 H.R. 4574 The Strengthening Mental Health in Our Communities Act H.R. 4783 The Promoting Healthy Minds for Safer Communities Act H.R. 4581 The Parental Control Act of 2014 H.R. 5353 The Medicaid Parity Act of 2014 H.R. 5136 The Breaking Addiction Act of 2014 H.R. 5587 The Opioid Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 2014 H.R. 5339 The Expanding Opportunities for Recovery Act of 2014 H.R. 5364 The CHIP Extension and Improvement Act of 2014

Client expense: $71,176 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE, Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA)

S. 264/H.R. 1263 The Excellence in Mental Health Act H.R. 794 To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for treatment of clinical psychologists as physicians for purposes of furnishing clinical psychologist services under the Medicare Program. H.R. 574 The Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act of 2013 S. 577/H.R. 1201 Training Tomorrows Doctors Today Act S. 236/H.R. 1310 The Medicare Patient Empowerment Act of 2013 H.R. 1331 The Electronic Health Records Improvement Act S. 351/H.R. 351 The Protecting Seniors Access to Medicare Act of 2013 H.R. 297 The Childrens Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act of 2013 H.R. 2545 The Accuracy in Medicare Physician Payment Act of 2013 S. 1064 Medicare Mental Health Access Act H.R. 2810 The Medicare Patient Access and Quality Improvement Act of 2013 H.R. 3128 The Protect Patients Act of 2013 H.R. 3717 The Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2013 H.R. 3662 The Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2013 H.R. 4302 The Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 H.R. 4015 The SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act of 2014 S. 2110 The Medicare SGR Repeal and Beneficiary Access Improvement Act of 2014 S. 2122 The Responsible Medicare SGR Repeal and Beneficiary Access Improvement Act of 2014 H.R. 4762 The Medicare Transitional Care Act of 2014 H.R. 5353 The Medicaid Parity Act of 2014 H.R. 5136 The Breaking Addiction Act of 2014 H.R. 5339 The Expanding Opportunities for Recovery Act of 2014 H.R. 5587 The Opioid Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 2014 Proposed Rule for Medicare Program; Revisions to Payment Policies under the Physician Fee Schedule, Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule & Other Revisions to Part B for CY 2015 (CMS-1612-P)

Client expense: $71,176 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE, Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA)

