Health Policy in Urological Diseases

Lessons Learned from COVID-19 in the Care of NMIBC Patients: Insights from the CISTO Investigators

Written by Ruchika Talwar, MD

Urologic Oncology Fellow, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN

Ongoing analyses of disruptions to care during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) continue to help identify important insights on how the healthcare system adapted to the pandemic, as well as how cancer patients may have been affected by the PHE. The PHE led to significant disruptions in clinical cancer care

CMS Releases Final Rule to Broaden Access to Health Data and Improve Prior Authorization

Written by Ruchika Talwar, MD

Urologic Oncology Fellow, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN

In January 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized the CMS Interoperability and Prior Authorization Final Rule (CMS-0057-F). This regulation mandates that Medicare Advantage (MA) organizations, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) fee-for-service (FFS) programs, Medicaid managed care plans, CHIP managed care entities

The Path Forward for Telehealth in Medicare

Written by Ruchika Talwar, MD

Urologic Oncology Fellow, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about a rapid expansion of telehealth services to ensure that patients were able to obtain necessary medical care without exposure to illness. Prior to this point, Medicare was very hesitant to cover telemedicine given lack of evidence regarding quality and cost, as well as effects on outcomes. As the Public Health Emergency (PHE) ended in May 2023

Medicare Advantage: the Who, What, Where, Why… and What’s Next?

Written by Ruchika Talwar, MD

Urologic Oncology Fellow, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN

Over the past several years, Medicare Advantage (MA) insurance has been heavily criticized by health economists for the large degree of overpayments from Medicare, as well as by patients and physicians for restrictive networks, inconsistent coverage, and often high out-of-pocket costs for patients. Although one may think that MA plans fall under the Medicare/Medicaid umbrella based on the name of these plans, the MA program actually consists of private health plans.

New Cancer Bundle from CMS: the Enhancing Oncology Model

Written by Ruchika Talwar, MD

Urologic Oncology Fellow, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have maintained a focus on transitioning the American healthcare system from a fee-for-service payment model to a value-based payment model. Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) reformed the Medicare payment system and created two new pathways to move towards value.

National Cancer Drug Shortages: Policy Response and Potential Solutions

Written by Ruchika Talwar, MD

Urologic Oncology Fellow, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN

Although generic prescription drug shortages have been an ongoing problem over the past decade, the recent few months have brought about a severe chemotherapy shortage affecting many Americans with cancer. We explore the history and causes of this drug shortage in our last post.

National Cancer Drug Shortages: History and Current Status

Written by Ruchika Talwar, MD

Urologic Oncology Fellow, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN

Over the past decade, the United States has been facing ongoing issues regarding the supply and demand of generic prescription drugs. In general, generic drugs make up approximately 90% of prescriptions filled by American consumers.

House Energy and Commerce – Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Hearing: “MACRA Checkup: Assessing Implementation and Challenges that Remain for Patients and Doctors”

Written by Ruchika Talwar, MD

Urologic Oncology Fellow, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN

On June 22, 2023, the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee hosted a hearing entitled, “MARCA Checkup: Assessing Implementation and Challenges that Remain for Patients and Doctors.”

Price Transparency of Prostate Cancer Care in the United States: An Analysis of Pricing and Disclosure Following the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Mandate - Beyond the Abstract

The costs incurred for healthcare have historically been opaque, such that patients are often unaware of their treatment costs until their bills come due. To ameliorate this, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued a mandate that starting on January 1, 2021, all hospitals in the United States must make the pricing of provided services publicly available on their hospital websites in machine-readable files. We used a dataset that aggregates these publicly-displayed prices to investigate the landscape of pricing for prostate cancer care.

Centers of Excellence

Health Policy in Urological Diseases

Navigating Cancer Care Costs

Centers of Excellence

Health Policy in Urological Diseases

Navigating Cancer Care Costs

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