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Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act of 2015
Legislative Progress
Momentum (last 30 days)
0
score
0 actions · 0 new cosponsors · 0 votes
Speed vs cohort
96pct
297d open
vs 6,526 other HR bills in the 114th — cohort avg 56d
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The expanded summary of the House reported version is repeated here.) Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act of 2015 (Sec. 2) This bill amends the Clayton Act with respect to notice to a state by the Department of Justice (DOJ) about federal actions brought for violations of antitrust laws. Currently DOJ must: notify a state attorney general about an antitrust action regarding which DOJ has reason to believe that the state attorney general would also be entitled to bring an action based substantially on the same alleged violation of the antitrust laws; and upon request make available to the state attorney general, to the extent permitted by law, any investigative files or other materials which are or may be relevant or material to the actual or potential cause of action. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) shall exercise the same authority and procedures as DOJ under the Clayton Act if the FTC has brought an action under Section 7 of the same Act with respect to the prohibition against acquisition by one corporation of the stock of another (merger) that may substantially lessen competition or tend to create a monopoly. Also in cases brought by the FTC that result in final judgments against a defendant, those judgments shall be prima facie evidence of antitrust violations under substantially similar facts in actions brought by other parties. The statute of limitations shall be tolled during a proceeding brought by the FTC under Section 7, and for one year thereafter, for any private and state rights of action based on the conduct in question during the proceeding. The FTC shall enforce compliance with section 7 in the same manner as DOJ in acting to prevent or restrain antitrust violations. The FTC shall enforce a consent order, however, in the same manner it does already. (Sec. 3) The Federal Trade Commission Act (FTCA) is amended to exclude proposed mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, or similar transactions from ordinary FTC proceedings, except in cases where the FTC approves an agreement with the parties to the transaction that contains a consent order. U.S. district courts shall have jurisdiction to issue writs of mandamus commanding compliance with the FTCA or any FTC order, if the FTC applies to such courts with respect to any activity related to consummation of a merger, acquisition, joint venture, or similar transaction that may result in an unfair method of competition.
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Filing registrants (17)
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
On passage Passed by recorded vote: 235 - 171 (Roll no. 137). (text: CR H1560-1561)
HousePassed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by recorded vote: 235 - 171 (Roll no. 137).(text: CR H1560-1561)
HouseOn motion to recommit with instructions Failed by the Yeas and Nays: 174 - 235 (Roll no. 136). (consideration: CR H1568)
HouseThe previous question on the motion to recommit with instructions was ordered without objection. (consideration: CR H1568)
DEBATE - The House proceeded with ten minutes of debate on the motion to recommit with instructions. The instructions contained in the motion seek to require the bill to be reported back to the House with an amendment to prohibit mergers that would increase the costs of pharmaceutical drugs.
Mr. Doggett moved to recommit with instructions to the Committee on the Judiciary. (consideration: CR H1567-1568; text: CR H1567)
Bills with similar content found using semantic analysis.
Sources: Congress.gov
2016 · third_quarter · Labor Issues/Antitrust/Workplace
Supporting HJ Res 29 and SJ Res. 8 to nullify NLRBs expedited union elections rule; Opposing NLRBs change in standards for determining joint employer status; Support the H.R. 2745, Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules (SMARTER Act), a bill to provide that the Federal Trade Commission shall exercise authority with respect to mergers only under the Clayton Act and only in the same procedural manner as the Attorney General exercises such authority; Urged that attention be payed to the anti-competitive effects and consumer harms in the Anthem / Cigna deal that result from the BCBS affiliation of Anthem.
Client expense: $4,050,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Justice, Dept of (DOJ), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA), White House Office
2016 · second_quarter · Labor Issues/Antitrust/Workplace
Supporting HJ Res 29 and SJ Res. 8 to nullify NLRBs expedited union elections rule; Opposing NLRBs change in standards for determining joint employer status; Support the H.R. 2745, Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules (SMARTER Act), a bill to provide that the Federal Trade Commission shall exercise authority with respect to mergers only under the Clayton Act and only in the same procedural manner as the Attorney General exercises such authority; Urged that attention be payed to the anti-competitive effects and consumer harms in the Anthem / Cigna deal that result from the BCBS affiliation of Anthem.
Client expense: $4,690,000 · Firm income: Not reported
2016 · fourth_quarter · Health Issues
H.R. 2713, the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act End Surprise Billing Act Prescription drug costs S. 2572, the NURSE Act, H.R. 4435, Comprehensive Behavioral Health Reform and Recovery Act S. 524, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act Discussions surrounding HHS Deputy Secretary Wakefield Nomination H.R.1602, Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act H.R.3513, Prescription Drug Affordability Act H.R.379, National Nurse Act H.R. 2745, the Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules (SMARTER) Act of 2015
Client expense: $331,132 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE, Treasury, Dept of, White House Office
2016 · fourth_quarter · Health Issues
H.R. 6, 21st Century Cures Act (Upton) - new cures and treatments H.R. 34, 21st Century Cures Act (Upton) - medical innovation, mental health, health information technology, telehealth, opioid funding, privacy H.R. 636, Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act (Tiberi) - air ambulance amendments H.R. 691, Telehealth Modernization Act (Matsui-Johnson) - telemedicine H.R. 1189, Preserving Employee Wellness Programs Act (Kline) - employee wellness programs H.R. 2300, Empowering Patients First Act (Price) - health reform issues H.R. 2646, Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act (Murphy) - compliance with parity requirements, mental health services H.R. 2712, Commonsense Reporting and Verification Act (Black) - employer reporting and eligibility verification for ACA subsidies H.R. 2745, Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act (Farenthold) - FTC-DOJ rules for reviewing mergers H.R. 3099, RAISE Family Caregivers Act (Harper) - national strategy to support family caregivers H.R. 3463, Aligning Childrens Dental Coverage Act (Griffith-DeGette) - rules for stand-alone dental plans H.R. 4276, Behavioral Health Coverage Transparency Act (Kennedy) - disclosure requirements relating to mental health parity H.R. 4641, Best Practices for Pain Management (Brooks) - HHS Task Force to review, revise, and disseminate best practices for pain management H.R. 4771, HEALTH Act (Franks) - medical liability reforms H.R. 5284, World's Greatest Healthcare Plan Act (Sessions) - health reform issues Patient Choice, Affordability, Responsibility, and Empowerment Act (Burr-Hatch-Upton) - health reform issues S. 185, Promise for Antibiotics and Therapeutics for Health Act (Hatch) - FDA drug approval process S. 466, Quality Care for Moms and Babies Act (Stabenow) - pediatric quality measures S. 620, Preserving Employee Wellness Programs Act (Alexander) - employee wellness programs S. 961, Data Security Act (Carper) - data security S. 1077, Advancing Breakthrough Devices for Patients Act (Burr) - priority review of breakthrough medical devices S. 1427, Quality Measure Alignment Act (Stabenow) - facilitating coordination and alignment between public and private sectors on quality and efficiency measures S. 1719, RAISE Family Caregivers Act (Collins) - national strategy to support family caregivers S. 1996, Commonsense Reporting Act (Warner) - employer reporting and eligibility verification for ACA subsidies S. 2141, TRUST IT Act, (Cassidy) - health IT rating system S. 2646, Veterans Choice Improvement Act (Burr) - veterans health care S. 2680, Mental Health Reform Act (Alexander) - compliance with parity requirements, mental health services S. 2700, FDA and NIH Workforce Authorities Modernization Act (Alexander) - medical innovation amendments S. 2985, World's Greatest Healthcare Plan Act (Cassidy) - health reform issues S. 3244, Aligning Children's Dental Coverage Act (Roberts-Bennett) - rules for stand-alone dental plans Regulatory Issues: HIPAA administrative simplification issues, including standards for privacy, security, and electronic transactions and code sets (including ICD-10), identifiers including the health plan identifier, enforcement; cybersecurity; FEHBP enrollment data clearinghouse initiative, the enrollment reconciliation process, and a related OPM reimbursement factor for records that cannot be reconciled; issues relating to health insurance plan participation in FEHBP, including contract requirements; issues relating to similarly sized subscriber group (SSSG) and MLR requirements under the FEHBP; implementation of the health savings account provisions of the Medicare Act; issues related to Medicare Secondary Payer requirements; issues related to implementation of the National Health Information Infrastructure; electronic health records, personal health records, and similar technologies; issues relating to market consolidation; issues related to hospital consolidation; issues relating to quality improvement; issues related to potential priority research topics for the effective health care program; issues relating to the national health data stewardship; issues relating to hospital outpatient measurement and reporting; prescription drug pricing; issues relating to "meaningful use" requirements for health information technology; issues related to the collection of race and ethnicity data; issues related to medical loss ratios; reference pricing; review of rates for reasonableness; preexisting condition insurance plans; issues relating to antitrust; accountable care organizations; provider non-discrimination; coverage of preventive services; contraceptive coverage; pre-existing condition exclusions; lifetime and annual dollar limits on benefits; patient protections; grandfathered health plan provisions; issues relating to the annual fee on health insurance providers; health plan automatic enrollment requirements; issues related to qualified health plans including certification and rate filing templates; health insurance market rules; reinsurance, risk corridors, and risk adjustment (commonly referred to as the 3 Rs); dependent coverage; summary of benefits and coverage disclosures; benefit and payment parameters; essential health benefits, actuarial value, and accreditation; issues related to fraud, waste, abuse, Stark/Anti-Kickback laws and regulations; issues related to supplemental products; issues related to HIPAA excepted benefits; issues related to the federally-facilitated marketplaces (i.e., Exchanges/formerly referred to as the web portal); issues related to business continuity in relation to pandemics or natural events (e.g., hurricane, tornado, etc.); issues related to small employer group size; issues related to Certificate of Public Advantage; and other issues relating to health care reform implementation.
2016 · fourth_quarter · Trade (domestic/foreign)
H.R. 403, Free Trade with Cuba Act H.R. 635, Promoting American Agricultural and Medical Exports to Cuba Act of 2015 H.R. 664/S. 299, Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act of 2015 H.R. 820, Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act H.R. 1907, Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 H.R. 2745/S. 2102, Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act of 2015 H.R. 3055/S. 1389, Cuba Digital and Telecommunications Advancement (Cuba DATA) Act of 2015 H.R. 3238/S.1543, Cuba Trade Act of 2015 H.R. 3586, Border and Maritime Coordination Improvement Act H.R. 3687, Cuba Agricultural Exports Act H.R. 4219/S. 3413, To authorize the extension of nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations treatment) to the products of Kazakhstan H.R. 4923/S. 2794, American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act of 2016 H.R. 5485, Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2017, including provisions relating to potential amendment prohibiting funds from being used to implement, administer or enforce section 902(b) of the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 requiring agriculture commodities sales to Cuba be carried out on a cash basis H.R. 5711, To prohibit the Secretary of the Treasury from authorizing certain transactions by a U.S. financial institution in connection with the export or re-export of a commercial passenger aircraft to the Islamic Republic of Iran H.R. 5715, No Ex-Im Assistance for Terrorism Act H.R. 5729, To prohibit the Secretary of the Treasury from issuing certain licenses in connection with the export or re-export of a commercial passenger aircraft to the Islamic Republic of Iran, to require annual reports by the Secretary of the Treasury and the Export-Import Bank on financing issues related to the sale or lease of such a commercial passenger aircraft or spare parts for such an aircraft, and for other purposes H.R. 6431, Promoting Travel, Commerce, and National Security Act of 2016 S. 491, Freedom to Export to Cuba Act of 2015 S. 1015, Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 S. 1049, Agricultural Export Expansion Act of 2015 S. 2201, Global Gateways Trade Capacity Act of 2015 S. 2612, Promoting Travel, Commerce, and National Security Act of 2016 Nomination of Mark McWatters to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States Proposed regulation on certification and enforcement, import data collection (80 Fed. Reg. 81,199, December 29, 2015) Various issues relating to Trade Promotion Authority (TPA); Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement; Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations; the expanded use of software asset management by the Federal Government and its contractors; Trade in Services Agreement (TISA) negotiations; U.S.-Central Asia Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA); United Nations high-level panel on access to medicines; implementation of Section 182 of the Trade Act of 1974 (P.L. 93-618), as amended by the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 and the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (the "Special 301 Report"); implementation of Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (P.L. 111-203), G-20 obligations on Financial Service Reforms; International Telecommunications Union; Transatlantic Economic Council; World Health Organization (WHO); World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO); World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations; World Trade Organizations Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA); Office of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator and the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center; patent linkage and regulatory data protection; plain packaging; USPTO IP Attache Program; China's IPR, industrial policies and cybersecurity issues; IP issues relating to internet counterfeiting and piracy; Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement; IP issues relating to trade secret theft; IP issues relating to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC); IP issues relating to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC); IP issues relating to Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Japan, Mexico, Russia and Europe; U.S.-Argentina economic relations; U.S.-Bangladesh economic relations; U.S.-Brazil economic relations; U.S.-China economic relations; U.S.-Egypt economic and commercial relations; U.S.-Japan economic relations; U.S.-Jordan economic and commercial relations; U.S.-Korea economic relations; U.S.-Mexico economic relations; U.S.-Pakistan economic relations; U.S.-Russia economic relations; U.S.-Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC); U.S. trade relations with the Middle East and North Africa; U.S. sanctions on Burma; U.S.-EU privacy shield agreement; U.S.-EU energy relations; Ukraine related sanctions; Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) for Kazakhstan; Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC); Export-Import Bank; global food security strategy; trade embargo with Cuba; trade policy consideration with regard to cross-border data flows and issues of forced localization; bilateral investment treaty negotiations with China; bilateral investment treaty negotiations with India; tax treaties with Hungary, Poland, Chile, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Spain and Japan; International Monetary Fund (IMF) quota reform; international capital standards for insurance and US-EU regulatory cooperation for insurance; funding for the Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), including the World Bank, the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF); international affairs budget; promoting transatlantic investment, trade and regulatory cooperation; international concerns in the areas of antitrust, standards and investment; advancing international regulatory cooperation; Air Cargo Advance Screening pilot and proposed regulation; internet governance and Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) transition; Executive Order 13659, Trade Facilitation and the International Trade Data System, implementation of the U.S. single window
The previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule. (consideration: CR H1567)
DEBATE - The House proceeded with one hour of debate on H.R. 2745.
Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 2745 with 1 hour of general debate. Previous question shall be considered as ordered without intervening motions except motion to recommit. Measure will be considered read. Bill is closed to amendments. On any legislative day during the period from March 24, 2016, through April 11, 2016, the Journal of the proceedings of the previous day shall be considered as approved; and the Chair may at any time declare the house adjourned to meet at a date and time, within the limits of clause 4, section 5, of article I of the Constitution, to be announced by the Chair in declaring the adjournment.
Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 653. (consideration: CR H1560-1569)
Rule H. Res. 653 passed House.
Rules Committee Resolution H. Res. 653 Reported to House. Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 2745 with 1 hour of general debate. Previous question shall be considered as ordered without intervening motions except motion to recommit. Measure will be considered read. Bill is closed to amendments. On any legislative day during the period from March 24, 2016, through April 11, 2016, the Journal of the proceedings of the previous day shall be considered as approved; and the Chair may at any time declare the house adjourned to meet at a date and time, within the limits of clause 4, section 5, of article I of the Constitution, to be announced by the Chair in declaring the adjournment.
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 344.
Reported by the Committee on Judiciary. H. Rept. 114-449.
Congress.gov source codes: 5000, H12200
Ordered to be Reported by the Yeas and Nays: 18 - 10.
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial And Antitrust Law Discharged.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial And Antitrust Law.
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House
Congress.gov source codes: 1000, Intro-H
| Referred to |
| June 12, 2015 |
| June 12, 2015 |
| Republican |
| IN |
| Tom Marino | Republican | PA |
Government targets: Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Justice, Dept of (DOJ), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA), White House Office
Client expense: $1,330,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Labor, Dept of (DOL), Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), Office of Personnel Management (OPM), SENATE, Treasury, Dept of, White House Office
Client expense: $18,590,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Agriculture, Dept of (USDA), Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers), Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), Commerce, Dept of (DOC), Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), Defense, Dept of (DOD), Education, Dept of, Energy, Dept of, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Federal Reserve System, Federal Trade Commission (FTC), General Services Administration (GSA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), Interior, Dept of (DOI), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Justice, Dept of (DOJ), Labor, Dept of (DOL), Natl Economic Council (NEC), Natl Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST), Natl Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Natl Security Council (NSC), Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), Patent & Trademark Office (PTO), Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), SENATE, Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), Small Business Administration (SBA), State, Dept of (DOS), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Transportation, Dept of (DOT), Treasury, Dept of, U.S. Copyright Office, U.S. Customs & Border Protection, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), White House Office
2016 · fourth_quarter · Labor Issues/Antitrust/Workplace
Anti-trust standardization (H.R. 2745 / S. 2102)
Client expense: $70,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE
2016 · fourth_quarter · Government Issues
HR2745, Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act of 2015, all provisions related to merger process review
Client expense: $110,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE
2016 · fourth_quarter · Medicare/Medicaid
Support for provisions in 21st Century Cures Act (H.R. 34), including establishment of a socio-economic status (SES) risk adjuster for the Medicare Readmissions Reduction Program; changes to site-neutral payment provision of Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (P.L. 114-74) and flexibility in implementation of Section 603 of the law; non-enforcement of the direct supervision rules for CAHs; NIH, mental health, and opioid crisis provisions and funding Protecting 340B Drug Pricing Program in regulatory and legislative proposals Support for changes to liver transplant allocation system Urging modifications to Hospital Compare Star Rating System Support for Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules (SMARTER) Act (H.R. 2745) Addressing concerns related to the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) and reporting mechanisms Encouraging Committees of jurisdiction to examine overlap in Merit-based Incentive Payment System and Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record Incentive Payment Programs (Meaningful Use) Urging further flexibility in proposed rule [CMS-5517-P] to implement Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) Opposition to redistribution of Medicare DSH payments proposed in FFY 2017 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) rule [CMS-1655-P] Support for Protecting Seniors Access to Medicare Act of 2015 (H.R. 1190 and S.141) Support for Rural Hospital Access Act of 2015 (H.R. 663/S. 332) Support for Critical Access Hospital Relief Act of 2015 (H.R. 169/S. 258) Support for Protecting Access to Rural Therapies Act (H.R. 1611/S. 257) Support for Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2015 (H.R. 2124/ S. 1148) Support for Medicare Audit Improvement Act of 2015 (H.R. 2156) Support for Craig Thomas Rural Hospital and Provider Equity Act (S. 2359) Support for Making the Education of Nurses Dependable for Schools (MEND) Act (H.R. 5227) Support for emergency funding to address Zika outbreak Encouraging Administration to engage hospital and health system field in discussions to address cybersecurity challenges.
Client expense: $110,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), SENATE
2016 · fourth_quarter · Labor Issues/Antitrust/Workplace
Supporting HJ Res 29 and SJ Res. 8 to nullify NLRBs expedited union elections rule; Opposing NLRBs change in standards for determining joint employer status; Support the H.R. 2745, Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules (SMARTER Act), a bill to provide that the Federal Trade Commission shall exercise authority with respect to mergers only under the Clayton Act and only in the same procedural manner as the Attorney General exercises such authority; Urged that attention be payed to the anti-competitive effects and consumer harms in the Anthem / Cigna deal that result from the BCBS affiliation of Anthem.
Client expense: $4,970,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Justice, Dept of (DOJ), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA), White House Office
2016 · fourth_quarter · Health Issues
Organ donation issues, including the liver transplant allocation system and in support of new proposed UNOS system; support Ebola funding for hospital preparedness and treatment activities, including NY delegation letter to HHS and calls to HHS and meetings with Administration officials; Ebola funding language including in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016 (Omnibus legislation/Senate amendment to H.R. 2029) - support; support for Zika supplemental funding; The Living Donor Protection Act of 2016 (H.R.4616/S.2584) - support; The Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act (H.R. 2745) - support; proposed changes to regulation of Laboratory Developed Tests (FDA-2011-D-0360-Draft Guidance for Industry, Food and Drug Administration Staff and Clinical Laboratories: Framework for Regulatory Oversight of Laboratory Developed Tests) - oppose; Congressional letter supporting reforms to the liver transplant allocation system - support; discussions with HHS regarding how to handle cybersecurity issues; hospital issues related to repeal and replace of the Affordable Care Act; Senate Finance Committee guidance on concurrent surgeries.
Client expense: $400,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, White House Office
2016 · third_quarter · Labor Issues/Antitrust/Workplace
Supporting HJ Res 29 and SJ Res. 8 to nullify NLRBs expedited union elections rule; Opposing NLRBs change in standards for determining joint employer status; Support the H.R. 2745, Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules (SMARTER Act), a bill to provide that the Federal Trade Commission shall exercise authority with respect to mergers only under the Clayton Act and only in the same procedural manner as the Attorney General exercises such authority; Urged that attention be payed to the anti-competitive effects and consumer harms in the Anthem / Cigna deal that result from the BCBS affiliation of Anthem.
Client expense: $4,050,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Justice, Dept of (DOJ), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA), White House Office
2016 · third_quarter · Health Issues
H.R. 6, 21st Century Cures Act (Upton) - new cures and treatments H.R. 636, Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act (Tiberi) - air ambulance amendments H.R. 691, Telehealth Modernization Act (Matsui-Johnson) - telemedicine H.R. 1189, Preserving Employee Wellness Programs Act (Kline) - employee wellness programs H.R. 2646, Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act (Murphy) - compliance with parity requirements, mental health services H.R. 2712, Commonsense Reporting and Verification Act (Black) - employer reporting and eligibility verification for ACA subsidies H.R. 2745, Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act (Farenthold) - FTC-DOJ rules for reviewing mergers H.R. 3099, RAISE Family Caregivers Act (Harper) - national strategy to support family caregivers H.R. 3463, Aligning Childrens Dental Coverage Act (Griffith-DeGette) - rules for stand-alone dental plans H.R. 4276, Behavioral Health Coverage Transparency Act (Kennedy) - disclosure requirements relating to mental health parity H.R. 4641, Best Practices for Pain Management (Brooks) - HHS Task Force to review, revise, and disseminate best practices for pain management H.R. 4771, HEALTH Act (Franks) - medical liability reforms H.R. 5054, Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies (Aderholt) - 21st Century Cures provisions S. 185, Promise for Antibiotics and Therapeutics for Health Act (Hatch) - FDA drug approval process S. 466, Quality Care for Moms and Babies Act (Stabenow) - pediatric quality measures S. 524, Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (Whitehouse) - prescription opioid abuse S. 620, Preserving Employee Wellness Programs Act (Alexander) - employee wellness programs S. 961, Data Security Act (Carper) - data security S. 1077, Advancing Breakthrough Devices for Patients Act (Burr) - priority review of breakthrough medical devices S. 1427, Quality Measure Alignment Act (Stabenow) - facilitating coordination and alignment between public and private sectors on quality and efficiency measures S. 1719, RAISE Family Caregivers Act (Collins) - national strategy to support family caregivers S. 1996, Commonsense Reporting Act (Warner) - employer reporting and eligibility verification for ACA subsidies S. 2141, TRUST IT Act, (Cassidy) - health IT rating system S. 2646, Veterans Choice Improvement Act (Burr) - veterans health care S. 2680, Mental Health Reform Act (Alexander) - compliance with parity requirements, mental health services S. 2700, FDA and NIH Workforce Authorities Modernization Act (Alexander) - medical innovation amendments S. 3040, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2017 (Blunt) - funding for HHS programs and agencies, ACA risk corridors program S. 3244, Aligning Children's Dental Coverage Act (Roberts-Bennett) - rules for stand-alone dental plans Regulatory Issues: HIPAA administrative simplification issues, including standards for privacy, security, and electronic transactions and code sets (including ICD-10), identifiers including the health plan identifier, enforcement; cybersecurity; FEHBP enrollment data clearinghouse initiative, the enrollment reconciliation process, and a related OPM reimbursement factor for records that cannot be reconciled; issues relating to health insurance plan participation in FEHBP, including contract requirements; issues relating to similarly sized subscriber group (SSSG) and MLR requirements under the FEHBP; implementation of the health savings account provisions of the Medicare Act; issues related to Medicare Secondary Payer requirements; issues related to implementation of the National Health Information Infrastructure; electronic health records, personal health records, and similar technologies; issues relating to market consolidation; issues related to hospital consolidation; issues relating to quality improvement; issues related to potential priority research topics for the effective health care program; issues relating to the national health data stewardship; issues relating to hospital outpatient measurement and reporting; prescription drug pricing; issues relating to "meaningful use" requirements for health information technology; issues related to the collection of race and ethnicity data; issues related to medical loss ratios; reference pricing; review of rates for reasonableness; preexisting condition insurance plans; issues relating to antitrust; accountable care organizations; provider non-discrimination; coverage of preventive services; contraceptive coverage; pre-existing condition exclusions; lifetime and annual dollar limits on benefits; patient protections; grandfathered health plan provisions; issues relating to the annual fee on health insurance providers; health plan automatic enrollment requirements; issues related to qualified health plans including certification and rate filing templates; health insurance market rules; reinsurance, risk corridors, and risk adjustment (commonly referred to as the 3 Rs); dependent coverage; summary of benefits and coverage disclosures; benefit and payment parameters; essential health benefits, actuarial value, and accreditation; issues related to fraud, waste, abuse, Stark/Anti-Kickback laws and regulations; issues related to supplemental products; issues related to HIPAA excepted benefits; issues related to the federally-facilitated marketplaces (i.e., Exchanges/formerly referred to as the web portal); issues related to business continuity in relation to pandemics or natural events (e.g., hurricane, tornado, etc.); issues related to small employer group size; issues related to Certificate of Public Advantage; and other issues relating to health care reform implementation.
