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OPO Validated Measures Development Public Comment Opportunity

OPO Validated Measures Development Public Comment Opportunity

by | May 27, 2025 | Press Release

BETHESDA, MD., May 27, 2025 – Econometrica, Inc., a management and analytics consulting organization, today announced a public comment period to gather information for developing performance measures for Organ Procurement Organizations (OPO). By identifying independently validated measures, the project aims to strengthen accountability, trust, and alignment within the U.S. donation system and ensure it remains lifesaving and world leading for years to come.

To this end, we are seeking information and comments from all interested organizations and members of the public on the following:

  • How the performance of OPOs can best be measured.
  • Criteria that should be used for the development of measures.
  • The pros and cons of the existing measures and measurement framework.
  • Recommendations for new or updated measures.

OPO performance is currently measured by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) according to 42 C.F.R. § 486.318 under a rule established in 2020. The project aims to build upon and enhance the existing framework established by CMS.

Stakeholder engagement will be a core part of the project’s development process, incorporating feedback from donor families, transplant patients, hospitals, transplant centers, community partners, and oversight bodies.

Comments or information may be submitted electronically here until July 1, 2025. Comments sent by U.S. mail will not be accepted. For assistance with your submission, please contact OPOMeasurements@EconometricaInc.com.

 Econometrica has been contracted by the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) in collaboration with 54 OPOs nationwide to carry out this project.

About Econometrica, Inc.

Econometrica is a small management and technical consulting organization with more than 25 years of experience supporting state, federal, and private clients with projects related to econometrics, data analytics, policy, payment, and measurement. AOPO has selected Econometrica to provide measure development support.

About the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO)

AOPO is the not-for-profit trade association leading the nation’s organ donation community to save and improve lives through organ, eye, and tissue donation. Founded in 1984, AOPO advances organ donation and transplantation by driving continual improvement of the donation process, collaborating with stakeholders, and sharing successful practices with its member OPOs. AOPO envisions a future where every opportunity for donation results in lives saved. For more information, please visit www.aopo.org.

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Econometrica, Inc., is a small business research and management consulting organization based in the greater Washington, DC, metropolitan area. We are committed to improving the human condition by providing high-quality, cost-effective analytics and support that enable our clients to solve the challenges of today’s world. We collaborate with Federal agencies, State and local governments, philanthropic and nonprofit clients, and private-sector partners in the public health, healthcare, data analytics, housing, and finance sectors.

To work with us on your next project, visit us online or email us at Info@EconometricaInc.com. To explore the benefits of working for us, visit our careers page. Follow us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and Instagram.

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Econometrica, Inc. Offers New OASIS-E1 Training Course – Get Prepared for Success!

Econometrica, Inc. Offers New OASIS-E1 Training Course – Get Prepared for Success!

by | May 15, 2025 | Press Release

BETHESDA, MD., May 15, 2025 – Econometrica is pleased to offer Introduction to OASIS-E1 in an online learning format at https://econometrica.learnworlds.com/, specifically for home health agencies (HHAs) and their staff. Developed by Econometrica’s team of experts, who spent more than 7 years as the official Training Developer for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) tools and guidance, this training lays a strong foundation for OASIS coding success.

The Home Health Quality Reporting Program provides the OASIS dataset and guidance to assist HHAs with OASIS data collection requirements. However, the provided guidance only scratches the surface of what is needed to fully understand the correct coding approach for the OASIS tool. The implications of accurate OASIS data collection are far reaching, and HHAs need a trusted and validated source to help their nurses and therapists effectively complete the OASIS tool. To ensure success, HHAs must have access to up-to-date educational resources.

This 30-minute course offers an in-depth overview of the OASIS-E1 dataset and guidance manual, demonstrating how to use these tools to promote clinician understanding. It covers general OASIS requirements, discusses the importance of accurate OASIS data collection, and explains how to use the OASIS-E1 guidance manual to promote understanding of OASIS items and data collection methods. Participant understanding is measured through periodic knowledge checks and culminates with a post-test.

