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CMS’ New Case Study Showcases Successful Community Advisory Board Collaboration

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a case study highlighting Health Net of West Michigan, an organization participating in CMS’ Accountable Health Communities (AHC) Model. The AHC Model seeks to identify if healthcare costs and utilization can be impacted by the identification and subsequent mitigation of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries’ health-specific social needs. One part of Health Net’s approach to this identification is through its advisory board, which consists of community partners across multiple sectors and “focuses on addressing social determinants of health at the community and systems levels.”

The inclusion of community members on an advisory board can sometimes prove a struggle. As advisory boards do not have formal authority to direct change, participants can feel disheartened and superfluous to the process. Health Net seeks to engage its community advisory board members by putting them first: From letting the advisory board select their own role titles (“community advisor” was ultimately chosen) to helping advisors develop their professional skills and find opportunities that utilize their lived experiences, Health Net recognizes that by gaining their advisors’ trust and proving their commitment to the community, they will foster goodwill and find advisors with legitimate interest in bettering the community. The case study includes a quote from a community advisor, showcasing how Health Net’s approach to the community has resulted in engaged advisors who understand their role on the board and responsibility to their neighbors:

Health Net’s advisory board has proven beneficial for both the organization and the community at large. The community advisors bring their lived experiences to the table, ensuring that staff members recognize the humanity of those affected by the policies and challenges identified. Community advisors also ensure that Health Net’s actions are aligned with the needs and desires of the community at large, and can offer suggestions and ideas on how to “make [programs] more culturally sensitive and user friendly,” which further aids Health Net in fostering goodwill within the community.

“It’s important to me to decrease disparities about who gets help and who doesn’t […] I give them the idea of what it’s like to be a client out here… They always listen to what I have to say and support whatever I mentioned.” 

—Community Advisor

The CMS case study in full can be accessed at:

Health Net’s advisory board has proven beneficial for both the organization and the community at large. The community advisors bring their lived experiences to the table, ensuring that staff members recognize the humanity of those affected by the policies and challenges identified.

Econometrica to Develop E-Learning Courses Aimed at Global Tobacco Control Topics

Econometrica to Develop E-Learning Courses Aimed at Global Tobacco Control Topics

TabaccoUseBETHESDA, MD – The CDC Foundation awarded Econometrica a contract to create e-learning courses focused around a variety of global tobacco control topics. This new partnership will strengthen country-level capacity in using data to inform policies on global tobacco prevention and control.

The CDC Foundation is the go-to nonprofit authorized by Congress to mobilize philanthropic partners and private-sector resources to support the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) critical health protection mission. The new courses will build on the CDC Foundation’s 13 years of work in global tobacco and nicotine surveillance and monitoring. According to the World Health Organization, tobacco use is the leading cause of death, illness, and impoverishment and kills more than 8 million people annually worldwide.

“This is a great opportunity for Econometrica to work with the CDC Foundation on this important international effort to curb tobacco use,” Econometrica President/CEO Cyrus Baghelai said. “We are excited to have our ever-expanding Learning Solutions Team help reduce the number of people and the severity of impact for this worldwide challenge through our analytics, solutions design, quality service and attention to detail.”

“We look forward to working with Econometrica, drawing on their technical and subject matter expertise, instructional design experience, and creative thinking as we collaborate to produce meaningful and interactive adult learning experiences to drive evidence-based tobacco control policies and programs,” said Rachna Chandora, the CDC Foundation’s Associate Vice President for Noninfectious Disease Programs.

Econometrica’s Learning Solutions Team, part of the Health Group, implements a flexible approach to developing learning solutions based on audience size and geographic distribution as well as training objectives and content. The team works to maximize the benefit of investments in training by ensuring that content is deployed in the most effective modality and can achieve the maximum usage possible.

Econometrica has previously created trainings, factsheets, and toolkits for various Federal agencies, such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CDC, and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

About the CDC Foundation

The CDC Foundation is an independent nonprofit and sole entity created by Congress to support the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) critical health protection work. The CDC Foundation forges effective partnerships between CDC and corporations, foundations, organizations, and individuals to fight threats to health and safety. Learn more at www.cdcfoundation.org.

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.

Econometrica has previously created trainings, factsheets, and toolkits for various Federal agencies, such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CDC, and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Econometrica to Provide Research, Analytics, and Data Preparation Services to Support the Open Payments Program

Econometrica to Provide Research, Analytics, and Data Preparation Services to Support the Open Payments Program

Doctor ipadEconometrica, Inc., was recently awarded a contract by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide research, analytics, and data preparation services to support the Open Payments program.

Under this contract, Econometrica and its partner, Acumen, LLC, will prepare standing analytics and data products, analyze program compliance, and carry out ad hoc analyses and special studies as they arise.

To increase transparency, the Affordable Care Act mandated the Open Payments program to provide the public with information regarding the financial relationships between the healthcare industry—pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers and distributors—and healthcare providers—physicians and teaching hospitals.

Open Payments requires applicable manufacturers and Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs) to annually report payments and other transfers of value made to physicians and teaching hospitals. Certain information regarding the ownership or investment interests held by physicians or their immediate family members in applicable manufacturers and GPOs must also be reported. The Open Payments mandate requires CMS to compile the submitted data, check them for accuracy, and publish the data on a public website.

Increasing transparency helps improve the public’s trust in healthcare. Econometrica worked on many projects in the past with CMS, including the Development, Implementation, and Maintenance of Quality Measures for the Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly project and the Evaluation and Monitoring of the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Model 1 Initiative. Econometrica is proud to continue working to impact the quality of care.

“Our experts in data and analytics look forward to using their skills to support the Open Payments program, serving CMS and the public,” said Cyrus Baghelai, Econometrica’s President and CEO. “In the next few years, this program will likely expand exponentially. Econometrica looks forward to supporting CMS through this transition and to providing the public with more information about how healthcare providers are being compensated by the healthcare industry.”

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.

Econometrica and its partner, Acumen, LLC, will prepare standing analytics and data products, analyze program compliance, and carry out ad hoc analyses and special studies as they arise.