Pub.Law 111-148 & 111-152 - Discussed implementation of health care law that would reform the health care system to provide affordable quality health care, reduce drug costs and expand access to long-term services and supports. Discussed how to implement Medicaid provisions of Affordable Care Act. (PL. 111-148)S. 374, Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act - Lobbied in support of this legislation to eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on Medicare coverage for in-patient psychiatric hospital services (112th). Discussed improving access to care for underserved population. (no bill) Discussed importance of maintaining low income subsididies and supports in Medicare. (no bill) Discussed the importance of coordinating services for those who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid in order to ensure that beneficiaries receive all needed benefits but there is no duplication. (no bill) Discussed whether, and under what circumstances, managed care could effectively be used to provide benefits to dual eligible beneficiaries. (no bill) Discussed additional methods for fighting fraud and waste in Health Care. (no bill) Discussed Medigap and need for guaranteed issue for all populations and need to increase medical loss ratio. Discussed durable medical equipment bidding. (no bill) Lobbied for legislation to provide Medicare beneficiaries with additional opportunities to enroll in Medicare Part B.(no bill) Lobbied against the use of the Social Security account number on Government-issued identification cards issued in connection with Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP benefits and for other purposes. (no bill) Discussed support to curb waste and fraud from the Medicare and Medicaid programs. (no bill) H.R. 3630, Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 - Discussed the legislation as it pertained to SGR. Discussed Medicare Reform. (no bill) H.R. 2305/S. 1123, PRIME ACT (Preventing and Reducing Improper Medicare Expenditures) - Discussed support for bill and urged cosponsorship. Discussed the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit program and changes needed to further lower prescription drug costs. (no bill) H.R. 1588/S. 740, Medicare Drug Savings Act - Discussed the Medicare Drug Savings Act to require drug manufacturers to provide rebates for drugs provided to Medicare Part D low-income subsidy beneficiaries, including those who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. Discussed potential improvements to the Medicare Savings Programs for low-income befeficiaries. (no bill) Discussed proposals that would establish per-capita caps under Medicaid as well as other Medicaid financing proposals including block grants and changes to the current FMAP structure. (no bill) H.R. 1717 - Discussed Medicare DMEPOS Market Pricing Program Act. Discussed implementation of regulations regarding minimum wage and overtime for home care workers and consumer-directed care. (no bill) Discussed the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit program and changes needed to further lower prescription drug costs and related agency proposed rule changes. (no bill) H. R. 1588/S.740 - Discussed the Medicare Drug Savings Act to require drug manufacturers to provide rebates for drugs provided to Medicare Part D low-income subsidy beneficiaries, including those who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. H.R.3830/S.1900 - Discussed pending U.S. trade agreement negotiations and trade promotional or "fast track" authority legislation and their potential impact on Medicare and Medicaid prescription drug programs. S. 2461 - Discussed Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) extension and CHIP Extension Act of 2014. Discussed Part D Payment for Drugs for Beneficiaries Enrolled in Hospice - Final 2014 CMS Guidance. H.R.5294, Health Equity & Accountability Act of 2014 - Addresses health care disparities; no endorsement due to budget impact. Medicare Advantage- Answered questions from some Hill offices. (no bill) Medicare Supplemental Insurance - Stated opposition to the elimination of first dollar coverage. (no bill)Discussed Medicare Graduate Nursing Education pilot design. (no bill) Discussed Prescription Drug Affordability. (no bill) Discussed Prescription Drug Shortages. (no bill) H.R. 3342, Affordable Medicines Utilization Act of 2011 - Lobbied to encourage state Medicaid programs to use safe, effective generic medications. H.R. 2576 - Discussion to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify the calculation of modified adjusted gross income for purposes of determining eligibility for certain healthcare-related programs. Discussed opposition to caps on dual eligibles; discussed managed care and dual eligibles. (no bill) Discussed with CMS demonstration programs for dual eligibles and process related to the demonstrations, as well as other work of the Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office, discussed consumer choice and continuity of care in Medicaid managed long-term services and supports programs, discussed focus groups on dual eligibles. Discussed Hospital & Critical Access Hospitals Conditions of Participation proposed regulations; requested that advanced practice registered nurses and physicians assistants be allowed the full scope of services in hospital admitting and visiting privileges. (no bill) Discussed Hospital Outpatient Therapeutic Services Final Rule underscoring that advanced practice registered nurses and physicians should be allowed to supervise such outpatient service clinics without physician oversight as long as in line with state scope of practice laws. (no bill) Discussed health disparities. (no bill) Discussed Medicaid reform, Medicare/Medicaid "dual eligibles" integration efforts and financial alignment demonstrations; and other CMS demonstration initiatives. (no bill) S. 3586, Recruiting Individuals to Drive Elders (RIDE) Act - Discussed Medicaid non-emergency transportation bill (112th). Discussed proposals that would establish per-capita caps under Medicaid as well as other Medicaid financing proposals including block grants and changes to the current FMAP structure. (no bill) Discussed extension of funding originally provided under the Medicare Improvement for Patients and Providers Act (P.L. 110-275) to State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIPs), Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRICs), and Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) for Medicare outreach and enrollment counseling. (no bill) Discussed the prevention of cuts to beneficiaries in the Medicare program. (no bill) Discussed the prevention of an increase in the age of eligibility in the Medicare program. (no bill) Discussed the patch to the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) in the Medicare program. (no bill) Discussed concerns of block granting Medicaid. (no bill) Discussed the Kansas managed long-term services and supports waiver proposals and related implementation issues. (no bill). H.R.928/S.408, the Medicare Drug Savings Act - Discussed requirement for drug manufacturers to provide rebates for drugs provided to Medicare Part D low-income subsidy beneficiaries, including those who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. Discussed Health Disparities. (no bill) Discussed medicare demonstration project replacing standard medicare cards with Smart Card technology. (no bill) H.R. 574 - The Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act of 2013. Discussed Medicaid expansion and estate recovery. (no bill) Discussed Medicaid and asset transfers. (no bill) H.R.4994/S. 2553, Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014 - Discussed the bill and AARP support for the bill. Shared our letter of support. S. 2491, Discussed Medicare Protection Act. Discussed concern about CMS guidance on prescription drugs for medicare beneficiaries receiving hospice and coordination between hospice providers and medicare Part D sponsors. (no bill) H.R. 1179/S.569 - Submitted statement for the record for Senate Aging Committee hearing on Observation Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act and Notice of Observation Treatment and Implication for Care Eligibility Act (H.R. 5232). Discussed aging in place, HCBS, family caregiving. (no bill)H.R. 1179/S.569, Improving Access to Medicare Act - Discussed support of Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act and urged cosponsorship and advancement of the bill. Discussed CMS information regarding healthcare marketplaces. H.R. 2305/S.1123, Preventing and Reducing Improper Medicare and Medicaid Expenditures Act. Bill reduces waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid programs. Discussed Competitive bidding of durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies. (no bill) Discussed repeal of Affordable Care Act provision making prescriptions necessary for over-the-counter drugs purchased with flexible spending accounts. (no bill) Discussed Medicare supplemental coverage. (no bill) Discussed the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit program and changes needed to further lower prescription drug cost. (no bill) Discussed potential improvements to the Medicare Savings Programs for low-income beneficiaries. (no bill) Discussed Recruiting Individuals to Drive Our Elders Act (RIDE) would increase state flexibility by giving states the option to receive federal assistance to reimburse their volunteer drivers for no-load miles. (no bill) Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Act, 2015 - Lobbied to protect vital health and social services programs from enhanced reductions from the prior year baseline, and to prevent repeal of certain financial and health care-related regulation.(no bill) Discussed potential improvements to the Medicare Savings Programs for low-income beneficiares. (no bill) Discussed pending U.S. trade agreement negotiations, including trade promotional or 'fast track' authority, and their potential impact on Medicare and Medicaid prescription drug programs. (no bill) Discussed fraud, Medicare home healthcare, ways to find savings in Medicare without harming Medicare beneficiaries (care coordination, prescription drugs, waste, fraud and abuse). Discussed You've Earned A Say, ways to find savings in medicare without harming medicare beneficiaries (care coordination, prescription drugs, waste, fraud and abuse). PL.111-148 - Discussed implementation of provision to require reporting of nursing home staffing data based on payroll data. Discussed the draft legislation on Medicare fraud and abuse. Protecting the Integrity of Medicare Act. (no bill) Discussed the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit program and changes needed to further lower prescription drug costs and related agency proposed rule changes. (no bill) H.R. 1588/S.740 - Discussed the Medicare Drug Savings Act to require drug manufacturers to provide rebates for drugs provided to Medicare Part D low-income subsidy beneficiaries, including those who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. H.R. 3830/S. 1900 - Discussed pending U.S. trade agreement negotiations and trade promotional or "fast track" authority legislation and their potential impact on Medicare and Medicaid prescription drug programs. S. 2461 - Discussed Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Extension Act of 2014. Discussed Part D Payment for Drugs for Beneficiaries Enrolled in Hospice-Final 2014 CMS Guidance. Discussed the Protecting Integrity of Medicare Act. (no bill) H.R.5435, Home Infusion Site of Care Act - Sent letter of endorsement H.R. 5958 - Discussed the ACO Improvement Act. H.R. 5232 - Discussed and sent letter on the Notice of Observation Treatment and Implication for Care Eligibility Act. Met with Centers for Medicare and medicaid services to discuss three-day stay requirement for medicare skilled nursing coverage. H.J. Res. 124, Continuing Appropriations Resolution - Lobbied to protect funding levels for CMS program management under Continuing Resolution. Discussed coordination with hospice providers and Medicare Part D plans guidance for Medicare beneficiaries receiving hospice. (no bill) H.R. 1179/S. 569 - Discussed observation impace on Medicare beneficiaries, counting time in observation toward Medicare's three-day inpatient hospital stay requirement for Medicare skilled nursing facility coverage, and the Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act (CMS & MedPAC). Discussed caucus for military/veteran family caregivers and support for family caregivers. (no bill) Discussed draft working paper on impact of observation on Medicare beneficiary out of pocket. (no bill)Discussed District of Columbia EPD Medicaid HCBS waiver. (no bill) H.R. 5232 - Discussed legislation and shared letter of support for the Notice of Observation Treatment and Implication for Care Eligibility (NOTICE) Act of 2014. Discussed Medicare Advantage. (no bill) Discussed H.R. 3616, Protecting Seniors from Healthcare Fraud Act. Discussed observation care and "two-midnight rule". (no bill) H.R. 1070, the Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act - Discussed and sent letter of endorsement to bill. Discussed the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit program and changes needed to further lower prescription drug costs and related agency proposed rule changes. (no bill) H.R. 1588/S.740, Medicaid Drug Savings Act - Discussed the requirement for drug manufacturers to provide rebates for drugs provided to Medicare Part D low-income subsidy beneficiaries, including those who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. Discussed potential improvements to the Medicare Savings Programs for low-income beneficiaries. (no bill) Discussed pending U.S. Trade agreement negotiations, including trade promotional or "fast track" authority, and their potential impact on Medicare and Medicaid prescription drug programs. (no bill) H.R. 2810/S.1871/H.R. 4015/S.2110 - Discussed SGR repeal and health care extender provisions, including the Qualified Individual low-income Medicare beneficiary assistance program. H.R. 4418, The Expanding Availability of Medicare Data Act - Sent letter of endorsement. Discussed Medicare data and billing transparency. (no bill) Discussed socio-economic risk adjustment. (no bill) S. 2240 - Discussed Medicare Choices Empowerment and Protection Act. H.R. 3024 - Discussed the Medicare Common Access Card Act. H.R. 4673-Discussed the Bundling and Coordinating Post Acute Care (BACPAC) Act and shared views on post-acute care return. Discussed Medicare expansion. (no bill) Discussed Medicaid Labs Spousal Impoverishment provisions (PL. 111-198). S. 2361, Discussed Stop Schemes and cons against Medicare and seniors. Discussed transparency in healthcare. (no bill) Discussed LTSS Hill briefing series. (no bill) Met with CMS on observation status. (no bill) Submitted comment letter to CMS on the FY2015 Medicare Hospice proposed regulation. Shared comment letter with some Hill staff. H.R. 4994/S.2553 - Shared letter of support for Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act and discussed the status of the bill. Discussed long-term survey and supports Hill briefings. (no bill) Submitted comment letter to CMS on the FY 2015 Medicare Home Health proposed regulation. Shared draft working paper on impact of observation on Medicare beneficiary out of pocket cost. (no bill) Responded to inquiry on observation. (no bill)