Client expense: $1,710,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Executive Office of the President (EOP), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Labor, Dept of (DOL), Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, Treasury, Dept of, White House Office
2016 · third_quarter · Health Issues
Funding for 340B Drug Pricing Program Critical Access Hospital Relief Act (S. 258; H.R. 169) Support for changes to site-neutral payment provision of Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (P.L. 114-74) and flexibility in implementation of Section 603 of the law. Protecting 340B Drug Pricing Program in regulatory and legislative proposals Support for Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules (SMARTER) Act (H.R. 2745) Encouraging Committees of jurisdiction to examine overlap in Merit-based Incentive Payment System and Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record Incentive Payment Programs (Meaningful Use) Urging further flexibility in proposed rule [CMS-5517-P] to implement Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) Support for Rural Hospital Access Act of 2015 (H.R. 663/S. 332) Support for Medicare Audit Improvement Act of 2015 (H.R. 2156) Support for Two-Midnight Rule Delay Act (H.R. 3698)/Two-Midnight Rule Coordination and Improvement Act of 2014 (S. 2082)
Client expense: Not reported · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE
2016 · third_quarter · Labor Issues/Antitrust/Workplace
Anti-trust standardization (H.R. 2745 / S. 2102)
Client expense: $70,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE
2016 · third_quarter · Trade (domestic/foreign)
H.R. 403, Free Trade with Cuba Act H.R. 635, Promoting American Agricultural and Medical Exports to Cuba Act of 2015 H.R. 664/S. 299, Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act of 2015 H.R. 820, Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act H.R. 1907, Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 H.R. 2745/S. 2102, Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act of 2015 H.R. 3055/S. 1389, Cuba Digital and Telecommunications Advancement (Cuba DATA) Act of 2015 H.R. 3238/S.1543, Cuba Trade Act of 2015 H.R. 3586, Border and Maritime Coordination Improvement Act H.R. 3687, Cuba Agricultural Exports Act H.R. 4219/S. 3413, To authorize the extension of nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations treatment) to the products of Kazakhstan H.R. 4923/S. 2794, American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act of 2016 H.R. 5485, Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2017, including provisions relating to Cuba and House Amendments 1262 and 1263 H.R. 5711, To prohibit the Secretary of the Treasury from authorizing certain transactions by a U.S. financial institution in connection with the export or re-export of a commercial passenger aircraft to the Islamic Republic of Iran H.R. 5715, No Ex-Im Assistance for Terrorism Act H.R. 5729, To prohibit the Secretary of the Treasury from issuing certain licenses in connection with the export or re-export of a commercial passenger aircraft to the Islamic Republic of Iran, to require annual reports by the Secretary of the Treasury and the Export-Import Bank on financing issues related to the sale or lease of such a commercial passenger aircraft or spare parts for such an aircraft, and for other purposes S. 491, Freedom to Export to Cuba Act of 2015 S. 1015, Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 S. 1049, Agricultural Export Expansion Act of 2015 S. 2201, Global Gateways Trade Capacity Act of 2015 S. 2612, Promoting Travel, Commerce, and National Security Act of 2016 Nomination of Mark McWatters to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States Proposed regulation on certification and enforcement, import data collection (80 Fed. Reg. 81,199, December 29, 2015) Various issues relating to Trade Promotion Authority (TPA); Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement; Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations; the expanded use of software asset management by the Federal Government and its contractors; Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA); Trade in Services Agreement (TISA) negotiations; U.S.-Central Asia Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA); United Nations high-level panel on access to medicines; implementation of Section 182 of the Trade Act of 1974 (P.L. 93-618), as amended by the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 and the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (the "Special 301 Report"); implementation of Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (P.L. 111-203); International Telecommunications Union; Transatlantic Economic Council; World Health Organization (WHO); World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO); World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations; World Trade Organizations Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA); Office of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator and the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center; patent linkage and regulatory data protection; plain packaging; USPTO IP Attache Program; China's IPR, industrial policies and cybersecurity issues; IP issues relating to internet counterfeiting and piracy; Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement; IP issues relating to trade secret theft; IP issues relating to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC); IP issues relating to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC); IP issues relating to Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Japan, Mexico, Russia and Europe; U.S.-Argentina economic relations; U.S.-Bangladesh economic relations; U.S.-Brazil economic relations; U.S.-China economic relations; U.S.-Egypt economic and commercial relations; U.S.-Japan economic relations; U.S.-Jordan economic and commercial relations; U.S.-Korea economic relations; U.S.-Mexico economic relations; U.S.-Pakistan economic relations; U.S.-Russia economic relations; U.S.-Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC); U.S. trade relations with the Middle East and North Africa; U.S. sanctions on Burma; U.S.-EU privacy shield agreement; U.S.-EU energy relations; Ukraine related sanctions; Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) for Kazakhstan; Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC); Export-Import Bank; trade embargo with Cuba; trade policy consideration with regard to cross-border data flows and issues of forced localization; bilateral investment treaty negotiations with China; bilateral investment treaty negotiations with India; tax treaties with Hungary, Poland, Chile, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Spain and Japan; International Monetary Fund (IMF) quota reform; international capital standards for insurance and US-EU regulatory cooperation for insurance; funding for the Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), including the World Bank, the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF); international affairs budget; promoting transatlantic investment, trade and regulatory cooperation; international concerns in the areas of antitrust, standards and investment; advancing international regulatory cooperation; Air Cargo Advance Screening Pilot and proposed regulation; internet governance and Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) transition; sugar reform; Executive Order 13659, Trade Facilitation and the International Trade Data System, implementation of the U.S. single window
Client expense: $18,410,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Agriculture, Dept of (USDA), Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers), Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), Commerce, Dept of (DOC), Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), Defense, Dept of (DOD), Education, Dept of, Energy, Dept of, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Federal Reserve System, Federal Trade Commission (FTC), General Services Administration (GSA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), Interior, Dept of (DOI), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Justice, Dept of (DOJ), Labor, Dept of (DOL), Natl Economic Council (NEC), Natl Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST), Natl Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Natl Security Council (NSC), Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), Patent & Trademark Office (PTO), Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), SENATE, Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), Small Business Administration (SBA), State, Dept of (DOS), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Transportation, Dept of (DOT), Treasury, Dept of, U.S. Copyright Office, U.S. Customs & Border Protection, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), White House Office
2016 · third_quarter · Government Issues
HR2745, Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act of 2015, all provisions related to merger process review
Client expense: $120,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE
2016 · third_quarter · Medicare/Medicaid
Support for changes to site-neutral payment provision of Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (P.L. 114-74) and flexibility in implementation of Section 603 of the law. Protecting 340B Drug Pricing Program in regulatory and legislative proposals Support for changes to liver transplant allocation system 21st Century Cures Act (H.R. 6) and Senate HELP Committee provisions related to interoperability and information blocking Urging modifications to Hospital Compare Star Rating System Support for National Institutes of Health funding Support for Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules (SMARTER) Act (H.R. 2745) Addressing concerns related to the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) and reporting mechanisms Encouraging Committees of jurisdiction to examine overlap in Merit-based Incentive Payment System and Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record Incentive Payment Programs (Meaningful Use) Urging further flexibility in proposed rule [CMS-5517-P] to implement Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) Opposition to redistribution of Medicare DSH payments proposed in FFY 2017 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) rule [CMS-1655-P] Support for Protecting Seniors Access to Medicare Act of 2015 (H.R. 1190 and S.141) Support for Rural Hospital Access Act of 2015 (H.R. 663/S. 332) Support for Critical Access Hospital Relief Act of 2015 (H.R. 169/S. 258) Support for Protecting Access to Rural Therapies Act (H.R. 1611/S. 257) Support for Establishing Beneficiary Equity in the Hospital Readmission Program Act (H.R. 1343/S. 688) and inclusion of similar provision in Helping Hospitals Improve Patient Care Act (H.R. 5273) Support for Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2015 (H.R. 2124/ S. 1148) Support for Medicare Audit Improvement Act of 2015 (H.R. 2156) Support for Craig Thomas Rural Hospital and Provider Equity Act (S. 2359) Support for Making the Education of Nurses Dependable for Schools (MEND) Act (H.R. 5227) Support for emergency funding to address Zika outbreak Support for authorization of new programs as well as increased funding to improve and expand access to mental health treatment services and substance use disorders. Encouraging Administration to engage hospital and health system field in discussions to address cybersecurity challenges.
Client expense: $110,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), SENATE
2016 · third_quarter · Health Issues
Organ donation issues, including the liver transplant allocation system and in support of new proposed UNOS system; support Ebola funding for hospital preparedness and treatment activities, including NY delegation letter to HHS and calls to HHS and meetings with Administration officials; Ebola funding language including in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016 (Omnibus legislation/Senate amendment to H.R. 2029) - support; support for Zika supplemental funding; The Living Donor Protection Act of 2016 (H.R.4616/S.2584) - support; The Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act (H.R. 2745) - support; proposed changes to regulation of Laboratory Developed Tests (FDA-2011-D-0360-Draft Guidance for Industry, Food and Drug Administration Staff and Clinical Laboratories: Framework for Regulatory Oversight of Laboratory Developed Tests) - oppose; Congressional letter supporting reforms to the liver transplant allocation system - support; discussions with HHS regarding how to handle cybersecurity issues.
Client expense: $410,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, White House Office
2016 · second_quarter · Labor Issues/Antitrust/Workplace
Supporting HJ Res 29 and SJ Res. 8 to nullify NLRBs expedited union elections rule; Opposing NLRBs change in standards for determining joint employer status; Support the H.R. 2745, Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules (SMARTER Act), a bill to provide that the Federal Trade Commission shall exercise authority with respect to mergers only under the Clayton Act and only in the same procedural manner as the Attorney General exercises such authority; Urged that attention be payed to the anti-competitive effects and consumer harms in the Anthem / Cigna deal that result from the BCBS affiliation of Anthem.
Client expense: $4,690,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Justice, Dept of (DOJ), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA), White House Office
2016 · second_quarter · Health Issues
H.R. 6, 21st Century Cures Act (Upton) - new cures and treatments H.R. 636, Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act (Tiberi) - air ambulance amendments H.R. 691, Telehealth Modernization Act (Matsui-Johnson) - telemedicine H.R. 1189, Preserving Employee Wellness Programs Act (Kline) - employee wellness programs H.R. 2646, Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act (Murphy) - compliance with parity requirements, mental health services H.R. 2712, Commonsense Reporting and Verification Act (Black) - employer reporting and eligibility verification for ACA subsidies H.R. 2745, Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act (Farenthold) - FTC-DOJ rules for reviewing mergers H.R. 3099, RAISE Family Caregivers Act (Harper) - national strategy to support family caregivers H.R. 3463, Aligning Childrens Dental Coverage Act (Griffith-DeGette) - rules for stand-alone dental plans H.R. 4276, Behavioral Health Coverage Transparency Act (Kennedy) - disclosure requirements relating to mental health parity H.R. 4641, Best Practices for Pain Management (Brooks) - HHS Task Force to review, revise, and disseminate best practices for pain management H.R. 4771, HEALTH Act (Franks) - medical liability reforms H.R. 5054, Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies (Aderholt) - 21st Century Cures provisions H.J.Res. 88 (Roe) - disapproving DOL fiduciary regulation S. 185, Promise for Antibiotics and Therapeutics for Health Act (Hatch) - FDA drug approval process S. 466, Quality Care for Moms and Babies Act (Stabenow) - pediatric quality measures S. 524, Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (Whitehouse) - prescription opioid abuse S. 620, Preserving Employee Wellness Programs Act (Alexander) - employee wellness programs S. 961, Data Security Act (Carper) - data security S. 1077, Advancing Breakthrough Devices for Patients Act (Burr) - priority review of breakthrough medical devices S. 1427, Quality Measure Alignment Act (Stabenow) - facilitating coordination and alignment between public and private sectors on quality and efficiency measures S. 1719, RAISE Family Caregivers Act (Collins) - national strategy to support family caregivers S. 1996, Commonsense Reporting Act (Warner) - employer reporting and eligibility verification for ACA subsidies S. 2141, TRUST IT Act, (Cassidy) - health IT rating system S. 2646, Veterans Choice Improvement Act (Burr) - veterans health care S. 2680, Mental Health Reform Act (Alexander) - compliance with parity requirements, mental health services S. 2700, FDA and NIH Workforce Authorities Modernization Act (Alexander) - medical innovation amendments S. 3040, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2017 (Blunt) - funding for HHS programs and agencies, ACA risk corridors program Regulatory Issues: HIPAA administrative simplification issues, including standards for privacy, security, and electronic transactions and code sets (including ICD-10), identifiers including the health plan identifier, enforcement; cybersecurity; FEHBP enrollment data clearinghouse initiative, the enrollment reconciliation process, and a related OPM reimbursement factor for records that cannot be reconciled; issues relating to health insurance plan participation in FEHBP, including contract requirements; issues relating to similarly sized subscriber group (SSSG) and MLR requirements under the FEHBP;. implementation of the health savings account provisions of the Medicare Act; issues related to Medicare Secondary Payer requirements; issues related to implementation of the National Health Information Infrastructure; electronic health records, personal health records, and similar technologies; issues relating to market consolidation; issues related to hospital consolidation; issues relating to quality improvement; issues related to potential priority research topics for the effective health care program; issues relating to the national health data stewardship; issues relating to hospital outpatient measurement and reporting; prescription drug pricing; issues relating to "meaningful use" requirements for health information technology; issues related to the collection of race and ethnicity data; issues related to medical loss ratios; reference pricing; review of rates for reasonableness; preexisting condition insurance plans; issues relating to antitrust; accountable care organizations; provider non-discrimination; coverage of preventive services; contraceptive coverage; pre-existing condition exclusions; lifetime and annual dollar limits on benefits; patient protections; grandfathered health plan provisions; issues relating to the annual fee on health insurance providers; health plan automatic enrollment requirements; issues related to qualified health plans including certification and rate filing templates; health insurance market rules; reinsurance, risk corridors, and risk adjustment (commonly referred to as the 3 Rs); dependent coverage; summary of benefits and coverage disclosures; benefit and payment parameters; essential health benefits, actuarial value, and accreditation; issues related to fraud, waste, abuse, Stark/Anti-Kickback laws and regulations; issues related to supplemental products; issues related to HIPAA excepted benefits; issues related to the federally-facilitated marketplaces (i.e., Exchanges/formerly referred to as the web portal); issues related to business continuity in relation to pandemics or natural events (e.g., hurricane, tornado, etc.); issues related to small employer group size; issues related to Certificate of Public Advantage; and other issues relating to health care reform implementation.
Client expense: $1,710,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Justice, Dept of (DOJ), Labor, Dept of (DOL), Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), Office of Personnel Management (OPM), SENATE, Treasury, Dept of, White House Office
2016 · second_quarter · Medicare/Medicaid
Opposing Medicare and Medicaid Payment reductions, including those to Graduate Medical Education (H.R. 3292, the Medicare IME Pool Act of 2015), bad debt payments, post-acute care payments, Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payments, CAH payments, IPPS coding offset, rural hospital payments, hospital outpatient department (HOPD) clinics, and sequestration. Support for changes to site-neutral payment provision of Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (P.L. 114-74) and flexibility in implementation of Section 603 of the law. Protecting 340B Drug Pricing Program in regulatory and legislative proposals Support for changes to liver transplant allocation system 21st Century Cures Act (H.R. 6) and Senate HELP Committee provisions related to interoperability and information blocking Urging release of funding for Ebola preparedness and treatment Urging modifications to Hospital Compare Star Rating System Support for National Institutes of Health funding Support for Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules (SMARTER) Act (H.R. 2745) Addressing concerns related to the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) and reporting mechanisms Encouraging Committees of jurisdiction to examine overlap in Merit-based Incentive Payment System and Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record Incentive Payment Programs (Meaningful Use) Urging further flexibility in proposed rule [CMS-5517-P] to implement Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) Opposition to redistribution of Medicare DSH payments proposed in FFY 2017 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) rule [CMS-1655-P] Support for Protecting Seniors Access to Medicare Act of 2015 (H.R. 1190 and S.141) Support for Rural Hospital Access Act of 2015 (H.R. 663/S. 332) Support for Critical Access Hospital Relief Act of 2015 (H.R. 169/S. 258) Support for Protecting Access to Rural Therapies Act (H.R. 1611/S. 257) Support for Establishing Beneficiary Equity in the Hospital Readmission Program Act (H.R. 1343/S. 688) and inclusion of similar provision in Helping Hospitals Improve Patient Care Act (H.R. 5273) Support for Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2015 (H.R. 2124/ S. 1148) Support for Medicare Audit Improvement Act of 2015 (H.R. 2156) Support for Two Midnight Rule Delay Act (H.R. 3698)/Two-Midnight Rule Coordination and Improvement Act of 2014 (S. 2082) Support for Craig Thomas Rural Hospital and Provider Equity Act (S. 2359) Support for Making the Education of Nurses Dependable for Schools (MEND) Act (H.R. 5227) Support for emergency funding to address Zika outbreak Support for authorization of new programs as well as increased funding to improve and expand access to mental health treatment services and substance use disorders. Encouraging Administration to engage hospital and health system field in discussions to address cybersecurity challenges.