As the past official Training Developer for CMS on OASIS tools and guidance, Econometrica’s home health nurse experts bring years of experience in training home care clinicians on OASIS guidance.

Also be on the lookout for additional training opportunities from Econometrica for hospice agencies. The Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) assessment tool will become effective on October 1, 2025. For more information on our training offerings, please visit https://econometrica.learnworlds.com/, or email us at CourseHelp@EconometricaInc.com

Work With Us, Work for Us

Econometrica, Inc., is a small business research and management consulting organization based in the greater Washington, DC, metropolitan area. We are committed to improving the human condition by providing high-quality, cost-effective analytics and support that enable our clients to solve the challenges of today’s world. We collaborate with Federal agencies, State and local governments, philanthropic and nonprofit clients, and private-sector partners in the public health, healthcare, data analytics, housing, and finance sectors.

Econometrica has built a proven track record of excellence in consulting. Our team of experts is located across the United States, bringing diverse perspectives and skills to every project. Over the past 7 years, Econometrica was the official Training Developer for CMS (2018–2024) for home health and hospice agencies. Our home health and hospice nurse experts have decades of experience training clinicians, helping them enhance their skills and improve patient outcomes. Visit our training at https://econometrica.learnworlds.com/.

To work with us on your next project, visit us online or email us at Info@EconometricaInc.com. To explore the benefits of working for us, visit our careers page. Follow us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and Instagram.

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Econometrica, Inc., Leads Evaluation of HUD’s Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) Program, Examining Impact on Choice Mobility, Financial Viability, and Tenant Outcomes

by | Oct 30, 2024 | Press Release

Rental Assistance Demonstration

Econometrica served as the prime contractor for an evaluation of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) program, Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) Choice Mobility, with support from the Urban Institute as a subcontractor. The RAD program enables public housing authorities (PHAs) to convert their public housing units into Section 8 housing with the goal of improving the physical condition and financial viability of converted properties while providing tenants with the opportunity to choose other affordable housing options. The evaluation focused on the impact RAD has had on tenants’ use of choice mobility, the long-term financial preservation of converted projects, and the oversight and management of those projects. It also examined the impact of RAD on other tenant outcomes and on organizational changes made by PHAs. The RAD Choice Mobility evaluation built on the previous RAD evaluation conducted by Econometrica, which examined whether RAD had improved projects’ physical condition and enabled them to cover their long-term capital needs.

The RAD Choice Mobility study has produced four reports to date, and a fifth report is forthcoming.

  • One report evaluates the implementation of the RAD Choice Mobility option on property outcomes, tenant outcomes, and the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program. The Econometrica Team reviewed HUD administrative data and census data; conducted virtual site visits; interviewed PHA staff; conducted qualitative interviews with residents; and conducted a web-based survey of a census of RAD PHAs, third party owner-operators of RAD projects, a sample of residents who exercised the Choice Mobility option, and a sample of residents who did not exercise the Choice Mobility option. This study covered the census of public housing projects that converted either to project-based rental assistance (PBRA) or project-based vouchers (PBV) contracts.

https://econometricainc.com/project/rad-choice-mobility-and-long-term-affordability-1/

  • Another report evaluates PHAs’ approaches to asset management under RAD using a mixed approach to data collection and analysis. These methods evaluated how RAD assets were being used by PHAs compared to the standard model of asset management. This process identified gaps between PHAs’ approaches to asset management for RAD conversions and the standard model of asset management for affordable housing. The Econometrica Team collected and analyzed quantitative and qualitative data to conduct this assessment.

https://econometricainc.com/project/rad-choice-mobility-and-long-term-affordability-2/

  • The third report is a qualitative study of PHAs’ organizational changes in response to RAD conversions. It entailed in-depth interviewing of a small sample of PHAs about their changes in staffing, organization, data systems, budgeting, and reporting after they had completed RAD conversions of their public housing portfolio.

https://econometricainc.com/project/rad-choice-mobility-and-long-term-affordability-3/

  • The fourth report is a quantitative study of other resident outcomes due to RAD. It analyzes HUD administrative data for the universe of RAD conversions to assess the impact of RAD on the affordability of converted housing, as measured by changes in rents before and after conversion under RAD.