Client expense: $2,380,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Administration on Aging, Agriculture, Dept of (USDA), Bureau of the Census, Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Congressional Budget Office (CBO), Energy, Dept of, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Federal Highway Administration (FHA), Federal Reserve System, Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Government Accountability Office (GAO), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Housing & Urban Development, Dept of (HUD), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Justice, Dept of (DOJ), Labor, Dept of (DOL), Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), Natl Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Natl Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), SENATE, Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), Social Security Administration (SSA), Transportation, Dept of (DOT), Treasury, Dept of, Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA), White House Office

Issues pertaining to Medicaid reform, block grant proposals, per capita caps Medicare and Medicaid Graduate Medical education, Medicaid provider taxes, Medicare bad debt payments Medicare and Medicaid paymentMedicaid Waivers Extension of Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate Medicare Evaluation and Management Reimbursement Reduction Proposal Issues related to waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicaid Medicare Disproportionate Share Hospital Payments H.R. 574 Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act of 2013, all provisions H.R. 1853 Medicaid Accountability and Care Act, all provisions H.R. 574 Medicare Physician Payment Act, all provisions 5.577/HR 1180 Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act , all provisions H.R. 1201 Training Tomorrow's Doctors Act, all provisions H.R. 1250/5.1012 Medicare Audit Improvement Act, all provisions H.R. 1487 Improved Healthcare at a Lower Cost Act, all provisions H.R. 1698 Stabilize Medicaid and CHIP Coverage, all provisions H.R. 1326 Health Care Price Transparency Promotion Act, all provisions H.R. 1920 DSH Reduction Relief Act, all provisions Issues related to Medicaid enrollment of newborns CMS FY2014 Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System Rule Issues related to admission and medical review criteria for inpatient services ("two midnights rule") S.1555 DSH Reduction Relief Act of 2013, all provisions S.1871 SGR Repeal and Medicare Beneficiary Access Act - all sections H.R. 2810 Medicare Patient Access and Quality Improvement Act - all sections H.R. 4302 Protecting Access to Medicare Act - all sections H.R. 4015 SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act S. 1980 Medicaid and CHIP Continuous Quality Act H.R. 3678 Two-Midnight Rule Delay Act - all sections H.R. 4188 Establishing Beneficiary Equity in the Hospital Readmission Program Act S. 2082 Two-Midnight Rule Coordination and Improvement Act S. 2501 Hospitals Readmissions Program Accuracy and Accountability Act, all sections Issues related to quality measures reporting in Medicaid S. 2461 CHIP Extension act of 2014, all provisions Issues related to Medicare payment for patients in "observation status" in hospitals CMS FY 2014 Outpatient Prospective Payment System Rule Issues related to Medicare Recovery Audit Contractors S. 2941 Medicare Protection Act, all Provisions Extension of SSA 1902 (a) (b) (c) - Medicaid Primary Care payment parity Childrens Health Insurance Program Medicare Hospital Re-admissions Program Meaningful Use Stage 2 H.R. 5481 The Flexibility in Health IT Reporting Act H.R. 5364 CHIP Extension and Improvement Act, All provisions

Client expense: $160,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE, White House Office

Reform of Medicare physician fee schedule and formula [Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act (H.R. 574); Medicare Patient Access and Quality Improvement Act (H.R. 2810); SGR Repeal and Medicare Beneficiary Access Act (S. 1871); SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act (H.R. 4015); con't.Medicare SGR Repeal and Beneficiary Access Improvement Act (S. 2110)]; Issues pertaining to medical home