Client expense: $140,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), SENATE
2016 · second_quarter · Trade (domestic/foreign)
H.R. 403, Free Trade with Cuba Act H.R. 635, Promoting American Agricultural and Medical Exports to Cuba Act of 2015 H.R. 644/S. 1269, Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 H.R. 664/S. 299, Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act of 2015 H.R. 820, Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act H.R. 1314, Trade Act of 2015 H.R. 1907, Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 H.R. 2745/S. 2102, Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act of 2015 H.R. 3238/S.1543, Cuba Trade Act of 2015 H.R. 3586, Border and Maritime Coordination Improvement Act H.R. 4219, To authorize the extension of nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations treatment) to the products of Kazakhstan H.R. 4923/S. 2794, American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act of 2016 H.R. 5485/S. 3067, Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2017, including provisions relating to Cuba and Iran S. 491, Freedom to Export to Cuba Act of 2015 S. 995, Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 S. 1015, Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 S. 2201, Global Gateways Trade Capacity Act of 2015 S. 2612, Promoting Travel, Commerce, and National Security Act of 2016 Potential Legislation similar to H.R. 5233, Trade Secrets Protection Act of 2014 Nomination of Mark McWatters to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States Proposed regulation on certification and enforcement, import data collection (80 Fed. Reg. 81,199, December 29, 2015) Various issues relating to Trade Promotion Authority (TPA); Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement, including legislation to implement; Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations; the expanded use of software asset management by the Federal Government and its contractors; Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA); Trade in Services Agreement (TISA) negotiations; U.S.-Central Asia Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA); United Nations high-level panel on access to medicines; implementation of Section 182 of the Trade Act of 1974 (P.L. 93-618), as amended by the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 and the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (the "Special 301 Report"); implementation of Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (P.L. 111-203), G-20 obligations on Financial Service Reforms; International Telecommunications Union; Transatlantic Economic Council; World Health Organization (WHO); World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO); World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations; Office of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator and the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center; patent linkage and regulatory data protection; plain packaging; USPTO IP Attache Program; China's IPR, industrial policies and cybersecurity issues; IP issues relating to internet counterfeiting and piracy; Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement; IP issues relating to trade secret theft; IP issues relating to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC); IP issues related to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) IP issues relating to Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Japan, Mexico, Russia and Europe; U.S.-Argentina economic relations; U.S.-Bangladesh economic relations; U.S.-Brazil economic relations; U.S.-China economic relations; U.S.-Egypt economic and commercial relations; U.S.-Japan economic relations; U.S.-Jordan economic and commercial relations; U.S.-Korea economic relations; U.S.-Mexico economic relations; U.S.-Pakistan economic relations; U.S.-Russia economic relations; U.S.-Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC); U.S. trade relations with the Middle East and North Africa; U.S. sanctions on Burma; U.S.-EU privacy shield agreement; U.S.-EU energy relations; Ukraine related sanctions; Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) for Kazakhstan; Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC); Export-Import Bank; trade embargo with Cuba; trade policy consideration with regard to cross-border data flows and issues of forced localization; bilateral investment treaty negotiations with China; bilateral investment treaty negotiations with India; tax treaties with Hungary, Poland, Chile, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Spain and Japan; International Monetary Fund (IMF) quota reform; international capital standards for insurance and US-EU regulatory cooperation for insurance; funding for the Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), including the World Bank, the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF); international affairs budget; promoting transatlantic investment, trade and regulatory cooperation; international concerns in the areas of antitrust, standards and investment; advancing international regulatory cooperation; Air Cargo Advance Screening Pilot and proposed regulation; internet governance and Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) transition; sugar reform; Executive Order 13659, Trade Facilitation and the International Trade Data System, implementation of the U.S. single window
Client expense: $22,770,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Agriculture, Dept of (USDA), Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers), Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), Commerce, Dept of (DOC), Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), Defense, Dept of (DOD), Education, Dept of, Energy, Dept of, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Federal Reserve System, Federal Trade Commission (FTC), General Services Administration (GSA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), Interior, Dept of (DOI), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Justice, Dept of (DOJ), Labor, Dept of (DOL), Natl Economic Council (NEC), Natl Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST), Natl Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Natl Security Council (NSC), Natl Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA), Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), Patent & Trademark Office (PTO), Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), SENATE, Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), Small Business Administration (SBA), State, Dept of (DOS), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Transportation, Dept of (DOT), Treasury, Dept of, U.S. Copyright Office, U.S. Customs & Border Protection, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), White House Office
2016 · second_quarter · Health Issues
Provided education to Members of Congress and their staff about renewal of a Texas Medicaid 1115 demonstration waiver, the impact of Delivery System Reform Improvement Projects across the state and the role of hospitals in the waiver. Also provided information on the states 1115 waiver renewal application submitted to CMS in September and the timeline for negotiation over the next year. Provided data to Members of the Texas congressional delegation and their staff on the number of uninsured individuals in each district and statewide. Provided information on the uncompensated care burden in the state and how that impacts the 1115 waiver renewal as well as the safety net in the state. Provided education to members of Congress and their staff about the importance of adequate funding for the Hospital Preparedness Program. Worked with members of Congress and staff on proposals for combating the Zika virus and encouraged adequate funding of these plans. H.R. 2646 - Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2016 - Would make a variety of sweeping changes to the mental health infrastructure and while also reforming provider outreach, community-based treatment options, and justice system reform. - Discussed with staff how THA support the overall direction this bill would take the mental health system, and encouraged the use of community care in reforming the way we address mental health issues. Encouraged congressional staff to approve the bill, but expressed concern for lack of funding. Without adequate funding, states cannot properly implement the programs in the legislation. S.524 Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) - wound enact policies intended to re-engineer how health care providers, communities and the criminal justice system coordinates care to treat addiction. - Expressed support for the overall goals of the bill and the programs to be established by the legislation, but THA is concerned with the lack of funding in the legislation. Without funding, states and localities cannot adequately address and combat the opioid addiction crisis. H.R.5273 - Helping Hospitals Improve Patient Care Act of 2016 - Would provide some relief to hospitals in site-neutral payments, readmissions adjustments and other polices. Discussed with congressional staff about the bills limited impact to Texas hospitals in relation to hospital outpatient departments. Encouraged additional work in the Senate to help a broader range of hospitals who had their payment structure changed without notice. H.R.2745 - Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act of 2015 - Would standardize the merger review process for the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Met with congressional staff on how the merger review process impacts hospital mergers and how this legislation would eliminate disparities between the two reviewing agencies. H.R. 2124, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act -- Would prevent a looming doctor shortage by ensuring additional residency slots are available for teaching hospitals. Educated members of congress and staff on Graduate Medical Education and why we must increase residency slots to meet the growing demand by medical students and to help counteract the ever-growing physician shortage . Teaching hospitals and academic medical centers rely on support from the GME program to fulfill their mission of training physicians for the public good, furnishing highly-specialized care to the most medically complex patients, and delivering essential health care services to the community. H.R.4428 - Fair Medicare Hospital Payments Act of 2016 - would establish a national minimum of 0.874 for the Medicare Area Wage Index for Hospital Inpatient Services (Medicare Part A) and the Medicare Area Wage Adjustment Factor for Hospital Outpatient Department Services (Medicare Part B). Discussed with congressional staff the importance of leveling the Area Wage Index playing field for hospitals across the nation. Dozens of hospitals in Texas are negatively impacted by low AWI. While he AWI is designed so the average AWI is 1.0, Texas does not contain a single CBSA with an AWI at 1.0 or greater. H.R. 3119 - Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act - Would authorize grants to improve the training of health professionals in palliative care. H.R.1343/S.688 - Would require CMS to take into account patients' sociodemographic status when imposing financial penalties for excessive hospital readmissions for Medicare patients. - Met with congressional staff on how socioeconomic status impacts health and the importance of this legislation, especially to large safety net hospitals. H.R.1479 - Repeal of the Obamacare Bay State Boondoogle Act - Would amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to apply budget neutrality on a State-specific basis in the calculation of the Medicare hospital wage index floor for non-rural areas. - Discussed with congressional staff and members of Congress that provisions related to how the current Medicare Area Wage Index impacts hospitals in Texas, and how the implementation of a rural floor would help rural hospitals across the state and country. S.2425 - Patient Access and Medicare Protection Act - would allow CMS to create a blanket hardship exemption from 2015 electronic health record meaningful use requirements and related payment adjustments to all providers who ask for it. The penalties would have been assessed in 2017. Rural Hospital Issues: Discussed a variety of issues impacting rural and critical access hospitals with members of congress and their staff. Rural hospitals would greatly benefit from the passage of several pieces of legislation that would relieve onerous burdens and help the facilities better serve their communities. Specific legislation discussed includes: H.R.1479, S.1648, S.332, H.R.169/S.258, H.R.3225.
Client expense: Not reported · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE
2016 · second_quarter · Health Issues
Organ donation issues, including the liver transplant allocation system and in support of new proposed UNOS system; support Ebola funding for hospital preparedness and treatment activities, including NY delegation letter to HHS and calls to HHS and meetings with Administration officials; Ebola funding language including in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016 (Omnibus legislation/Senate amendment to H.R. 2029) - support; support for Zika supplemental funding; The Living Donor Protection Act of 2016 (H.R.4616/S.2584) - support; The Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act (H.R. 2745) - support; proposed changes to regulation of Laboratory Developed Tests (FDA-2011-D-0360-Draft Guidance for Industry, Food and Drug Administration Staff and Clinical Laboratories: Framework for Regulatory Oversight of Laboratory Developed Tests) - oppose.
Client expense: $330,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, White House Office
2016 · second_quarter · Labor Issues/Antitrust/Workplace
Anti-trust standardization (H.R. 2745 / S. 2102)
Client expense: $70,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE
2016 · second_quarter · Government Issues
HR2745, Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act of 2015, all provisions related to merger process review
Client expense: $123,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Agriculture, Dept of (USDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE
2016 · second_quarter · Health Issues
Issues related to implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and its impact on Virginia hospitals and other health care providers. H.R. 1343/S. 688 - The Establishing Beneficiary Equity in the Hospital Readmission Program Act of 2015. H.R. 2123/S. 1148 - The Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2015. H.R. 2156 - The Medicare Audit Improvement Act. H.R. 4725 - The Common Sense Savings Act of 2016 and H.R. 2745 - The Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act
Client expense: $10,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE
2016 · second_quarter · Health Issues
Issues related to implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and its impact on Virginia hospitals and other health care providers. H.R. 1343/S. 688 - The Establishing Beneficiary Equity in the Hospital Readmission Program Act of 2015. H.R. 2123/S. 1148 - The Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2015. H.R. 2156 - The Medicare Audit Improvement Act. H.R. 4725 - The Common Sense Savings Act of 2016 and H.R. 2745 - The Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act
Client expense: $10,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE
2016 · second_quarter · Health Issues
Save Rural Hospitals Act (H.R.3225) Funding for 340B Drug Pricing Program Critical Access Hospital Relief Act (S. 258; H.R. 169) Support for Medicare and Medicaid Payment reductions, including Graduate Medical Education Support for Resident Physician Shortage Act of 2015 (S. 1148; H.R. 2124) Opposing Medicare and Medicaid Payment reductions, including those to Graduate Medical Education (H.R. 3292, the Medicare IME Pool Act of 2015), bad debt payments, post-acute care payments, Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payments, CAH payments, IPPS coding offset, rural hospital payments, hospital outpatient department (HOPD) clinics, and sequestration. Support for changes to site-neutral payment provision of Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (P.L. 114-74) and flexibility in implementation of Section 603 of the law. Protecting 340B Drug Pricing Program in regulatory and legislative proposals Support for Establishing Beneficiary Equity in the Hospital Readmission Program Act (H.R. 1343/S. 688) and inclusion of similar provision in Helping Hospitals Improve Patient Care Act (H.R. 5273) Support for Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules (SMARTER) Act (H.R. 2745) Addressing concerns related to the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) and reporting mechanisms Encouraging Committees of jurisdiction to examine overlap in Merit-based Incentive Payment System and Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record Incentive Payment Programs (Meaningful Use) Urging further flexibility in proposed rule [CMS-5517-P] to implement Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) Opposition to redistribution of Medicare DSH payments proposed in FFY 2017 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) rule [CMS-1655-P] Support for Rural Hospital Access Act of 2015 (H.R. 663/S. 332) Support for Medicare Audit Improvement Act of 2015 (H.R. 2156) Support for Two-Midnight Rule Delay Act (H.R. 3698)/Two-Midnight Rule Coordination and Improvement Act of 2014 (S. 2082)
Client expense: Not reported · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE
2016 · first_quarter · Health Issues