https://econometricainc.com/project/rad-choice-mobility-and-long-term-affordability-4/

A fifth report that has not yet been released examines the long-term preservation and financial viability of RAD properties by reviewing project financial statements to construct key financial performance measures and HUD data to measure physical condition for the population of RAD conversions, the population of non-RAD PBRA projects, and a matched sample of non-RAD public housing projects. Econometrica collected and analyzed responses to a web-based survey from the census of RAD PHAs and third-party owner-operators of RAD properties about the financial performance of their properties. The web-based survey also enabled researchers to collect additional financial statements from RAD conversion that do not report financial data to HUD, such as PBV conversions.

Work With Us, Work for Us

Econometrica is a small business research and management consulting organization based in the greater Washington, DC, metropolitan area that is committed to improving the human condition by providing high-quality, cost-effective analytics and support that enables our clients to solve the challenges of today’s world. We collaborate with Federal agencies, State and local governments, philanthropic and nonprofit clients, and private-sector partners in the public health, healthcare, data analytics, housing, and finance sectors. Econometrica started as an organization focused on econometric analysis and now has more than 26 years of proven excellence in consulting, with staff across the United States. To work with us on your next project, visit us online or email us at Info@EconometricaInc.com. To explore the benefits of working for us, visit our careers page. Follow us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and Instagram.

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Econometrica, Inc., Supports Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services School-Based Services Technical Assistance Center for States in New 2024-2025 Webinar Series

Econometrica, Inc., Supports Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services School-Based Services Technical Assistance Center for States in New 2024-2025 Webinar Series

by | Sep 20, 2024 | Press Release

School-Based Services

Fifty-six million children and youth spend more than a quarter of their day at school in the United States. With today’s youth facing a changing and growing number of health challenges, especially around mental health, the ability of schools to help positively shape the social, physical, and mental growth of their students is vital. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted and exacerbated many of these challenges, particularly the youth mental health crisis, which existed before COVID-19 but was worsened by the social isolation and other factors associated with the pandemic.

To support youth health, Congress passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which directed the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to undertake a joint initiative to promote Medicaid School-Based Services (SBS) through a Medicaid SBS Technical Assistance Center (TAC). Econometrica, Inc., was selected as the prime contractor to support this TAC. Econometrica is supported by Mathematica Policy Research, Westat, and the National Center for School Mental Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine.

The TAC is charged with supporting the delivery of these services; improving and strengthening access to physical and behavioral health services for students; reducing the Federal administrative burden for States and localities; and reducing barriers to the provision of school-based physical and behavioral health services. To carry out this work, the TAC assists and expands the capacity of State Medicaid agencies (SMAs), State educational agencies (SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), and school-based entities to expand their SBS offerings as a way to increase crucial healthcare access for children enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), as well as to meet Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) requirements.

Now in its second year, the TAC is planning a new series of national webinars and virtual events for 2024 and 2025. This series currently includes:

    • September 19, 2024: Reviewing a Year of Progress in Medicaid SBS
    • November 14, 2024: Medicaid and CHIP Funding for School Preventive Behavioral Health Services
    • January 16, 2025: Implementing Mental Health Initiatives in Schools
    • February 13, 2025: Best Practices for Billing and Documentation for Common Medicaid SBS
    • March 20, 2025: Unique Needs of Frontier/Remote/Rural Communities and LEAs in School-Based Health
    • May 8, 2025: Children with Complex Health Care Needs (CCHCN) and Medicaid SBS

Anyone can register to attend these webinars. Please contact SchoolBasedServices@cms.hhs.gov to be added to the distribution list for registration information. In addition, SMAs and SEAs will be invited to attend working discussions to support their State initiatives around Medicaid SBS. More information about Medicaid SBS and the TAC can be found here.

Work With Us, Work for Us

Econometrica is a small business research and management consulting organization based in the greater Washington, DC, metropolitan area that is committed to improving the human condition by providing high-quality, cost-effective analytics and support that enables our clients to solve the challenges of today’s world. We collaborate with Federal agencies, State and local governments, philanthropic and nonprofit clients, and private-sector partners in the public health, healthcare, data analytics, housing, and finance sectors. Econometrica started as an organization focused on econometric analysis and now has more than 26 years of proven excellence in consulting, with staff across the United States. To work with us on your next project, visit us online or email us at Info@EconometricaInc.com. To explore the benefits of working for us, visit our careers page. Follow us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and Instagram.

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Impacts on the Energy Sector Due to the End of the Chevron Doctrine

Impacts on the Energy Sector Due to the End of the Chevron Doctrine

by | Sep 19, 2024 | Latest News

Chevron Doctrine

The recent U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn the 1984 Chevron v. National Resources Defense Council precedent has sent shockwaves through the world of Federal rulemaking. While the Court expressly stated that it is not overturning previously decided cases that directly applied Chevron, the ruling will nevertheless greatly curtail the longstanding practice of judicial deference to Federal agencies when interpreting ambiguous statutes, marking a shift toward more rigorous judicial scrutiny.

With the Chevron doctrine now overturned, courts are expected to exercise greater independent judgment in evaluating agency decisions. This new approach will compel Congress to draft legislation with greater precision and require Federal agencies to be more transparent and thorough in their rulemaking processes. The consequences of this ruling will be widespread, with particularly acute effects on the energy sector. Areas subject to recent Federal rulemaking, such as greenhouse gas emissions, emerging technologies like carbon capture and storage (CCS), and regional electric transmission planning for renewable energy, may face increased legal challenges in the coming years.

A key early test of this shift will be the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) April 2024 regulation on emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants. Although the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) grants the EPA authority to regulate greenhouse gases, it is ambiguous regarding the specifics of how it should regulate the air pollutant. The new requirement for coal and gas plants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 90 percent by 2032 and the perceived favoring of cleaner energy sources inherent in such a goal may be particularly vulnerable to legal challenges like the ones issued on July 19, 2024, from West Virginia and 26 other States.

Another area ripe for future scrutiny involves the application of existing legislation, such as the 1990 Clean Air Act (CAA), to emerging technologies. For instance, under the power plant emissions ruling, the EPA invokes Section 111 of the CAA, requiring coal plants to reduce their pollution by the “best system” available that is “adequately demonstrated.” While the EPA determined that the standards achieved under carbon capture would constitute the “best system,” it is uncertain whether a post-Chevron court will agree that this technology is “adequately demonstrated” given that there is only one commercial-scale carbon capture storage project operational in the world.

Similarly, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) May 2024 ruling Order No.1920, which sets a 20-year planning horizon for regional electrical transmission expansion to support renewable energy, faces legal uncertainty. This uncertainty arises from the conflict between Federal- and State-level public policy goals on energy generation and climate change inherent in inter-State transmission investments. Given that FERC’s Order No. 1920 is grounded in a 2014 appellate ruling that invoked Chevron, the end of this deference has already prompted several lawsuits from State regulators and environmental groups.

In this new legal landscape, future Federal rulemaking will face a higher burden of proof for ambiguous statutes, demanding enhanced technical rigor and economic justification from both Congress and Federal agencies to withstand judicial scrutiny. With more than 25 years of experience in government consulting and a team of experts in economics, data science, and policy, Econometrica, Inc., is well-positioned to guide stakeholders through these evolving regulatory challenges in the Federal rulemaking process.

Work With Us, Work for Us

Econometrica is a small business research and management consulting organization based in the greater Washington, DC, metropolitan area that is committed to improving the human condition by providing high-quality, cost-effective analytics and support that enables our clients to solve the challenges of today’s world. We collaborate with Federal agencies, State and local governments, philanthropic and nonprofit clients, and private-sector partners in the public health, healthcare, data analytics, housing, and finance sectors. Econometrica started as an organization focused on econometric analysis and now has more than 26 years of proven excellence in consulting, with staff across the United States. To work with us on your next project, visit us online or email us at Info@EconometricaInc.com. To explore the benefits of working for us, visit our careers page. Follow us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and Instagram.

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