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CMS Releases Updated Look at COVID-19’s Impact on the Medicare Population

by | Jul 1, 2021 | Econometrica Blog

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released a snapshot of the impact COVID-19 has had on the Medicare population. The monthly update, released June 30, shows there were more than 4.3 million COVID-19 cases among the Medicare population and more than 1.2 million COVID-19 hospitalizations.

Data in the snapshot covers the period January 1, 2020, to April 24, 2021.

A factsheet and additional information can be fund at:

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Econometrica specializes in research and management across numerous industries in both the public and private sectors. We are always looking to hire the best and brightest in data science, health, grants management, energy, homeland security, housing and community development, capital markets and finance, and transportation. We work as the lead service provider, and also as a capable outsource partner to other consultancies. To work with us on your next project, visit us online and email a member of our executive staff in your preferred specialty. To explore the benefits of working for us, visit our careers page.

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Econometrica Ready for New CMS Priorities Under Brooks-LaSure

by | Jun 11, 2021 | Econometrica Blog

Chiquita Brooks-LaSure was sworn in as Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on May 27, 2021. With any change in administration, new priorities take precedence.

Akin Gump of Strause Hauer & Feld LLP wrote a primer prior to her confirmation hearings on some of the priorities CMS will pursue under Brooks-LaSure, including healthcare coverage expansion, health equity, surprise billing, and healthcare financing.

These priorities match Brooks-LaSure’s career in the public and private sectors. She was intimately involved in the writing of and implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), first as a staffer for the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means and then for CMS’ Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO). She has also worked to improve access, quality, and efficiency in healthcare, and she consulted on healthcare financing and cost transparency.

Econometrica has worked with CMS for more than two decades and looks forward to continuing this partnership under Brooks-LaSure.

Source: CMS

CMS
Chiquita Brooks-LaSure – Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

Work With Us, Work for Us

Econometrica specializes in research and management across numerous industries in both the public and private sectors. We are always looking to hire the best and brightest in data science, health, grants management, energy, homeland security, housing and community development, capital markets and finance, and transportation. We work as the lead service provider, and also as a capable outsource partner to other consultancies. To work with us on your next project, visit us online and email a member of our executive staff in your preferred specialty. To explore the benefits of working for us, visit our careers page.

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AHRQ’s MEPS-HC Health Policy Booklet Abstraction Tool Wins Prestige

AHRQ’s MEPS-HC Health Policy Booklet Abstraction Tool Wins Prestige

by | May 28, 2021 | Press Release

FedHealthITBETHESDA, MD – An Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) project on which Econometrica played a key role won an award for developing “an efficient data abstraction tool and the support of well-trained, highly skilled abstractors.”

The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component (MEPS-HC) Health Policy Booklet Abstraction project, on which Econometrica served as a subcontractor to SoftDev, won recognition in the 7th Annual FedHealthIT Innovation Awards. The awards recognize and honor innovation and results in the Federal health technology and consulting community that benefits the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Military Health System, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

The MEPS-HC project involved the creation of an abstraction tool for use in extracting cost-sharing data elements from Summaries of Benefits and Coverage and other health insurance policy documents for private, Medicare, Medigap, and Medicare Advantage plans. Econometrica was responsible for training, implementing, and ensuring the quality of the data abstraction process using the abstraction tool developed by the team. The abstracted data will be compiled into a public-use database with individual-level cost-sharing data that links to the MEPS-HC data for use in research and consumption by a variety of stakeholders as well as the public.

“This represents the development of an efficient data abstraction tool and the support of well-trained, highly skilled abstractors to produce a robust, accurate and actionable data source for AHRQ’s use,” according to FedHealthIT.

The tool “modernized AHRQ’s available toolset by harnessing cognitive services in a way not previously used.” FedHealthIT also noted that “the solution strikes a smart balance between automation and human intelligence to best interpret artifacts, empowering AHRQ to leap forward after a twenty year wait for the critical information locked within the [health policy booklet] documents.”

AHRQ and the project and MEPS team will be recognized at a virtual ceremony June 22 and 23, 2021. Award winners were nominated and selected by a panel that included current and former Federal health leaders across Government and industry. More about the awards and other winners can be found at https://www.fedhealthit.com/2021/05/2021-fedhealthit-innovation-award-winners-announced/.

About Econometrica

Founded in 1998, Econometrica is a research and management organization in Bethesda, MD, established to provide public- and private-sector clients with customized program support services. Econometrica works with multiple agencies to provide high-quality, cost-effective analyses, modeling, and economic evaluations. The company consistently receives exceptional scores from its clients and believes in three principles: technical capabilities, happy customers, and business development.

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The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component (MEPS-HC) Health Policy Booklet Abstraction project, on which Econometrica served as a subcontractor to SoftDev, won recognition in the 7th Annual FedHealthIT Innovation Awards.

The Evolution of the Housing Supply Shortage

by | May 21, 2021 | Econometrica Blog

For years, the United States has faced a housing shortage, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. A recent analysis from Freddie Mac examines how a combination of strong demand and low mortgage rates have contributed to the shortfall, with estimates indicating the shortage rose 52 percent from 2.5 million in 2018 to 3.8 million in 2020.

The research note—which builds on an article Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s Vice President and Chief Economist, wrote in April—points to the long-term decline in the construction of single-family homes as a main driver of the housing shortfall.

“As we navigate our way through the year and get beyond the pandemic, we expect the housing supply shortage to continue to be one of the largest obstacles to inclusive economic growth in the U.S.,” Khater wrote. “Simply put, we must build more single-family entry-level housing to address this shortage, which has strong implications for the wealth, health and stability of American communities.”

The number of new entry-level homes has fallen precipitously since the 1970s, according to the estimates. In 2020, Freddie Mac estimated that only 65,000 new entry-level homes were completed, less than one-fifth of the same homes constructed in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

202105 note housing supply

High demand and low mortgage rates have driven the shortfall even higher. “This high demand has driven the housing supply shortage even higher and has also caused home prices to rise over 12% from a year ago,” Freddie Mac wrote.

The research notes several other reasons for the shortfall, including:

  • Lack of available construction labor.
  • Increasing raw material costs. During the pandemic, lumber prices increased more than 150 percent.
  • Land use regulations and zoning restrictions.
  • Demographic changes. In particular, Millennials, which are the largest demographic in the United States, are reaching prime first-time homebuying age.

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The number of new entry-level homes has fallen precipitously since the 1970s, according to the estimates. In 2020, Freddie Mac estimated that only 65,000 new entry-level homes were completed, less than one-fifth of the same homes constructed in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Utilizing the Social Security Administration’s Disability Analysis File

by | May 12, 2021 | Econometrica Blog

Since 2011, the Social Security Administration has offered its Disability Analysis File (DAF) on an annual basis, compiling data from a range of internal and external data sources into one cohesive database with additional composite variables. With historical data reaching back to 1994, these files contain data on all those individuals with disabilities below retirement age who have received benefits under the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) programs. Data on these beneficiaries include one-time variables such as date of birth and Social Security Number, as well as historical and longitudinal data (e.g., eligible and actualized benefit payments, State of residence) tracked across multiple years. With the ability to retrieve reliable longitudinal data on beneficiaries with disabilities, the DAF is an important resource for those looking to perform any sort of analysis on this population.

More information about the DAF can be found on the Social Security Administration website at:

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With the ability to retrieve reliable longitudinal data on beneficiaries with disabilities, the DAF is an important resource for those looking to perform any sort of analysis on this population.