S. 122: Safe and Affordable Drugs from Canada Act of 2015 - Provisions related to importation S. 185: Promise for Antibiotics and Therapeutics for Health (PATH) Act - Provisions related to antibiotic drug approval for a limited population S. 289: American Cures Act - Provisions related to NIH funding S. 320: Medical Innovation Act of 2015 - Provisions related to National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding and covered manufacturer supplemental fees S. 481: Improving Regulatory Transparency for New Medical Therapies Act - Provisions related to Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) scheduling S. 483: Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act of 2016 - Provisions related to registration under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) S. 524: Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 - Provisions related to opioids S. 683: Compassionate Access, Research Expansion, and Respect States (CARERS) Act of 2015 - Provisions related to regulation of marijuana and impact on legitimate medical research S. 849: Advancing Research for Neurological Diseases Act of 2016 - Provisions related to research on neurological diseases S. 1128: Preserving Access to Orphan Drugs Act - Provisions related to orphan drug tax (113th Congress) S. 1455: Recovery Enhancement for Addiction Treatment Act - Provisions related to opioids S. 1597: Patient-Focused Impact Assessment Act of 2016 - Provisions related to patient-focused drug development S. 1790: Safe and Affordable Prescription Drugs Act of 2015 - Provisions related to importation S. 1767: Combination Product Regulatory Fairness Act of 2016 - Provisions related to improvements in the regulation of combination drug-device products S. 1878: Advancing Hope Act of 2016 - Provisions related to pediatric cancer and other pediatric diseases S. 2014: Next Generation Researchers Act - Provisions related to NIH promoting new research. S. 2023: Prescription Drug Affordability Act of 2015 - Provisions related to importation S. 2030: Advancing Targeted Therapies for Rare Diseases Act of 2016 - Provisions related to rare disease treatment S. 2055 - the Medical Countermeasure Innovation Act of 2015 S. 2256: Co-Prescribing Saves Lives Act of 2015 - Provisions related to co-prescribing S. 2388: Reciprocity Ensures Streamlined Use of Lifesaving Treatments Act of 2015 - Provisions related to reciprocity of drug approvals S. 2503: Preventing Superbugs and Protecting Patients Act - Provisions related to antibiotic development S. 2512: Adding Zika Virus to the FDA Priority Review Voucher Program Act - Provisions related to priority review vouchers S. 2615: Increasing Competition in Pharmaceuticals Act - Provisions related to FDA review of generic drugs and study on risk evaluation and mitigation strategies (REMS) program S. 2624: National Biomedical Research Act - Provisions related to mandatory funding for NIH and FDA S. 2680: Mental Health Reform Act of 2016 - Provisions related to mental health issues S. 2689: REGROW Act - Provisions related to creating a new regulatory pathway to speed the approval of certain stem cell treatments S. 2700: FDA and NIH Workforce Modernization Act - Provisions related to FDA and NIH H.R. 6: 21st Century Cures Act - Provisions related to biopharmaceutical discovery, development, delivery and transparency H.R. 1455: Speeding Access to Already Approved Pharmaceuticals Act of 2015 - Provisions requiring FDA to expedite review of pharmaceuticals that are approved for marketing in the European Union H.R. 1537: Advancing Hope Act of 2015 - Provisions related to the pediatric rare disease voucher program H.R. 1538: Compassionate Access, Research Expansion, and Respect States (CARERS) Act of 2015 - Provisions related to regulation of marijuana and impact on legitimate medical research H.R. 1576: Generic Complex Drugs Safety and Effectiveness for Patients Act of 2015 - Provisions related to the study of regulatory challenges for the approval of complex generic drugs H.R. 2479: To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to provide for the issuance of up-to-date regulations and guidance applying to the dissemination by means of the Internet of information about medical products - Provisions related to dissemination of information about medical products H.R. 2745: Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act of 2015; Motion to Recommit H.R. 2745 with Instructions - Provisions related to prescription drug costs H.R. 2805: Heroin and Prescription Opioid Abuse Prevention, Education, and Enforcement Act of 2015 - Provisions related to the treatment of heroin and prescription opioid abuse H.R. 2841: Fair Access for Safe and Timely Generics Act of 2015 - Provisions related to requiring innovator pharmaceutical manufacturers to provide samples of risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS) covered products to generic manufacturers for bioequivalence testing HR. 3299 - the Strengthening Public Health Emergency Response Act of 2015 H.R. 3537: Synthetic Drug Control Act of 2015 - Provisions related to amending the Controlled Substances Analogue Act and the legislative scheduling of molecules used in legitimate medical research H.R. 3762: Restoring Americans Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015 - Provisions related to amending and withdrawing funding from the Affordable Care Act H.R. 4365: Protecting Patient Access to Emergency Medications Act of 2016 - Provisions related to controlled substances H.R. 4762: REGROW Act - Provisions related to creating a new regulatory pathway to speed the approval of certain stem cell treatments H.R. 4784: Lower Drug Costs Through Competition Act - Provisions related to generic drugs and priority review vouchers; REMS study; and tropical disease product applications The Regenerative Medicine Regulatory Improvement Act (discussion draft) - Provisions related to creating a new regulatory pathway to speed the approval of certain stem cell treatments Kids Count Act of 2015 (discussion draft) - Provisions for incentivizing pediatric rare disease drug development ADF Incentive Act of 2015 (discussion draft) - Provisions providing manufacturers an incentive to develop abuse deterrent formulations (ADF) of controlled substances Breakpoints (discussion draft) - Provisions relating to the updating of breakpoint information for antibiotics on an FDA managed website Drug Supply Chain Security Act policy issues Discussion of Reforms to the Pediatric Research Equity Act (PREA) and Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act (BPCA) Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA) policy issues Food and Drug Administration Proposed rule: Supplemental Applications Proposing Labeling Changes for Approved Drugs and Biological Products (78 Fed. Reg. 67985) - Provisions related to product labeling changes and related procedures Medicaid Managed Care, CHIP Delivered in Managed Care, Medicaid and CHIP Comprehensive Quality Strategies, and Revisions Related to Third Party Liability; Proposed rules [CMS-2390-P] Provisions related to 340B program Senate HELP Committee innovation agenda - Provisions related to biopharmaceutical discovery and development and FDA policy Proposed HRSA 340B program mega-guidance - Provisions related to 340B program Implementation issues related to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) (Public Law 111-148), including health insurance exchanges Physician Payment Sunshine Act implementation issues, such as Open Payments System issues 340B Drug Discount Program policy issues General FDA advocacy including sharing of truthful and non-misleading information about medicines with healthcare professionals Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) negotiation and reauthorization Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (BPCIA) implementation issues Generic Drug User Fee Act (GDUFA) policy issues Biopharmaceutical and medical innovation policy issues Drug development ecosystem policy issues Drug cost and pricing policy issues Expedited drug approval policy issues Compassionate use policy issues Biosimilar approval and reimbursement policy issues Transparency policy issues NIH Funding policy issues Precision Medicine Initiative Biomarker policy issues Policy issues related to prescription drug abuse and secure disposal Antibiotics development policy issues Drug compounding policy issues Nomination of Robert Califf to FDA Commissioner Prescription drug importation policy issues Cancer Moonshot
Client expense: $1,490,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Commerce, Dept of (DOC), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), Patent & Trademark Office (PTO), SENATE, U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), Vice President of the U.S.
2016 · first_quarter · Health Issues
S. 122: Safe and Affordable Drugs from Canada Act of 2015 - Provisions related to importation S. 185: Promise for Antibiotics and Therapeutics for Health (PATH) Act - Provisions related to antibiotic drug approval for a limited population S. 289: American Cures Act - Provisions related to NIH funding S. 320: Medical Innovation Act of 2015 - Provisions related to National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding and covered manufacturer supplemental fees S. 481: Improving Regulatory Transparency for New Medical Therapies Act - Provisions related to Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) scheduling S. 483: Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act of 2016 - Provisions related to registration under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) S. 524: Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 - Provisions related to opioids S. 683: Compassionate Access, Research Expansion, and Respect States (CARERS) Act of 2015 - Provisions related to regulation of marijuana and impact on legitimate medical research S. 849: Advancing Research for Neurological Diseases Act of 2016 - Provisions related to research on neurological diseases S. 1128: Preserving Access to Orphan Drugs Act of 2013 - Provisions related to orphan drug tax (113th Congress) S. 1455: Recovery Enhancement for Addiction Treatment Act - Provisions related to opioids S. 1597: Patient-Focused Impact Assessment Act of 2016 - Provisions related to patient-focused drug development S. 1790: Safe and Affordable Prescription Drugs Act of 2015 - Provisions related to importation S. 1767: Combination Product Regulatory Fairness Act of 2016 - Provisions related to improvements in the regulation of combination drug-device products S. 1878: Advancing Hope Act of 2016 - Provisions related to pediatric cancer and other pediatric diseases S. 2014: Next Generation Researchers Act - Provisions related to NIH promoting new research. S. 2023: Prescription Drug Affordability Act of 2015 - Provisions related to importation S. 2030: Advancing Targeted Therapies for Rare Diseases Act of 2016 - Provisions related to rare disease treatment S. 2256: Co-Prescribing Saves Lives Act of 2015 - Provisions related to co-prescribing of opioids and reversal agents S. 2388: Reciprocity Ensures Streamlined Use of Lifesaving Treatments Act of 2015 - Provisions related to reciprocity of drug approvals S. 2503: Preventing Superbugs and Protecting Patients Act - Provisions related to antibiotic development S. 2512: Adding Zika Virus to the FDA Priority Review Voucher Program Act - Provisions related to priority review vouchers S. 2615: Increasing Competition in Pharmaceuticals Act - Provisions related to FDA review of generic drugs and study on risk evaluation and mitigation strategies (REMS) program S. 2624: National Biomedical Research Act - Provisions related to mandatory funding for NIH and FDA S. 2680: Mental Health Reform Act of 2016 - Provisions related to mental health issues S. 2689: REGROW Act - Provisions related to creating a new regulatory pathway to speed the approval of certain stem cell treatments S. 2700: FDA and NIH Workforce Modernization Act - Provisions related to FDA and NIH H.R. 6: 21st Century Cures Act - Provisions related to biopharmaceutical discovery, development, delivery and transparency H.R. 1455: Speeding Access to Already Approved Pharmaceuticals Act of 2015 - Provisions requiring FDA to expedite review of pharmaceuticals that are approved for marketing in the European Union H.R. 1537: Advancing Hope Act of 2015 - Provisions related to the pediatric rare disease voucher program H.R. 1538: Compassionate Access, Research Expansion, and Respect States (CARERS) Act of 2015 - Provisions related to regulation of marijuana and impact on legitimate medical research H.R. 1576: Generic Complex Drugs Safety and Effectiveness for Patients Act of 2015 - Provisions related to the study of regulatory challenges for the approval of complex generic drugs H.R. 2479: To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to provide for the issuance of up-to-date regulations and guidance applying to the dissemination by means of the Internet of information about medical products - Provisions related to dissemination of information about medical products H.R. 2745: Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act of 2015; Motion to Recommit H.R. 2745 with Instructions - Provisions related to prescription drug costs H.R. 2805: Heroin and Prescription Opioid Abuse Prevention, Education, and Enforcement Act of 2015 - Provisions related to the treatment of heroin and prescription opioid abuse H.R. 2841: Fair Access for Safe and Timely Generics Act of 2015 - Provisions related to requiring innovator pharmaceutical manufacturers to provide samples of risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS) covered products to generic manufacturers for bioequivalence testing H.R. 3537: Synthetic Drug Control Act of 2015 - Provisions related to amending the Controlled Substances Analogue Act and the legislative scheduling of molecules used in legitimate medical research H.R. 3762: Restoring Americans Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015 - Provisions related to amending and withdrawing funding from the Affordable Care Act H.R. 4365: Protecting Patient Access to Emergency Medications Act of 2016 - Provisions related to controlled substances H.R. 4762: REGROW Act - Provisions related to creating a new regulatory pathway to speed the approval of certain stem cell treatments H.R. 4784: Lower Drug Costs Through Competition Act - Provisions related to generic drugs and priority review vouchers; REMS study; and tropical disease product applications The Regenerative Medicine Regulatory Improvement Act (discussion draft) - Provisions related to creating a new regulatory pathway to speed the approval of certain stem cell treatments Kids Count Act of 2015 (discussion draft) - Provisions for incentivizing pediatric rare disease drug development ADF Incentive Act of 2015 (discussion draft) - Provisions providing manufacturers an incentive to develop abuse deterrent formulations (ADF) of controlled substances Breakpoints (discussion draft) - Provisions relating to the updating of breakpoint information for antibiotics on an FDA managed website Drug Supply Chain Security Act policy issues Discussion of Reforms to the Pediatric Research Equity Act (PREA) and Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act (BPCA) Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA) policy issues Food and Drug Administration Proposed rule: Supplemental Applications Proposing Labeling Changes for Approved Drugs and Biological Products (78 Fed. Reg. 67985) - Provisions related to product labeling changes and related procedures Medicaid Managed Care, CHIP Delivered in Managed Care, Medicaid and CHIP Comprehensive Quality Strategies, and Revisions Related to Third Party Liability; Proposed rules [CMS-2390-P] Provisions related to 340B program Senate HELP Committee innovation agenda - Provisions related to biopharmaceutical discovery and development and FDA policy Proposed HRSA 340B program mega-guidance - Provisions related to 340B program Implementation issues related to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) (Public Law 111-148), including health insurance exchanges Physician Payment Sunshine Act implementation issues, such as Open Payments System issues 340B Drug Discount Program policy issues General FDA advocacy including sharing of truthful and non-misleading information about medicines with healthcare professionals Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) negotiation and reauthorization Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (BPCIA) implementation issues Generic Drug User Fee Act (GDUFA) policy issues Biopharmaceutical and medical innovation policy issues Drug development ecosystem policy issues Drug cost and pricing policy issues Expedited drug approval policy issues Compassionate use policy issues Biosimilar approval and reimbursement policy issues Transparency policy issues NIH Funding policy issues Precision Medicine Initiative Biomarker policy issues Policy issues related to prescription drug abuse and secure disposal Antibiotics development policy issues Drug compounding policy issues Nomination of Robert Califf to FDA Commissioner Prescription drug importation policy issues Cancer Moonshot
Client expense: $5,950,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Commerce, Dept of (DOC), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), Patent & Trademark Office (PTO), SENATE, U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), Vice President of the U.S.
2016 · first_quarter · Health Issues
H.R. 6, 21st Century Cures Act (Upton) - new cures and treatments H.R. 691, Telehealth Modernization Act (Matsui-Johnson) - telemedicine H.R. 1189, Preserving Employee Wellness Programs Act (Kline) - employee wellness programs H.R. 2646, Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act (Murphy) - mental health reforms H.R. 2712, Commonsense Reporting and Verification Act (Black) - employer reporting and eligibility verification for ACA subsidies H.R. 2745, Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act (Farenthold) - FTC-DOJ rules for reviewing mergers H.R. 3099, RAISE Family Caregivers Act (Harper) - national strategy to support family caregivers H.R. 3463, Aligning Childrens Dental Coverage Act (Griffith-DeGette) - rules for stand-alone dental plans H.R. 4771, HEALTH Act (Franks) - medical liability reforms S. 185, Promise for Antibiotics and Therapeutics for Health Act (Hatch) - FDA drug approval process S. 466, Quality Care for Moms and Babies Act (Stabenow) - pediatric quality measures S. 524, Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (Whitehouse) - prescription opioid abuse S. 620, Preserving Employee Wellness Programs Act (Alexander) - employee wellness programs S. 961, Data Security Act (Carper) - data security S. 1077, Advancing Breakthrough Devices for Patients Act (Burr) - priority review of breakthrough medical devices S. 1427, Quality Measure Alignment Act (Stabenow) - facilitating coordination and alignment between public and private sectors on quality and efficiency measures S. 1719, RAISE Family Caregivers Act (Collins) - national strategy to support family caregivers S. 1996, Commonsense Reporting Act (Warner) - employer reporting and eligibility verification for ACA subsidies S. 2141, TRUST IT Act, (Cassidy) - health IT rating system S. 2646, Veterans Choice Improvement Act (Burr) - veterans health care S. 2680, Mental Health Reform Act (Alexander) - parity requirements, mental health services Regulatory Issues: HIPAA administrative simplification issues, including standards for privacy, security, and electronic transactions and code sets (including ICD-10), identifiers including the health plan identifier, enforcement; cybersecurity; FEHBP enrollment data clearinghouse initiative, the enrollment reconciliation process, and a related OPM reimbursement factor for records that cannot be reconciled; issues relating to health insurance plan participation in FEHBP, including contract requirements; issues relating to similarly sized subscriber group (SSSG) and MLR requirements under the FEHBP;. implementation of the health savings account provisions of the Medicare Act; issues related to Medicare Secondary Payer requirements; issues related to implementation of the National Health Information Infrastructure; electronic health records, personal health records, and similar technologies; issues relating to market consolidation; issues related to hospital consolidation; issues relating to quality improvement; issues related to potential priority research topics for the effective health care program; issues relating to the national health data stewardship; issues relating to hospital outpatient measurement and reporting; prescription drug pricing; issues relating to "meaningful use" requirements for health information technology; issues related to the collection of race and ethnicity data; issues related to medical loss ratios; reference pricing; review of rates for reasonableness; preexisting condition insurance plans; issues relating to antitrust; accountable care organizations; provider non-discrimination; coverage of preventive services; contraceptive coverage; pre-existing condition exclusions; lifetime and annual dollar limits on benefits; patient protections; grandfathered health plan provisions; issues relating to the annual fee on health insurance providers; health plan automatic enrollment requirements; issues related to qualified health plans including certification and rate filing templates; health insurance market rules; reinsurance, risk corridors, and risk adjustment (commonly referred to as the 3 Rs); dependent coverage; summary of benefits and coverage disclosures; benefit and payment parameters for 2014; essential health benefits, actuarial value, and accreditation; issues related to fraud, waste, abuse, Stark/Anti-Kickback laws and regulations; issues related to supplemental products; issues related to HIPAA excepted benefits; issues related to the federally-facilitated marketplaces (i.e., Exchanges/formerly referred to as the web portal); issues related to business continuity in relation to pandemics or natural events (e.g., hurricane, tornado, etc.); issues related to small employer group size; issues related to Certificate of Public Advantage; and other issues relating to health care reform implementation.