Client expense: Not reported · Firm income: $50,000

Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), SENATE

HR 1201 "Training Tomorrow's Doctors Today Act" All Provisions S 577 "Resident Physician Shortage Act of 2013" All Provisions HR 574 "Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act" All Provisions H.R. 4302 Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 All ProvisionsP.L. 111-148 and P.L. 111-152 Affordable Care Act. All provisions related to implementation of health care reform including the Medicare and Medicaid programs, tax and insurance policies, graduate medical education, biomedical research, public and preventative health measures, and other policies concerning hospitals, physicians, health plans, employers and individuals. H.R. 1180 The Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2013. All Provisions. H.R. 1920 DSH Reduction Relief Act of 2013. All Provisions. S. 1012 The Medicare Audit Improvement Act of 2013. All Provisions. H.R. 1250 The Medicare Audit Improvement Act of 2013. All Provisions. H. R. 2810 Medicare Patient Access and Quality Improvement Act of 2013. All Provisions. Senate Finance Committee: The SGR Repeal and Medicare Beneficiary Access Improvement Act of 2013. All Provisions. The SGR Repeal and Medicare Beneficiary Accesst Improvement Act of 2013, offered as a substitute amendment to H.R.2810 Medicare Patient Access and Quality Improvement Act of 2013. All Provisions. H.J. Res.59 Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 Short Title: Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 and Pathway for SGR Reform Act of 2013. All Provisions related to the Medicare Physican Payment H.R. 3698 Two-Midnight Rule Relay Act, All provision Medicare Advantage 2015 Advance Notice of Methodological Changes for Calendar Year 2015 for Medicare Advantage Capitation Rates, Part C and Part D Payment Policies and 2015 Call Letter. All Provisions S.1932 Medicare Better Care Program. All provisions. H.R. 3890 Medicare Better Care Program. All provisions. H.R. 4188 Establishing Beneficiary Equity in the Hospital Readmission Program Act. All provisions. H.R. 1920 DSH Reduction Relief Act of 2013. All provisions. S. 2082 Two-Midnight Rule Coordination and Improvement Act of 2014. All provisions. H.R. 4673 Bundling and Coordinating Post-Acute Care Act of 2014. All provisions. H.R. 4994 Impact Act of 2014 - Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014. All provisions. H.R. 4188 Establishing Beneficiary Equity in the Hospital Readmission Program Act. All provisions. Medicare Shared Savings Program/Accountable Care Organizations: Potential Regulatory Reforms H.R. 5481 To continue the use of a 3-month quarter EHR reporting period for health care providers to demonstrate meaningful use for 2015 under the Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive payment programs, and for other purposes.

Client expense: $160,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), SENATE

H.R.351 - Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act of 2013 H.R.574 - Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act of 2013 H.R.1179 - Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2013 H.R.1250 - Medicare Audit Improvement Act 2013H.R.1487 - Improved Health Care Lower Cost Act of 2013 H.R.1838 Enhanced Access to Medicaid Services H.R.2810 - Medicare Patient Access and Quality Improvement Act of 2013 H.R.3144 - Fairness for Beneficiaries Act of 2013 H.R.4015 SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act of 2014 H.R.5460 Medicare Ambulance Access, Fraud Prevention and Reform Act of 2014 S.351 - Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act of 2013 S.569 - Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2013 S.755 Enhanced Access to Medicaid Services S.1012 - Medicare Audit Improvement Act 2013 S.1871 SGR Repeal and Medicare Beneficiary Access of 2013 S.2110 Medicare SGR Repeal and Beneficiary Access Improvement Act of 2014 S.2157 Commonsense Medicare SGR Repeal and Beneficiary Access Improvement Act of 2014 S.2240 Medicare Choices Empowerment and Protection Act S.2501 Hospital Readmission Accuracy and Accountability Act

Client expense: $291,064 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE

Preserving Access to Primary Care Services: Address the shortage of primary care physicians; designate primary care as a shortage profession; provide scholarships and loan forgiveness in exchange for primary care service commitments to practice in critical shortage areas; provide grants for medical school mentorship programs and primary care training in community health centers; increase Title VII funding for primary care health programs; increase funding for the National Health Service Corps,provide regulatory relief for primary care physicians; H.R. 7192/S. 1174, the Preserving Patient Access to Primary Care Act (111th Congress). Support Implementation and Improvement of the Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148, P.L. 111-152) by: Expanding coverage and improving Medicare benefits; Providing needed protections to guard against insurance practices that unfairly limit, deny or rescind coverage based on health status; public and private health insurers should encourage preventive health care by providing full coverage, with no cost-sharing, for preventive services recommended by an expert advisory group, such as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force; Ensuring access to primary care physicians; and beginning to bend the cost curve; Prohibiting insurers from excluding or charging excessive rates to children based on pre-existing conditions, which later will be expanded to all persons; Covering young adults on their parents' plans; Eliminating lifetime and annual limits on health insurance coverage; Requiring that health insurers spend more on patient care and less on administration; support enactment of S. 248, the Empowering States to Innovate Act, which amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) to: (1) allow states to apply for waivers of certain health insurance coverage requirements in such Act (including requirements for the establishment of qualified health plans and health insurance exchanges) for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2014 (currently, January 1, 2017), and (2) require the waiver application process to begin not later than 180 days after the enactment of this Act; Phasing out the Medicare Part D doughnut hole; Eliminating patient cost-sharing for preventive services offered by Medicare or private insurers; Increasing Medicare and Medicaid payments to primary care physicians; Establishing a new Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to help physicians and patients make care decisions based on the best available evidence; Creating a new Center on Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to fund pilots of delivery models to improve outcomes and reduce costs, including patient-centered medical homes; Training more primary care physicians through the National Health Service Corps, Title VII health professions funding, and redistributing unused graduate medical education positions to primary care specialties facing shortages; Beginning in 2014, ensuring that nearly all Americans have access to coverage either through subsidized private health insurance offered by state health exchanges or through Medicaid, if they don't already have access to coverage through an employer, Medicare, or another public program. Medicare Physician Payment Reform: Increase Medicare Fee Schedule payments to make primary care competitive in the market with other physician career and specialty choices; create a fast track authority to develop and implement new physician payment models that better align payment with effective, efficient, patient-centered care such as the Patient Centered Medical Home; provide a voluntary shared savings program, Accountable Care Organizations, that promotes accountability for services delivered to a defined Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) patient population with the goals of increasing the quality and efficiency of services delivered; provide separate Medicare payment for specific care coordination services provided principally by primary care physicians; revise Medicare budget neutrality rules to recognize the value of primary care in reducing Medicare baseline spending; increase the accuracy of physician work relative value units under the Medicare physician fee schedule; improve the accuracy of practice expense RVUs under the Medicare Fee Schedule; increase Medicare bonus payments for primary care services provided in designated shortage areas; provide stable, positive, predictable updates under Medicares reimbursement formula; and replacing the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula with a long term solution that provides for stable, predictable updates for physicians (H.R. 3961). Urged Congress to enact legislation that would provide stable payments for all physician specialties for at least five years while providing higher updates for undervalued evaluation and management services, require that different payment models (including Patient-Centered Medical Homes) be pilot-tested on a voluntary basis during the five year period of stable payments, and designate a specific transition period for broad adoption of the new models that have been shown to be the most effective based on the pilots. Urged enactment of the Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act (H.R. 574), as introduced in Feb. 2013 by Representatives Allyson Schwartz (D-PA) and Joe Heck (R-NV). This legislation would eliminate the SGR once and for all and transition to better payment and delivery systems that are aligned with value. Specifically, H.R. 574 would repeal the SGR formula, provide more than 5 years of stable physician payments, with positive increases for all physician services, and higher payments for primary care, preventive and care coordination services, and establishes a process for practices to transition to new, more effective, models of care by 2018.Advocated for the Patient-Centered Medical Home model should be scaled up for broad Medicare adoption, recognized, through the medical neighborhood concept, that specialty and subspecialty practices, hospitals, and other healthcare professionals and entities that provide treatment to the patient need to be recognized and provided with incentivesboth non-financial and financialfor engaging in patient-centered practices that complement and support the efforts of the PCMH to provide high quality, efficient, coordinated care; advocated for ACPs High Value, Cost-Conscious Care Initiative, which includes clinical, public policy, and educational components, designed to help physicians and patients understand the benefits, harms, and costs of an intervention and whether it provides good value, as well as to slow the unsustainable rate of health care cost increases while preserving high-value, high-quality care. Advocated for halting the nearly 25 percent cut in physician payments resulting from the flawed SGR formula, which was scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2014; Advocated for H.R. 2810, the SGR Repeal and Medicare Beneficiary Access Act of 2013, which would repeal the SGR and transition to a new value-based payment and delivery system; Advocated for H.R. 4015/S.2000, the SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act of 2014, legislation introduced on Feb. 6, 2014 to repeal the SGR and transition to a new value-based payment and delivery system. Medical Education: Provide incentives to medical schools, community health centers, or hospitals, to increase the numbers of physicians choosing primary care; authorize HHS to selectively eliminate Graduate Medical Education (GME) caps for residency programs in primary care, advocated for S. 1627, which would increase the number of Medicare-supported training positions for medical residents by 15 percent (approximately 15,000 slots) over five years, requiring at least 50 percent of the new positions to be allocated to specialties facing a current shortage; Advocated to protect Medicare beneficiary access to health care services by preserving existing Medicare financing for Graduate Medical Education (GME). FY2015 Appropriations: Advocated for the highest level of funding possible for the Labor-HHS-Education bill within the discretionary cap established by the Budget Control Act (BCA); Supported funding to "improve health care quality, enhance consumer choice, advance patient safety, improve efficiency, reduce medical errors, and broaden access to essential services; Advocated for funding for AHRQ, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA); Title VII, Section 747, Primary Care Training and Enhancement; National Health Service Corps, Community Health Centers Fund, National Health Care Workforce Commission, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Operations and Management of Exchanges. Public Health Programs and Funding: Increase funding to accomplish the core missions and activities of the major federal public health agencies, including: biomedical and behavioral research, disease prevention and health promotion, access to safety net health care services, health professions education, mental health and substance abuse, health services research, health care for American Indians and Alaska natives, food and drug safety. Advocated to federal health agencies that wellness programs must not be used as a means to discriminate against the sick and vulnerable. Wellness programs must be developed to encourage prevention and improve health rather than penalize those who are medically unable to meet wellness program goals; Advocated that employers and health plans should fund programs proven to be effective in reducing obesity, stopping smoking, deterring alcohol abuse, and promoting wellness and providing coverage or subsidies for individuals to participate in such programs. Improving Access to Primary Care in the Context of Comprehensive Healthcare Reform Legislation (H.R. 3962/H.R. 3590/H.R. 4872): Ensure that all Americans will have access to affordable coverage. Provide sliding scale subsidies based on income to buy coverage from qualified plans; Qualified plans should: provide evidence-based benefits, including preventive services; and be prohibited from excluding persons with pre-existing conditions, charging them more, cherry-picking enrollees, or cancelling or failing to renew coverage; Expand Medicaid to cover all persons below the Federal Poverty Level and ensure fair payments to participating physicians; As coverage becomes affordable, all persons should participate and coverage should be guaranteed; Responsibility for financing should be shared by individuals, employers and government. Regarding the Essential Health Benefits Bulletin, issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on December 16, 2011, the College advocated for striking a balance between comprehensiveness and affordability while giving States some freedom to determine a package that best serve the needs of residents. The College believes that strong oversight is needed when determining the initial benchmark plan (and whether it reflects the coverage requirements of the Affordable Care Act) and how the package will be updated, particularly if insurers are given the ability to substitute benefits within and across categories.State and the federal government must work in concert with physicians, health care providers and payers to determine and promote use of clinically effective and cost-effective services that result in improved patient health while bending the cost curve. Advocated to repeal the mandate that requires a prescription for over-the-counter medications purchased through a Health Savings Account. Advocated for legislation that would provide coverage under Medicare for voluntary consultations between doctors and patients to discuss advance care plans, as included in H.R. 1173, the Personalize Your Care Act of 2013; advocated in Aug. 2014 for the Medicare Advantage Participants Bill of Rights, H.R. 4998 and S. 2552, that would prevent Medicare Advantage plans from terminating physicians from Medicare Advantage plan networks without sufficient notice or cause. Essential Health Benefits: Commented on the proposed rule regarding essential benefits, actuarial value, and accreditation as issued by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services on November 20, 2012; Advocated that strong oversight is needed when determining the initial benchmark plan (and whether it reflects the coverage requirements of the Affordable Care Act) and how the package will be updated, particularly if insurers are given the ability to substitute benefits within categories. State and the federal government must work in concert with physicians, health care providers and payers to determine and promote use of clinically effective and cost-effective services that result in improved patient health while bending the cost curve. Pilot test new Medicare payment models that re-align incentives to support effective, efficient, patient-centered, coordinated care. Priority should be given to models designed to support the value of services provided by primary care physicians as well as to models that would create incentives, across physician specialties and sites of services, to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of care provided. Policy criteria for selecting the most promising models for pilot testing should be developed, in consultation with outside experts; The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH), which has shown great promise in meeting the policy objectives suggested above, should be among the models selected for broader testing on a national pilot basis; the establishing of a new CMS Innovation Center to pilot-test new payment models, such as the medical home; the use of the medical home model for treatment or services under private health plans, the requirement of health plans to provide incentives to promote and report on medical home services provided, the establishment of community health teams and a primary care extension program to educate and support primary care practices in the delivery of medical home services, and the establishment of a demonstration project to educate physicians and other clinicians in training in the competencies required to deliver care consistent with the medical home care model. National workforce policy to ensure sufficient numbers of primary care and other physicians: Urged support for a national workforce commission to recommend national goals relating to the numbers and distribution of physicians and other health care professionals, including increasing the supply of primary care physicians; Fully fund the commission at levels authorized in the Affordable Care Act; Increase the number of Medicare-funded graduate medical education positions available each year in adult primary care specialties; Provide new loan repayment and medical school scholarship programs in exchange for primary care service in critical shortage health facilities, or in critical shortage areas of the country; Increase funding for scholarships and loan repayment programs under Title VII as well as increase funding for the National Health Service Corps (NHSC); Provide new practice-entry bonus for scholarship or loan repayment award recipients who remain in underserved communities after completion of service obligation. Reform the medical liability system and the enormous costs associated with frivolous lawsuits and defensive medicine: Impose caps on non-economic damages; and test and fund new models--like health courts, which would have cases heard by an expert panel rather than by a lay jury; Advocated for the Saving Lives, Saving Costs Act (H.R. 4106), which establishes a framework for health care liability lawsuits to undergo review by independent medical review panels if health care professionals (practicing physicians or their agents or employees) allege adherence to applicable clinical practice guidelines in the provision of health care goods or services. Workforce: Advocated for H.R. 1201, The Training Tomorrow's Doctors Today Act, S. 577, the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2013, H.R. 487, the Primary Care Workforce Access and Improvement Act of 2013, and legislation to permanently reauthorize the Conrad State 30 J-1 visa waiver program through S. 616, the Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Act.Medicaid Pay Parity: Advocated for extending for at least two more years, beyond 2014, the Medicaid primary care payment increase, as enacted under the Affordable Care Act, which has only recently been implemented in a majority of states, and (2) including physicians practicing obstetrics and gynecology as qualified specialties, subject to the current eligibility requirement that at least 60 percent of their Medicaid billings are the primary care services as defined by the authorizing legislation, for the purposes of qualifying for the Medicaid primary care increases; Advocated for at least a two-year extension of the Medicaid payment parity provision beyond its 2014 expiration date, namely through S. 2694, the Ensuring Access to Primary Care for Women & Children Act. Tobacco Regulation: Expressed strong opposition to House appropriators to any amendment that would exempt any type of cigar from regulation under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, P.L. 111-31, or would impede the rulemaking process the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has initiated to determine the appropriate level of oversight for tobacco products not currently regulated by the agency; the FDA should retain the authority to regulate all tobacco products, including cigars, and should be permitted to use a science-based process for determining those regulations; Advocated in Aug. 2014 for the Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention Act of 2014, which gives the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission the authority to require the use of child-proof packaging on liquid nicotine containers sold to consumers. Medicares Prior Authorization Process for Certain Durable Medical Equipment: Commented in July 2014 to CMS on the proposed rule requesting clarification and making recommendations on changes to the Medicare benefit structure to ensure that any proposed changes not increase the administrative burden on physicians or other health care professionals.

Client expense: $270,324 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), President of the U.S., SENATE

Preserving Access to Primary Care Services: Address the shortage of primary care physicians; designate primary care as a shortage profession; provide scholarships and loan forgiveness in exchange for primary care service commitments to practice in critical shortage areas; provide grants for medical school mentorship programs and primary care training in community health centers; increase Title VII funding for primary care health programs; increase funding for the National Health Service Corps,provide regulatory relief for primary care physicians; H.R. 7192/S. 1174, the Preserving Patient Access to Primary Care Act (111th Congress). Support Implementation and Improvement of the Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148, P.L. 111-152) by: Expanding coverage and improving Medicare benefits; Providing needed protections to guard against insurance practices that unfairly limit, deny or rescind coverage based on health status; public and private health insurers should encourage preventive health care by providing full coverage, with no cost-sharing, for preventive services recommended by an expert advisory group, such as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force; Ensuring access to primary care physicians; and beginning to bend the cost curve; Prohibiting insurers from excluding or charging excessive rates to children based on pre-existing conditions, which later will be expanded to all persons; Covering young adults on their parents' plans; Eliminating lifetime and annual limits on health insurance coverage; Requiring that health insurers spend more on patient care and less on administration; support enactment of S. 248, the Empowering States to Innovate Act, which amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) to: (1) allow states to apply for waivers of certain health insurance coverage requirements in such Act (including requirements for the establishment of qualified health plans and health insurance exchanges) for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2014 (currently, January 1, 2017), and (2) require the waiver application process to begin not later than 180 days after the enactment of this Act; Phasing out the Medicare Part D doughnut hole; Eliminating patient cost-sharing for preventive services offered by Medicare or private insurers; Increasing Medicare and Medicaid payments to primary care physicians; Establishing a new Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to help physicians and patients make care decisions based on the best available evidence; Creating a new Center on Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to fund pilots of delivery models to improve outcomes and reduce costs, including patient-centered medical homes; Training more primary care physicians through the National Health Service Corps, Title VII health professions funding, and redistributing unused graduate medical education positions to primary care specialties facing shortages; Beginning in 2014, ensuring that nearly all Americans have access to coverage either through subsidized private health insurance offered by state health exchanges or through Medicaid, if they don't already have access to coverage through an employer, Medicare, or another public program. Medicare Physician Payment Reform: Increase Medicare Fee Schedule payments to make primary care competitive in the market with other physician career and specialty choices; create a fast track authority to develop and implement new physician payment models that better align payment with effective, efficient, patient-centered care such as the Patient Centered Medical Home; provide a voluntary shared savings program, Accountable Care Organizations, that promotes accountability for services delivered to a defined Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) patient population with the goals of increasing the quality and efficiency of services delivered; provide separate Medicare payment for specific care coordination services provided principally by primary care physicians; revise Medicare budget neutrality rules to recognize the value of primary care in reducing Medicare baseline spending; increase the accuracy of physician work relative value units under the Medicare physician fee schedule; improve the accuracy of practice expense RVUs under the Medicare Fee Schedule; increase Medicare bonus payments for primary care services provided in designated shortage areas; provide stable, positive, predictable updates under Medicares reimbursement formula; and replacing the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula with a long term solution that provides for stable, predictable updates for physicians (H.R. 3961). Urged Congress to enact legislation that would provide stable payments for all physician specialties for at least five years while providing higher updates for undervalued evaluation and management services, require that different payment models (including Patient-Centered Medical Homes) be pilot-tested on a voluntary basis during the five year period of stable payments, and designate a specific transition period for broad adoption of the new models that have been shown to be the most effective based on the pilots. Urged enactment of the Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act (H.R. 574), as introduced in Feb. 2013 by Representatives Allyson Schwartz (D-PA) and Joe Heck (R-NV). This legislation would eliminate the SGR once and for all and transition to better payment and delivery systems that are aligned with value. Specifically, H.R. 574 would repeal the SGR formula, provide more than 5 years of stable physician payments, with positive increases for all physician services, and higher payments for primary care, preventive and care coordination services, and establishes a process for practices to transition to new, more effective, models of care by 2018.Advocated for the Patient-Centered Medical Home model should be scaled up for broad Medicare adoption, recognized, through the medical neighborhood concept, that specialty and subspecialty practices, hospitals, and other healthcare professionals and entities that provide treatment to the patient need to be recognized and provided with incentivesboth non-financial and financialfor engaging in patient-centered practices that complement and support the efforts of the PCMH to provide high quality, efficient, coordinated care; advocated for ACPs High Value, Cost-Conscious Care Initiative, which includes clinical, public policy, and educational components, designed to help physicians and patients understand the benefits, harms, and costs of an intervention and whether it provides good value, as well as to slow the unsustainable rate of health care cost increases while preserving high-value, high-quality care. Advocated for halting the nearly 25 percent cut in physician payments resulting from the flawed SGR formula, which was scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2014; Advocated for H.R. 2810, the SGR Repeal and Medicare Beneficiary Access Act of 2013, which would repeal the SGR and transition to a new value-based payment and delivery system; Advocated for H.R. 4015/S.2000, the SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act of 2014, legislation introduced on Feb. 6, 2014 to repeal the SGR and transition to a new value-based payment and delivery system. Medical Education: Provide incentives to medical schools, community health centers, or hospitals, to increase the numbers of physicians choosing primary care; authorize HHS to selectively eliminate Graduate Medical Education (GME) caps for residency programs in primary care, advocated for S. 1627, which would increase the number of Medicare-supported training positions for medical residents by 15 percent (approximately 15,000 slots) over five years, requiring at least 50 percent of the new positions to be allocated to specialties facing a current shortage; Advocated to protect Medicare beneficiary access to health care services by preserving existing Medicare financing for Graduate Medical Education (GME). FY2015 Appropriations: Advocated for the highest level of funding possible for the Labor-HHS-Education bill within the discretionary cap established by the Budget Control Act (BCA); Supported funding to "improve health care quality, enhance consumer choice, advance patient safety, improve efficiency, reduce medical errors, and broaden access to essential services; Advocated for funding for AHRQ, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA); Title VII, Section 747, Primary Care Training and Enhancement; National Health Service Corps, Community Health Centers Fund, National Health Care Workforce Commission, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Operations and Management of Exchanges. Public Health Programs and Funding: Increase funding to accomplish the core missions and activities of the major federal public health agencies, including: biomedical and behavioral research, disease prevention and health promotion, access to safety net health care services, health professions education, mental health and substance abuse, health services research, health care for American Indians and Alaska natives, food and drug safety. Advocated to federal health agencies that wellness programs must not be used as a means to discriminate against the sick and vulnerable. Wellness programs must be developed to encourage prevention and improve health rather than penalize those who are medically unable to meet wellness program goals; Advocated that employers and health plans should fund programs proven to be effective in reducing obesity, stopping smoking, deterring alcohol abuse, and promoting wellness and providing coverage or subsidies for individuals to participate in such programs. Improving Access to Primary Care in the Context of Comprehensive Healthcare Reform Legislation (H.R. 3962/H.R. 3590/H.R. 4872): Ensure that all Americans will have access to affordable coverage. Provide sliding scale subsidies based on income to buy coverage from qualified plans; Qualified plans should: provide evidence-based benefits, including preventive services; and be prohibited from excluding persons with pre-existing conditions, charging them more, cherry-picking enrollees, or cancelling or failing to renew coverage; Expand Medicaid to cover all persons below the Federal Poverty Level and ensure fair payments to participating physicians; As coverage becomes affordable, all persons should participate and coverage should be guaranteed; Responsibility for financing should be shared by individuals, employers and government. Regarding the Essential Health Benefits Bulletin, issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on December 16, 2011, the College advocated for striking a balance between comprehensiveness and affordability while giving States some freedom to determine a package that best serve the needs of residents. The College believes that strong oversight is needed when determining the initial benchmark plan (and whether it reflects the coverage requirements of the Affordable Care Act) and how the package will be updated, particularly if insurers are given the ability to substitute benefits within and across categories.State and the federal government must work in concert with physicians, health care providers and payers to determine and promote use of clinically effective and cost-effective services that result in improved patient health while bending the cost curve. Advocated to repeal the mandate that requires a prescription for over-the-counter medications purchased through a Health Savings Account. Advocated for legislation that would provide coverage under Medicare for voluntary consultations between doctors and patients to discuss advance care plans, as included in H.R. 1173, the Personalize Your Care Act of 2013; advocated in Aug. 2014 for the Medicare Advantage Participants Bill of Rights, H.R. 4998 and S. 2552, that would prevent Medicare Advantage plans from terminating physicians from Medicare Advantage plan networks without sufficient notice or cause. Essential Health Benefits: Commented on the proposed rule regarding essential benefits, actuarial value, and accreditation as issued by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services on November 20, 2012; Advocated that strong oversight is needed when determining the initial benchmark plan (and whether it reflects the coverage requirements of the Affordable Care Act) and how the package will be updated, particularly if insurers are given the ability to substitute benefits within categories. State and the federal government must work in concert with physicians, health care providers and payers to determine and promote use of clinically effective and cost-effective services that result in improved patient health while bending the cost curve. Pilot test new Medicare payment models that re-align incentives to support effective, efficient, patient-centered, coordinated care. Priority should be given to models designed to support the value of services provided by primary care physicians as well as to models that would create incentives, across physician specialties and sites of services, to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of care provided. Policy criteria for selecting the most promising models for pilot testing should be developed, in consultation with outside experts; The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH), which has shown great promise in meeting the policy objectives suggested above, should be among the models selected for broader testing on a national pilot basis; the establishing of a new CMS Innovation Center to pilot-test new payment models, such as the medical home; the use of the medical home model for treatment or services under private health plans, the requirement of health plans to provide incentives to promote and report on medical home services provided, the establishment of community health teams and a primary care extension program to educate and support primary care practices in the delivery of medical home services, and the establishment of a demonstration project to educate physicians and other clinicians in training in the competencies required to deliver care consistent with the medical home care model. National workforce policy to ensure sufficient numbers of primary care and other physicians: Urged support for a national workforce commission to recommend national goals relating to the numbers and distribution of physicians and other health care professionals, including increasing the supply of primary care physicians; Fully fund the commission at levels authorized in the Affordable Care Act; Increase the number of Medicare-funded graduate medical education positions available each year in adult primary care specialties; Provide new loan repayment and medical school scholarship programs in exchange for primary care service in critical shortage health facilities, or in critical shortage areas of the country; Increase funding for scholarships and loan repayment programs under Title VII as well as increase funding for the National Health Service Corps (NHSC); Provide new practice-entry bonus for scholarship or loan repayment award recipients who remain in underserved communities after completion of service obligation. Reform the medical liability system and the enormous costs associated with frivolous lawsuits and defensive medicine: Impose caps on non-economic damages; and test and fund new models--like health courts, which would have cases heard by an expert panel rather than by a lay jury; Advocated for the Saving Lives, Saving Costs Act (H.R. 4106), which establishes a framework for health care liability lawsuits to undergo review by independent medical review panels if health care professionals (practicing physicians or their agents or employees) allege adherence to applicable clinical practice guidelines in the provision of health care goods or services. Workforce: Advocated for H.R. 1201, The Training Tomorrow's Doctors Today Act, S. 577, the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2013, H.R. 487, the Primary Care Workforce Access and Improvement Act of 2013, and legislation to permanently reauthorize the Conrad State 30 J-1 visa waiver program through S. 616, the Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Act.Medicaid Pay Parity: Advocated for extending for at least two more years, beyond 2014, the Medicaid primary care payment increase, as enacted under the Affordable Care Act, which has only recently been implemented in a majority of states, and (2) including physicians practicing obstetrics and gynecology as qualified specialties, subject to the current eligibility requirement that at least 60 percent of their Medicaid billings are the primary care services as defined by the authorizing legislation, for the purposes of qualifying for the Medicaid primary care increases; Advocated for at least a two-year extension of the Medicaid payment parity provision beyond its 2014 expiration date, namely through S. 2694, the Ensuring Access to Primary Care for Women & Children Act. Tobacco Regulation: Expressed strong opposition to House appropriators to any amendment that would exempt any type of cigar from regulation under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, P.L. 111-31, or would impede the rulemaking process the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has initiated to determine the appropriate level of oversight for tobacco products not currently regulated by the agency; the FDA should retain the authority to regulate all tobacco products, including cigars, and should be permitted to use a science-based process for determining those regulations; Advocated in Aug. 2014 for the Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention Act of 2014, which gives the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission the authority to require the use of child-proof packaging on liquid nicotine containers sold to consumers. Medicares Prior Authorization Process for Certain Durable Medical Equipment: Commented in July 2014 to CMS on the proposed rule requesting clarification and making recommendations on changes to the Medicare benefit structure to ensure that any proposed changes not increase the administrative burden on physicians or other health care professionals.

Client expense: $101,924 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), President of the U.S., SENATE

Graduate Medical Education; Health Care Quality, Patient Access to Health Care; Physician Workforce; Medicare Physician Payment Issues; Independent Payment Advisory Board. H.R. 574, The Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act of 2013.

Client expense: $116,415 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ), Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Government Accountability Office (GAO), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, White House Office

General Medicare Protection, Repeal of Sustainable Growth Rate: H.R. 574, Prevention of Fraud, Waste, and Abuse: H.R. 2305 and H.R. 3090 and S. 1123 and S. 1019 and H.R. 4998 and S. 2552, Savings on Medical Expenses: H.R. 4104 and H.R. 1179 and S. 569, Workforce Advancements: S. 2251 and H.R. 4445.

Client expense: $40,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE

General Medicare Protection, Repeal of Sustainable Growth Rate: H.R. 574; Prevention of Waste, Fraud, and Abuse: H.R. 2305, H.R. 3090, H.R. 4998, S. 1123, S. 1019, and S. 2552; Savings on Medical Expenses: H.R. 4104, H.R. 1179, and S. 569; Workforce Advancements: H.R. 4445 and S. 2251.

Client expense: Not reported · Firm income: $30,000

Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE

General Medicare Protection, Repeal of Sustainable Growth Rate: H.R. 574; Prevention of Waste, Fraud, and Abuse: H.R. 2305, H.R. 3090, H.R. 4998, S. 1123, S. 1019, and S. 2552; Savings on Medical Expenses: H.R. 4104, H.R. 1179, and S. 569; Workforce Advancements: H.R. 4445 and S. 2251.

Client expense: Not reported · Firm income: $30,000

Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE