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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.

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.

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 Selected by AHRQ to Support PBRN Initiative

Econometrica Selected by AHRQ to Support PBRN Initiative

by | Dec 19, 2023 | Press Release

Econometrica Selected by AHRQ to Support PBRM Initiative

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has awarded Econometrica a $1.2 million contract to support Primary Care Practice-Based Research Networks (PBRNs), an initiative led by AHRQ’s National Center for Excellence in Primary Care Research (NCEPCR). The Econometrica team, which includes Mathematica, will support AHRQ to develop and hold technical expert panel meetings to identify areas of need for PBRNs, update and automate the PBRN registry, develop and deliver webinars, and write a report and manuscript to summarize PBRN research and resources.

About PBRN and AHRQ

PBRNs draw upon the experience and insight of practicing clinicians to identity and frame research questions whose answers can improve the practice of primary care, producing research findings that are immediately relevant to the clinicians and, in theory, more easily assimilated into everyday practice. This contract supports AHRQ’s PBRN initiative that was initially developed in 2010 to improve the health of all Americans and encourage clinicians’ engagement in quality improvement activities.

For more information: https://www.ahrq.gov/ncepcr/communities/pbrn/index.html

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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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Congratulations to Doug Schuweiler for receiving the Award for Excellence from the SBA-OIG!

Congratulations to Doug Schuweiler for receiving the Award for Excellence from the SBA-OIG!

by | Feb 1, 2023 | Econometrica Blog

Congratulations, Award for Excellence

We are ecstatic to announce Econometrica’s own Doug Schuweiler has won an Award for Excellence from the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG).

The Award for Excellence is an annual award recognizing exceptional performance among OIG’s diverse, high-performing, and outcome-driven workforce.

Doug received the award for his work helping to increase the rate of hotline complaint closure by over 400% and climbing. He built a machine learning topic model to filter complaints based on subject. His model helped to address the massive increase in pandemic-related hotline complaints by cutting complaint processing time in half, increasing automation in the hotline review process, and helping the hotline team focus on the most pressing complaints needing immediate attention.

Please join us in congratulating Doug Schuweiler for receiving this great award and commending him on his innovative solution and technical excellence.

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.

ECONOMETRICA BLOG
Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Advanced (BPCI Advanced) Model

Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Advanced (BPCI Advanced) Model

by | Oct 20, 2022 | Press Release

Launched on October 1, 2018, the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) Advanced Model tests whether the linking of payment for a clinical episode may improve care quality while reducing Medicare price.

This month, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a 2-year extension of the program, including a new opportunity for applications. Early in 2023, CMS plans to announce a request for application (RFA) to those eligible to participate in the extended years (2024–2025). For those participating in Model Year 6 and those who previously participated but are no longer active, there will be opportunity to apply for Model Year 7 (2024).

Other changes will be made to improve pricing methodology and encourage engagement among providers and suppliers, including:

  • The CMS discount for medical clinical episodes will be reduced from 3% to 2%.
  • The Peer Group Trend Factor Adjustment cap for all clinical episodes will be reduced from 10% to 5%.
  • Major joint replacement of the upper extremity (MJRUE) will be made a multi-setting clinical episode similar to the major joint replacement for the lower extremity (MJRLE) clinical episode.
  • Clinical episodes where beneficiaries are diagnosed with COVID-19 will no longer be excluded from the model.

As CMS continues to strive for better integration of primary and specialty care and cater to an increasingly complex population of beneficiaries, Econometrica is excited to continue our work supporting BPCI Advanced participants in understanding the model’s quality measure submission requirements and their performance in the model. To achieve equitable outcomes, integrated and coordinated care for beneficiaries is essential, and having a health system that is accountable, high-quality, affordable, and person-centered can help achieve that goal.

Please visit the following sites for detailed information on this topic:

Health Care Payment Learning and Action Network Summit on Nov. 9 and 10
Detailed Review for Model Extension and Changes for Model Year 6
Complete Fact Sheet for BPCI Advanced Model
More Detailed Information on BPCI Advanced

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Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

by | Oct 5, 2022 | Econometrica Blog

Breat Cancer Awareness Month

In 2022 alone, an estimated 287,500 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, with one woman being diagnosed every two minutes. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a great opportunity to highlight the importance of preventive measures and treatments for breast cancer to raise the survival rate of the disease.

Although strides in modern medicine have helped reduce deaths from breast cancer exponentially, numbers since 2020 remind us of the urgent work still needed to fight and spread awareness of the disease.

When breast cancer is diagnosed at the localized stage (i.e., the cancer has not spread outside the breast), the survival rate is 99 percent. However, only 65 percent of women are diagnosed at the local stage. Although it is one of the most common cancers in the world today, with about one in eight women getting the disease at some point in their lives, many women around the globe are not educated about mammograms or self-examinations to help diagnose the disease early.

During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, help raise awareness of this largely preventable disease by talking confidently about breast cancer, removing any stigma associated with speaking about breast health, and informing and educating those near you about preventable measures to ensure early diagnosis.

For more important information about Breast Cancer Awareness, please visit:

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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