Client expense: $2,210,000 · 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), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Justice, Dept of (DOJ), Labor, Dept of (DOL), Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Pension & Welfare Benefits Administration, SENATE, Treasury, Dept of, White House Office
2016 · first_quarter · Labor Issues/Antitrust/Workplace
Supporting HJ Res 29 and SJ Res. 8 to nullify NLRBs expedited union elections rule; Opposing NLRBs change in standards for determining joint employer status; Support the H.R. 2745, Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules (SMARTER Act), a bill to provide that the Federal Trade Commission shall exercise authority with respect to mergers only under the Clayton Act and only in the same procedural manner as the Attorney General exercises such authority;Testified at three Insurance Consolidation Hearings to discuss the impact of the proposed acquisitions involving Aetna/ Humana and Anthem/Cigna; Urged that attention be payed to the anti-competitive effects and consumer harms in the Anthem / Cigna deal that result from the BCBS affiliation of Anthem.
Client expense: $5,120,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Justice, Dept of (DOJ), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA), White House Office
2016 · first_quarter · Health Issues
Provided education to Members of Congress and their staff about renewal of a Texas Medicaid 1115 demonstration waiver, the impact of Delivery System Reform Improvement Projects across the state and the role of hospitals in the waiver. Also provided information on the states 1115 waiver renewal application submitted to CMS in September and the timeline for negotiation over the next year. Provided data to Members of the Texas congressional delegation and their staff on the number of uninsured individuals in each district and statewide. Provided information on the uncompensated care burden in the state and how that impacts the 1115 waiver renewal as well as the safety net in the state. Provided education to members of Congress and their staff about the importance of adequate funding for the Hospital Preparedness Program. Worked with members of Congress and staff on proposals for combating the Zika virus and encouraged adequate funding of these plans. H.R.2745 - Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act of 2015 - Would standardize the merger review process for the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Met with congressional staff on how the merger review process impacts hospital mergers and how this legislation would eliminate disparities between the two reviewing agencies. H.R. 2124, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act -- Would prevent a looming doctor shortage by ensuring additional residency slots are available for teaching hospitals. Educated members of congress and staff on Graduate Medical Education and why we must increase residency slots to meet the growing demand by medical students and to help counteract the ever-growing physician shortage . Teaching hospitals and academic medical centers rely on support from the GME program to fulfill their mission of training physicians for the public good, furnishing highly-specialized care to the most medically complex patients, and delivering essential health care services to the community. H.R.4428 - Fair Medicare Hospital Payments Act of 2016 - would establish a national minimum of 0.874 for the Medicare Area Wage Index for Hospital Inpatient Services (Medicare Part A) and the Medicare Area Wage Adjustment Factor for Hospital Outpatient Department Services (Medicare Part B). Discussed with congressional staff the importance of leveling the Area Wage Index playing field for hospitals across the nation. Dozens of hospitals in Texas are negatively impacted by low AWI. While he AWI is designed so the average AWI is 1.0, Texas does not contain a single CBSA with an AWI at 1.0 or greater. H.R. 953 Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act - Discussed with congressional staff how hospitals are involved with treating and caring for opioid and other substance abuse patients. Discussed limitations and flexibility within current law and congressional proposals. S.2002 - Mental Health and Safe Communities Act of 2015 - Talked with Senate staff about the importance of adequate funding and coordination of care across multiple disciplines, including hospitals, law enforcement, judicial system, outpatient clinics, community-based treatment and more. H.R. 3119 - Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act - Would authorize grants to improve the training of health professionals in palliative care. H.R.1343/S.688 - Would require CMS to take into account patients' sociodemographic status when imposing financial penalties for excessive hospital readmissions for Medicare patients. - Met with congressional staff on how socioeconomic status impacts health and the importance of this legislation, especially to large safety net hospitals. H.R.1479 - Repeal of the Obamacare Bay State Boondoogle Act - Would amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to apply budget neutrality on a State-specific basis in the calculation of the Medicare hospital wage index floor for non-rural areas. - Discussed with congressional staff and members of Congress that provisions related to how the current Medicare Area Wage Index impacts hospitals in Texas, and how the implementation of a rural floor would help rural hospitals across the state and country. S.2425 - Patient Access and Medicare Protection Act - would allow CMS to create a blanket hardship exemption from 2015 electronic health record meaningful use requirements and related payment adjustments to all providers who ask for it. The penalties would have been assessed in 2017. H.R. 2646 - Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2015 - Would make a variety of sweeping changes to the mental health infrastructure and while also reforming provider outreach, community-based treatment options, and justice system reform. - Discussed with staff how THA support the overall direction this bill would take the mental health system, and encouraged the use of community care in reforming the way we address mental health issues. Rural Hospital Issues: Discussed a variety of issues impacting rural and critical access hospitals with members of congress and their staff. Rural hospitals would greatly benefit from the passage of several pieces of legislation that would relieve onerous burdens and help the facilities better serve their communities. Specific legislation discussed includes: H.R.1479, S.1648, S.332, H.R.169/S.258, H.R.3225
Client expense: Not reported · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE
2016 · first_quarter · Trade (domestic/foreign)
H.R. 22, Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, including provisions relating to House Amendment 813, prohibiting Export-Import Bank assistance to state-sponsors of terrorism H.R. 235, Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act H.R. 403, Free Trade with Cuba Act H.R. 635, Promoting American Agricultural and Medical Exports to Cuba Act of 2015 H.R. 644/S. 1269, Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 H.R. 664 /S. 299, Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act of 2015 H.R. 820, Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act H.R. 978/S. 489, Low Value Shipment Regulatory Modernization Act of 2015 H.R. 1314, Trade Act of 2015 H.R. 1907, Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 H.R. 2745/S. 2102, Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act of 2015 H.R. 3238/S.1543, Cuba Trade Act of 2015 H.R. 4219, To authorize the extension of nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations treatment) to the products of Kazakhstan S. 491, Freedom to Export to Cuba Act of 2015 S. 995, Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 S. 1015, Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 S. 2201, Global Gateways Trade Capacity Act of 2015 Draft legislation titled Maritime Transportation Security Act Potential Legislation similar to H.R. 4095, Online Pharmacy Safety Act of 2012 Potential Legislation similar to H.R. 4216, Foreign Counterfeit Prevention Act of 2012 Potential Legislation similar to H.R. 5233, Trade Secrets Protection Act of 2014 Potential Legislation similar to H.R. 5696/S.2922, Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act (113th Congress) Potential Legislation similar to H.R. 6654, Foreign Counterfeit Prevention Act of 2012 Potential Legislation similar to S. 2002, Online Pharmacy Safety Act of 2012 Nomination of Mark McWatters to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States Proposed regulation on certification and enforcement, import data collection (80 Fed. Reg. 81,199, December 29, 2015) Various issues relating to Trade Promotion Authority (TPA); Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement negotiations; Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations; the expanded use of software asset management by the Federal Government and its contractors; Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA); Trade in Services Agreement (TISA) negotiations; U.S.-Central Asia Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA); U.S.-European Union Safe Harbor; U.S.-European Union Energy Relations; implementation of Section 182 of the Trade Act of 1974 (P.L. 93-618), as amended by the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 and the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (the "Special 301 Report"); implementation of Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (P.L. 111-203), G-20 obligations on Financial Service Reforms; International Telecommunications Union; Transatlantic Economic Council; World Health Organization (WHO); World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO); World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations; Office of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator and the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center; patent linkage and regulatory data protection; plain packaging; USPTO IP Attache Program; China's IPR, industrial policies and cybersecurity issues; IP issues relating to internet counterfeiting and piracy; Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement; IP issues relating to trade secret theft; IP issues relating to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC); IP issues relating to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC); IP issues relating to Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Japan, Mexico, Russia and Europe; U.S.- Argentina economic relations; U.S.- Bangladesh economic relations; U.S.- Brazil economic relations; U.S.- China economic relations; U.S.- Egypt economic and commercial relations; U.S.- Japan economic relations; U.S.- Jordan economic and commercial relations; U.S.- Korea economic relations; U.S.- Mexico economic relations; U.S.- Pakistan economic relations; U.S. - Russia economic relations; U.S. - Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC); U.S. trade relations with the Middle East and North Africa; U.S. sanctions on Burma; Ukraine related sanctions; Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) for Kazakhstan; Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC); trade embargo with Cuba; trade policy consideration with regard to cross-border data flows and issues of forced localization; bilateral investment treaty negotiations with China; bilateral investment treaty negotiations with India; tax treaties with Hungary, Poland, Chile, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Spain and Japan; trade, regulatory and bilateral investment treaty negotiations with India; Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB); International Monetary Fund (IMF) quota reform; international capital standards for insurance and US-EU regulatory cooperation for insurance; funding for the Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), including the World Bank, the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF); international affairs budget; promoting transatlantic investment, trade and regulatory cooperation; international concerns in the areas of antitrust, standards and investment; advancing international regulatory cooperation; Air Cargo Advance Screening Pilot and Regulation; internet governance and Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) transition; sugar reform; Executive Order 13659, Trade Facilitation and the International Trade Data System, implementation of the U.S. single window
Client expense: $15,750,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Agriculture, Dept of (USDA), Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers), Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), Commerce, Dept of (DOC), Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), Defense, Dept of (DOD), Education, Dept of, Energy, Dept of, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Federal Reserve System, Federal Trade Commission (FTC), General Services Administration (GSA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), Interior, Dept of (DOI), Justice, Dept of (DOJ), Labor, Dept of (DOL), Natl Economic Council (NEC), Natl Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST), Natl Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Natl Security Council (NSC), Natl Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA), Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), Patent & Trademark Office (PTO), Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), SENATE, Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), Small Business Administration (SBA), State, Dept of (DOS), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Transportation, Dept of (DOT), Treasury, Dept of, U.S. Copyright Office, U.S. Customs & Border Protection, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), White House Office
2016 · first_quarter · Labor Issues/Antitrust/Workplace
H.R 2745/S. 2102, Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules (SMARTER) Act of 2015 H.R. 2800/S. 1590, Pregnancy Discrimination Amendment Act H.R. 3459/S. 2686/S. 2015, Protecting Local Business Opportunity Act H.R. 4293, Affordable Retirement Advice Protection Act H.R. 4294, Strengthening Access to Valuable Education and Retirement Support (SAVERS) Act of 2015 H.R. 4773/S. 2707, Protecting Workplace Advancement and Opportunity Act Fiscal Year 2017, Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, including provisions relating to funding of the Department of Labor and the National Labor Relations Board DOL RIN 1205-AB58 (H2B Temporary Workers): Errors and omissions in cost and benefit analysis and in analysis of impacts on small entities Proposed regulation on the definition of the term fiduciary; conflict of interest rule-retirement investment advice and related proposed prohibited transaction exemptions, (80 Fed. Reg 34,869, June 18, 2015) Proposed regulations defining and delimiting the exemptions for executive, administrative, professional, outside sales and computer employees (80 Fed. Reg. 38,516, July 6, 2015) Proposed regulations on the definition of the term fiduciary; Conflict of interest rule-retirement investment advice (80 Fed. Reg. 21,928, April 20, 2015) Proposed regulations amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation to implement Executive Order 13673 Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces (80 Fed. Reg. 30,548, May 28, 2015) Proposed guidance for Executive Order 13673 Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces (80 Fed. Reg. 30,574, May 28, 2015) Proposed OSHA regulation to reduce the exposure limit on respirable silica and impose other requirements (78 Fed. Reg. 56,274, September 12, 2013) Proposed OSHA regulation to require employers to submit injury and illness records electronically that will then be posted on the internet (78 Fed. Reg. 67,354, November 8, 2013) and supplemental proposed regulation (79 Fed. Reg. 47,605, August 14, 2014) Proposed regulation regarding Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act; interpretation of the advice exemption (76 Fed. Reg. 36,178, June 21, 2011) and correction (76 Fed Reg. 37,292, June 27, 2011) Proposed regulation regarding recording and reporting of musculoskeletal disorders (75 Fed. Reg. 4,728, January 29, 2010) and reopening of comment period (76 Fed. Reg. 28,383, May 17, 2011) Proposed regulation regarding the implementation of Executive Order 13658, Establishing a Minimum Wage for Contractors (79 Fed. Reg. 34,568, June 17, 2014) Proposed information collection request for survey on worker classification (78 Fed. Reg. 67,196, November 8, 2013) Proposed regulation regarding savings arrangements established by states for non-governmental employees (80 Fed. Reg. 72,006, November 18, 2015) Interpretive bulletin relating to the fiduciary standard under ERISA in considering economically targeted investments (80 Fed. Reg. 65,135, October 26, 2015) Proposed regulations establishing paid sick leave for federal contractors (81 Fed. Reg. 9,592, February 25, 2016) Various issues relating to minimum wage, including indexing; ambush elections regulations by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB); determining whether a collective bargaining unit is appropriate, including legislation involving the NLRBs Specialty Healthcare (357 No. 83) decision; Department of Labors regulatory agenda, apprenticeship program, new overtime eligibility regulations, silica exposure limit regulations, and persuader rule; gender-based workplace discrimination; Fair Labor Standards Act amendments (P.L. 75-718) and Executive Order 13673, Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces; Executive Order 13706, Establishing Paid Sick Leave for Federal Contractors; NLRB joint employer standard; legislation and oversight addressing the National Labor Relations Board, including implementation and oversight of the National Labor Relations Act (P.L. 74-198); NLRB decisions and regulatory agenda
Client expense: $15,750,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Agriculture, Dept of (USDA), Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers), Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), Commerce, Dept of (DOC), Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), Defense, Dept of (DOD), Education, Dept of, Energy, Dept of, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Federal Reserve System, Federal Trade Commission (FTC), General Services Administration (GSA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), Interior, Dept of (DOI), Justice, Dept of (DOJ), Labor, Dept of (DOL), Natl Economic Council (NEC), Natl Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST), Natl Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Natl Security Council (NSC), Natl Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA), Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), Patent & Trademark Office (PTO), Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), SENATE, Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), Small Business Administration (SBA), State, Dept of (DOS), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Transportation, Dept of (DOT), Treasury, Dept of, U.S. Copyright Office, U.S. Customs & Border Protection, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), White House Office
2016 · first_quarter · Labor Issues/Antitrust/Workplace
Anti-trust standardization (H.R. 2745 / S. 2102)
Client expense: $83,731 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE
2016 · first_quarter · Health Issues
Issues related to implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and its impact on Virginia hospitals and other health care providers. H.R. 1343/S. 688 - The Establishing Beneficiary Equity in the Hospital Readmission Program Act of 2015. H.R. 2123/S. 1148 - The Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2015. H.R. 2156 - The Medicare Audit Improvement Act. H.R. 4725 - The Common Sense Savings Act of 2016 and H.R. 2745 - The Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act
Client expense: $10,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE
2016 · first_quarter · Medicare/Medicaid
Opposing Medicare and Medicaid Payment reductions, including those to Graduate Medical Education (H.R. 3292, the Medicare IME Pool Act of 2015), bad debt payments, post-acute care payments, Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payments, CAH payments, IPPS coding offset, rural hospital payments, hospital outpatient department (HOPD) clinics, and sequestration. Support for changes to site-neutral payment provision of Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (P.L. 114-74) Protecting 340B Drug Pricing Program in regulatory and legislative proposals Support for changes to liver transplant allocation system 21st Century Cures Act (H.R. 6) and Senate HELP Committee provisions related to interoperability and information blocking Urging release of funding for Ebola preparedness and treatment Urging modifications to Hospital Compare Star Rating System Support for National Institutes of Health funding Support for Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules (SMARTER) Act (H.R. 2745) Addressing concerns related to the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) and reporting mechanisms Encouraging Committees of jurisdiction to examine overlap in Merit-based Incentive Payment System and Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record Incentive Payment Programs (Meaningful Use) Support for Protecting Seniors Access to Medicare Act of 2015 (H.R. 1190 and S.141) Support for Rural Hospital Access Act of 2015 (H.R. 663/S. 332) Support for Critical Access Hospital Relief Act of 2015 (H.R. 169/S. 258) Support for Protecting Access to Rural Therapies Act (H.R. 1611/S. 257) Support for Establishing Beneficiary Equity in the Hospital Readmission Program Act (H.R. 1343/S. 688) Support for Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2015 (H.R. 2124/ S. 1148) Support for Medicare Audit Improvement Act of 2015 (H.R. 2156) Support for Two Midnight Rule Delay Act (H.R. 3698)/Two-Midnight Rule Coordination and Improvement Act of 2014 (S. 2082) Support for Craig Thomas Rural Hospital and Provider Equity Act (S. 2359) Support for Making the Education of Nurses Dependable for Schools (MEND) Act (H.R. 5227)
Client expense: $110,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), SENATE
2016 · first_quarter · Telecommunications
H.R.2745, Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act of 2015 Issues related to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act Issues related the Charter/Time Warner Cable Merger Issues related to robocalls
Client expense: $70,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Agriculture, Dept of (USDA), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Education, Dept of, Energy, Dept of, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Labor, Dept of (DOL), Natl Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, U.S. Copyright Office
2016 · first_quarter · Health Issues
Organ donation issues, including the liver transplant allocation system and in support of new proposed UNOS system; support Ebola funding for hospital preparedness and treatment activities, including NY delegation letter to HHS and calls to HHS and meetings with Administration officials; Ebola funding language including in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016 (Omnibus legislation/Senate amendment to H.R. 2029) - support; support for Zika supplemental funding; The Living Donor Protection Act of 2016 (H.R.4616/S.2584) - support; The Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act (H.R. 2745) - support; proposed changes to regulation of Laboratory Developed Tests (FDA-2011-D-0360-Draft Guidance for Industry, Food and Drug Administration Staff and Clinical Laboratories: Framework for Regulatory Oversight of Laboratory Developed Tests) - oppose.
Client expense: $320,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, White House Office
2016 · first_quarter · Health Issues
.R. 1020 STEM Education Act H.R. 1190/S. 141 Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act H.R. 1314 Bipartisan Budget Act H.R. 160/S. 149 Protect Medical Innovation Act H.R. 1624/S. 1099, Protecting Affordable Coverage for Employees Act (PACE Act) H.R. 2061, Equitable Access to Care and Health (EACH) Act H.R. 2446 To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to require the use of electronic visit verification for personal care services furnished under the Medicaid program, and for other purposes. H.R. 2603/S. 1475 Saving Lives, Saving Costs Act H.R. 2646 Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act H.R. 4212/S.704 Community Based Independence for Seniors Act H.R. 2745/S. 2102 Standard Mergers & Acquisitions Review Through Equal Rules (SMARTER) Act H.R. 2878/S. 1461 To provide for the extension of the enforcement instruction on supervision requirements for outpatient therapeutic services in critical access and small rural hospitals through 2015. H.R. 2911/S. 1697 Small Business Healthcare Relief Act H.R. 292/S. 2260 Long-Term Studies of Comprehensive Outcomes and Returns for the Economy Act (Long-Term SCORE Act) H.R. 3081/S. 1778 TELEmedicine for MEDicare (TELE-MED) Act H.R. 3539 Reinvigorating Antibiotic and Diagnostic Innovation (READI) Act H.R. 3660 Preventive Health Savings Act H.R. 3716 Ensuring Terminated Providers are Removed from Medicaid and CHIP Act H.R. 3762 Restoring Americans Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act H.R. 4469/S.2499 Health Savings Act of 2016 H.R. 4723 Protecting Taxpayers by Recovering Improper Obamacare Subsidy Overpayments Act H.R. 4725 Common Sense Savings Act H.R. 4732/S.2671 Advancing Medical Resident Training in Community Hospitals Act H.R. 4771 Help Efficient, Accessible, Low-cost, Timely Healthcare Act H.R. 4774 Training Tomorrows Doctors Today Act H.R. 4801 Medical Loss Ratio Accountability Act of 2016 H.R. 4832 Health Savings Protection Act H.R. 4848 Healthy Inpatient Procedures (HIP) Act H.R. 4878 Better Care, Lower Cost Act H.R. 5380 Telehealth Parity Act H.R. 6 21st Century Cures Act H.R.4442/S.2484 CONNECT for Health Act S. 1077 Advancing Breakthrough Medical Devices for Patients Act S. 1101 Medical Electronic Data Technology Enhancement for Consumers Health (MEDTECH) Act S. 139 Ensuring Access to Clinical Trials Act S. 1622 FDA Device Accountability Act S. 1945 Mental Health Reform Act of 2016 S. 2023 Prescription Drug Affordability Act S. 2030 Advancing Targeted Therapies for Rare Diseases Act S. 2045 Middle Class Health Benefits Tax Repeal Act S. 2075 American Worker Health Care Tax Relief Act S. 2153 Provider Payment Sunshine Act S. 2187 FDA Regulatory Efficiency Act S. 2343 Telehealth Innovation and Improvement Act S. 2511 Improving Health Information Technology Act S. 2680 Mental Health Reform Act of 2016 S. 2698 Preserving Consumer Health Accounts Act of 2016 S. 2713 Advancing Precision Medicine Act S. 754 Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) S. 1101, the Medical Electronic Data Technology Enhancement for Consumers Health (MEDTECH) Act S. 1077, the Advancing Breakthrough Medical Devices for Patients Act. S. 1622, the FDA Device Accountability Act S. 2511, the Improving Health Information Technology Act S. 2680, the Mental Health Reform Act of 2016 S. 2713, the Advancing Precision Medicine Act
Client expense: $160,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Congressional Budget Office (CBO), Executive Office of the President (EOP), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), SENATE
2016 · first_quarter · Government Issues
HR2745, Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act of 2015, all provisions related to merger process review
Client expense: $110,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Agriculture, Dept of (USDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE
2015 · fourth_quarter · Health Issues
Support S 258 and HR 169, Critical Access Hospital Relief Act, a bill that would remove the 96-hour physician certification requirement as a condition of payment for critical access hospitals (CAHs); Support HR 293, a bill to exempt certain journals and text books used in continuing medical education (CME) from manufacturer transparency reporting requirements; Participated in the Hearing, Examining the 340B Drug Pricing Program and submitted testimony about the 340B program, a federal drug discount program to Subcommittee members who will review the functionality of the program to ensure it is meeting its intended goals; HR 6, 21st Century Cures, it is a bill that accelerates the discovery and development of cures, and also includes provisions addressing interoperability of health IT and would provide additional money to NIH and the FDA; Two midnight discussion with several members of Congress; Support, Advancing Telehealth Opportunities in Medicare Telehealth, submitted a letter outlining the benefits of telehealth and showcases successful hospital and health system efforts. It also outlines barriers to greater use of telehealth; Submitted letter pertaining to interoperabilty within the hospital communities; Support S. 599, Improving Access to Emergency Psychiatric Care Act of 2015, legislation easing the shortage of psychiatric beds and extend and expand the CMS emergency psychiatric demonstration project; Comments on H.R.1458, BACPAC Act of 2015, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide bundled payments for post-acute care services under parts A and B of Medicare, and submitted a statement for a hearing on HR 1458 (re bundled payments for post-acute and other post-hospital services); Discussed Equity of Care Issues with members of congress; Advocate for funding by working with the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) and Hospital Preparedness Program staff on ensuring adequate Ebola hospital funding; Working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on ongoing Ebola-related issues and guidance; Working with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure that hospitals continue to be able to use blood glucose monitoring systems (BGMS) on hospitalized patients; Discussion of draft guidance on drug compounding and repackaging; Working with ASPR and CDC staff to define the impact of the Hospital Preparedness Program and Public Health Emergency Preparedness Program on improving health care system preparedness; Support efforts to advocate on Ebola within a discussion with FDA regarding impact on access to chest tubes regarding the Atrium Medical Corp and Maquet consent decree ; Advocate for regulatory approach in a discussion with White House staff regarding new initiative promoting bystander involvement in stopping hemorrhage in injured civilians; Attended a roundtable discussion on Opioid-related dependence, overdose, and death at HHS; Advocate for changes to The Care Planning Act, a bill that would provide for advanced illness care coordination services for Medicare beneficiaries; Support HR 2878 and S 1461,a bill to provide for the extension of the enforcement instruction on supervision requirements for outpatient therapeutic services in critical access and small rural hospitals through 2015; Support S.799/HR 1462, Protecting Our Infants Act of 2015, a bill to combat the rise of prenatal opioid abuse and neonatal abstinence syndrome;Discussed S. 1349, a bill that amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require a hospital or critical access hospital with an agreement with the Secretary of Health and Human Services to give each individual who receives observation services as an outpatient for more than 24 hours an adequate oral and written notification within 36 hours after beginning; Supported expansions to Medicare reimbursement for telehealth along with changes to the Health Care Connect Fund; Support the H.R. 2745, Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules (SMARTER Act), a bill to provide that the Federal Trade Commission shall exercise authority with respect to mergers only under the Clayton Act and only in the same procedural manner as the Attorney General exercises such authority; Comments on S.1648, Rural Emergency Acute Care Hospital Act of 2015, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to create a sustainable future for rural healthcare. Support HR 1784, Making the Education of Nurses Dependable for Schools Act (MEND Act), a bill to enable hospital-based nursing programs that are affiliated with a hospital to maintain payments under the Medicare program to hospitals for the costs of such programs;Urged that HHS refrain from finalizing a stage 3 meaningful use rule; Advocate for Appropriate Surveyor Guidance on Calculated Hospitals in discussion about member concerns regarding remarks of CMS official that were confusing during a health lawyers association webinar; Discussion with CMS staff regarding proposed rule on establishing market-based payments for clinical laboratory tests; Discussion to rescind the proposed 2 percent cut to CY 2016 outpatient PPS conversion factor; Support H.R.2948 Medicare Telehealth Parity Act of 2015, a bill to amend title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to expand telehealth coverage in three phases; Comment on HR 2646, Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2015,A bill to make available needed psychiatric, psychological, and supportive services for individuals with mental illness and families in mental health crisis;Spoke with Rep. Kinds office on legislation to address the opioid epidemic in America; Support HR 1604, Veterans Mental Health Care Access Act, a bill that expands access to mental health services for veterans; Support H.R. 3183, The Veterans Health Care Freedom Act, a bill which makes significant improvements to the Veterans Choice Program; Testified at three Insurance Consolidation Hearings to discuss the impact of the proposed acquisitions involving Aetna/ Humana and Anthem/Cigna; Support S 1189 The Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Act, a bill that reauthorizes the Conrad 30 and makes other changes to the program to improve patient access to care; Discussed quality measurement, meaningful use and Conditions of Participation; Conversation with CMS about the IOM Vital Signs report and how its recommendations could make quality measurement more meaningful; Spoke with CMS urging the Agency to correct the misimpression that was created statements made during a National Association of Medical Staff Specialists webinar by a CMS employee; Discussion with CMS about proposals contained in the Inpatient Psychiatric Facility PPS proposed rule urging CMS not to finalize two quality measures; Meeting at CMMI to discuss CCJR; Discuss S. 2141the Transparent Ratings on Usability and Security to Transform Information Technology Act of 2015, the TRUST Act, a bill that includes a definition of information blocking and a framework to assess interoperability of certified health IT (a health IT ratings program); Support S.1461 and H.R. 2878 a bill to provide for the extension of the enforcement instruction on supervision requirements for outpatient therapeutic services in critical access and small rural hospitals through 2015; Oppose S. 1648 Rural Emergency Acute Care Hospital ActTo establish an alternative payment model for CAHs and small, rural hospitals whereby they may transition to become a rural emergency hospital.; Oppose H.R. 3225 Save Rural Hospitals Act, a bill to amend titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to provide for enhanced payments to rural health care providers under the Medicare and Medicaid programs; Discuss S. 1945 Mental Health Reform Act of 2015, a bill to make available needed psychiatric, psychological, and supportive services for individuals with mental illness and families in mental health crisis. It would reauthorize certain federal mental health programs, revise the IMD exclusion, reform SAMHSA, and study parity in mental health laws. Support S. 1893, The Mental Health Awareness and Improvement Act of 2015, a bill to reauthorize and improve programs related to mental health and substance use disorders; Letter asking for modifications to H.R. 3298 Medicare Post-Acute Care Value-Based Purchasing (PAC VBP) Act of 2015, the legislation would establish a value-based purchasing program for LTCHs, IRFs, SNFs and HH agencies. Worked to streamline and improve quality measures; Discussed how to implement the framework in the National Academy of Medicines Vital Signs report to streamline and focus quality measures used in Medicare programs; Discussed Opioid prescribing guidelines with the CDC to provide feedback on the opioid prescribing guidelines they were developing; Discussion with CMS regarding CAH designation status, negative impact of Insurance Consolidations on Medicare Advantage and for modifications to Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) model regarding aspects of the proposed rule.
Client expense: $4,800,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Justice, Dept of (DOJ), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA), White House Office
2015 · fourth_quarter · Labor Issues/Antitrust/Workplace
Anti-trust standardization (H.R. 2745 / S. 2102)
Client expense: $73,623 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE
2015 · second_quarter · Telecommunications
S.1076, Smartphone Theft Prevention Act of 2015 S.177, Data Security and Breach Notification Act of 2015 H.R.1770, Data Security and Breach Notification Act of 2015 H.R.2745, Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act of 2015 H.R.2336, Sunshine in Litigation Act of 2015 Issues related to the Comcast/Time Warner Cable merger Issues related to pay-tv billing practices Issues related to robocalls Issues related to appropriation riders Issues related to FCC regulations of net neutrality and Internet privacy Issues related to early termination fees Issues related to students privacy Issues related to expanding lifeline program to cover broadband Issues related to YouTube kids app deceptive practices
Client expense: $70,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Agriculture, Dept of (USDA), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Education, Dept of, Energy, Dept of, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Labor, Dept of (DOL), Natl Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, Treasury, Dept of, U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), White House Office
2015 · fourth_quarter · Trade (domestic/foreign)
H.R. 22, Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, including provisions relating to House Amendment 813, prohibiting Export-Import Bank assistance to state-sponsors of terrorism H.R. 403, Free Trade with Cuba Act H.R. 597, Reform Exports and Expand the American Economy Act H.R. 635, Promoting American Agricultural and Medical Exports to Cuba Act of 2015 H.R. 644/S. 1269, Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 H.R. 664/S. 299, Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act of 2015 H.R. 820, Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act H.R. 978/S. 489, Low Value Shipment Regulatory Modernization Act of 2015 H.R. 1031/S. 824, Promoting U.S. Jobs through Exports Act of 2015 H.R. 1295, Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015 H.R. 1314, Trade Act of 2015 H.R. 1735, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016, including provisions relating to Senate Amendment 1986, to reauthorize and reform the Export-Import Bank of the United States H.R. 1890/S. 995, Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 H.R. 1907, Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 H.R. 2029, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 H.R. 2146, Defending Public Safety Employees' Retirement Act, including provisions relating to Title 1, Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 H.R. 2393, Country of Origin Labeling Amendments Act of 2015 H.R. 2577, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016 H.R. 2578, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016, including provisions relating to State Trade and Export Promotion (STEP) grants H.R. 2745/S. 2102, Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act of 2015 H.R. 2772, Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2016 H.R. 3611/S. 819, Export-Import Bank Reform and Reauthorization Act of 2015 H.R. 4219, To authorize the extension of nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations treatment) to the products of Kazakhstan S. 491, Freedom to Export to Cuba Act of 2015 S. 1015, Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 S. 2201, Global Gateways Trade Capacity Act of 2015 H.Res. 450, Providing for the consideration of the bill (H.R. 597) to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank of the United States, and for other purposes Draft legislation titled Maritime Transportation Security Act Potential Legislation similar to H.R. 4095, Online Pharmacy Safety Act of 2012 Potential Legislation similar to H.R. 4216, Foreign Counterfeit Prevention Act of 2012 Potential Legislation similar to H.R. 5233, Trade Secrets Protection Act of 2014 Potential Legislation similar to H.R. 5696/S.2922, Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act (113th Congress) Potential Legislation similar to H.R. 6654, Foreign Counterfeit Prevention Act of 2012 Potential Legislation similar to S. 2002, Online Pharmacy Safety Act of 2012 Various issues relating to Trade Promotion Authority (TPA); Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement negotiations; Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations; Generalized System of Preferences (GSP); Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA); reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank of the United States; the expanded use of software asset management by the Federal Government and its contractors; Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA); Trade in Services Agreement (TISA) negotiations; U.S.-Central Asia Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA); U.S.-European Union Safe Harbor; U.S.-European Union Energy Relations; implementation of Section 182 of the Trade Act of 1974 (P.L. 93-618), as amended by the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 and the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (the "Special 301 Report"); implementation of Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (P.L. 111-203), G-20 obligations on Financial Service Reforms; International Telecommunications Union; Transatlantic Economic Council; World Health Organization (WHO); World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO); World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations; Office of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator and the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center; patent linkage and regulatory data protection; plain packaging; USPTO IP Attache Program; China's IPR, industrial policies and cybersecurity issues; IP issues related to internet counterfeiting and piracy; Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement; IP issues related to trade secret theft; IP issues related to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC); IP issues related to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC); IP issues relating to Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Japan, Mexico, Russia and Europe; U.S.- Argentina economic relations; U.S.- Bangladesh economic relations; U.S.- Brazil economic relations; U.S.- China economic relations; U.S.- Egypt economic and commercial relations; U.S.- Japan economic relations; U.S.- Jordan economic and commercial relations; U.S.- Korea economic relations; U.S.- Mexico economic relations; U.S.- Pakistan economic relations; U.S. - Russia economic relations; U.S. - Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC); U.S. trade relations with the Middle East and North Africa; U.S. sanctions on Burma; Ukraine related sanctions; Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) for Kazakhstan; Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC); trade embargo with Cuba; African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA); trade policy consideration with regard to cross-border data flows and issues of forced localization; bilateral investment treaty negotiations with China; trade, regulatory and bilateral investment treaty negotiations with India; Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB); International Monetary Fund (IMF) quota reform; international capital standards for insurance and US-EU regulatory cooperation for insurance; funding for the Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), including the World Bank, the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF); international affairs budget; promoting transatlantic investment, trade and regulatory cooperation; international concerns in the areas of antitrust, standards and investment; advancing international regulatory cooperation; Air Cargo Advance Screening Pilot and Regulation; internet governance and Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) transition; sugar reform
Client expense: $14,690,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Agriculture, Dept of (USDA), Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers), Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), Commerce, Dept of (DOC), Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), Defense, Dept of (DOD), Education, Dept of, Energy, Dept of, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Federal Reserve System, Federal Trade Commission (FTC), General Services Administration (GSA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), Interior, Dept of (DOI), Justice, Dept of (DOJ), Labor, Dept of (DOL), Natl Economic Council (NEC), Natl Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST), Natl Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Natl Security Council (NSC), Natl Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA), Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), Patent & Trademark Office (PTO), Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), SENATE, Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), Small Business Administration (SBA), State, Dept of (DOS), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Transportation, Dept of (DOT), Treasury, Dept of, U.S. Copyright Office, U.S. Customs & Border Protection, U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), White House Office
2015 · fourth_quarter · Government Issues
HR2745, Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act of 2015, all provisions related to merger process review
Client expense: $100,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE
2015 · third_quarter · Health Issues
Support S 258 and HR 169, Critical Access Hospital Relief Act, a bill that would remove the 96-hour physician certification requirement as a condition of payment for critical access hospitals (CAHs); Support HR 293, a bill to exempt certain journals and text books used in continuing medical education (CME) from manufacturer transparency reporting requirements; Participated in the Hearing, Examining the 340B Drug Pricing Program and submitted testimony about the 340B program, a federal drug discount program to Subcommittee members who will review the functionality of the program to ensure it is meeting its intended goals; HR 6, 21st Century Cures, it is a bill that accelerates the discovery and development of cures, and also includes provisions addressing interoperability of health IT and would provide additional money to NIH and the FDA; Two midnight discussion with several members of Congress; Support, Advancing Telehealth Opportunities in Medicare Telehealth, submitted a letter outlining the benefits of telehealth and showcases successful hospital and health system efforts. It also outlines barriers to greater use of telehealth; Submitted letter pertaining to interoperabilty within the hospital communities; Support S. 599, Improving Access to Emergency Psychiatric Care Act of 2015, legislation easing the shortage of psychiatric beds and extend and expand the CMS emergency psychiatric demonstration project; Comments on H.R.1458, BACPAC Act of 2015, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide bundled payments for post-acute care services under parts A and B of Medicare, and submitted a statement for a hearing on HR 1458 (re bundled payments for post-acute and other post-hospital services); Discussed Equity of Care Issues with members of congress; Advocate for funding by working with the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) and Hospital Preparedness Program staff on ensuring adequate Ebola hospital funding; Working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on ongoing Ebola-related issues and guidance; Working with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure that hospitals continue to be able to use blood glucose monitoring systems (BGMS) on hospitalized patients; Discussion of draft guidance on drug compounding and repackaging; Working with ASPR and CDC staff to define the impact of the Hospital Preparedness Program and Public Health Emergency Preparedness Program on improving health care system preparedness; Support efforts to advocate on Ebola within a discussion with FDA regarding impact on access to chest tubes regarding the Atrium Medical Corp and Maquet consent decree ; Advocate for regulatory approach in a discussion with White House staff regarding new initiative promoting bystander involvement in stopping hemorrhage in injured civilians; Attended a roundtable discussion on Opioid-related dependence, overdose, and death at HHS; Advocate for changes to The Care Planning Act, a bill that would provide for advanced illness care coordination services for Medicare beneficiaries; Support HR 2878 and S 1461,a bill to provide for the extension of the enforcement instruction on supervision requirements for outpatient therapeutic services in critical access and small rural hospitals through 2015; Support S.799/HR 1462, Protecting Our Infants Act of 2015, a bill to combat the rise of prenatal opioid abuse and neonatal abstinence syndrome;Discussed S. 1349, a bill that amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require a hospital or critical access hospital with an agreement with the Secretary of Health and Human Services to give each individual who receives observation services as an outpatient for more than 24 hours an adequate oral and written notification within 36 hours after beginning; Submitted a statement to the Senate Commerce Communications, Technology, Innovation and the Internet Subcommittee hearing on Advancing Telehealth through Connectivity. The statement supports expansions to Medicare reimbursement for telehealth along with changes to the Health Care Connect Fund at the Federal Communications Commission; Support the H.R. 2745, Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules (SMARTER Act), a bill to provide that the Federal Trade Commission shall exercise authority with respect to mergers only under the Clayton Act and only in the same procedural manner as the Attorney General exercises such authority; Comments on S.1648, Rural Emergency Acute Care Hospital Act of 2015, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to create a sustainable future for rural healthcare. Support HR 1784, Making the Education of Nurses Dependable for Schools Act (MEND Act), a bill to enable hospital-based nursing programs that are affiliated with a hospital to maintain payments under the Medicare program to hospitals for the costs of such programs; Submitted comments to HHS to refrain from finalizing a stage 3 meaningful use rule; Advocate for Appropriate Surveyor Guidance on Calculated Hospitals during a meeting with staff in Center for Clinical Standards and quality to discuss member concerns regarding remarks of CMS official confusing during health lawyers association webinar; Discussion with CMS staff regarding proposed rule on establishing market-based payments for clinical laboratory tests; Discussion to rescind the proposed 2 percent cut to CY 2016 outpatient PPS conversion factor; Support H.R.2948 Medicare Telehealth Parity Act of 2015, a bill to amend title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to expand telehealth coverage in three phases; Comment on HR 2646, Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2015,A bill to make available needed psychiatric, psychological, and supportive services for individuals with mental illness and families in mental health crisis;Spoke with Rep. Kinds office on legislation to address the opioid epidemic in America; Support HR 1604, Veterans Mental Health Care Access Act, a bill that expands access to mental health services for veterans; Support H.R. 3183, The Veterans Health Care Freedom Act, a bill which makes significant improvements to the Veterans Choice Program; Testified at three Insurance Consolidation Hearings to discuss the impact of the proposed acquisitions involving Aetna/ Humana and Anthem/Cigna; Support S 1189 The Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Act, a bill that reauthorizes the Conrad 30 and makes other changes to the program to improve patient access to care; Discussed quality measurement, meaningful use and Conditions of Participation; Conversation with CMS about the IOM Vital Signs report and how its recommendations could make quality measurement more meaningful; Spoke with CMS urging the Agency to correct the misimpression that was created statements made during a National Association of Medical Staff Specialists webinar by a CMS employee; Discussion with CMS about proposals contained in the Inpatient Psychiatric Facility PPS proposed rule urging CMS not to finalize two quality measures; Meeting at CMMI to discuss CCJR; Discuss S. 2141the Transparent Ratings on Usability and Security to Transform Information Technology Act of 2015, the TRUST Act, a bill that includes a definition of information blocking and a framework to assess interoperability of certified health IT (a health IT ratings program); Support S.1461 and H.R. 2878 a bill to provide for the extension of the enforcement instruction on supervision requirements for outpatient therapeutic services in critical access and small rural hospitals through 2015; Oppose S. 1648 Rural Emergency Acute Care Hospital ActTo establish an alternative payment model for CAHs and small, rural hospitals whereby they may transition to become a rural emergency hospital.; Oppose H.R. 3225 Save Rural Hospitals Act, a bill to amend titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to provide for enhanced payments to rural health care providers under the Medicare and Medicaid programs; Discuss S. 1945 Mental Health Reform Act of 2015, a bill to make available needed psychiatric, psychological, and supportive services for individuals with mental illness and families in mental health crisis. It would reauthorize certain federal mental health programs, revise the IMD exclusion, reform SAMHSA, and study parity in mental health laws. Support S. 1893The Mental Health Awareness and Improvement Act of 2015A bill to reauthorize and improve programs related to mental health and substance use disorders.
Client expense: $4,020,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Justice, Dept of (DOJ), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA), White House Office
2015 · third_quarter · Labor Issues/Antitrust/Workplace
Anti-trust standardization (H.R. 2745)
Client expense: $67,490 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE