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Are Star Ratings a Mirror or a Steering Wheel?
Clover Care’s lawsuit against HHS raises a question that goes well beyond a technical dispute over measures: are Medicare Star Ratings simply a mirror that reflects performance, or have they become a steering wheel that directs the system itself?
2 days ago3 min read


ACA 2027 Final Rule Targets Sales and Marketing
The 2027 Marketplace Final Rule includes expanded marketing and broker oversight and enrollment integrity scrutiny. Marketing materials that include misleading “zero-dollar” plan references or misrepresented enrollment deadlines, for example, are in CMS’s crosshairs.
6 days ago2 min read


CMS ACA Final Rule 2027: What It Means for Healthcare Compliance, Operations and Staffing
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released its 2027 ACA Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters Final Rule, introducing significant changes aimed at reducing costs, strengthening program integrity, cracking down on fraud, and increasing state flexibility across ACA Exchanges.
May 182 min read


AI Is the New FDR: Why Health Plans Are Rewriting the Rules for Technology Vendors
In just the past few weeks, several AI companies reached out to our compliance practice for support in building formal compliance programs. Both were responding to health plan RFPs. Both were being asked essentially the same question: “Do you meet our FDR compliance requirements?”
May 143 min read


CMS Audits Are Increasing: Operational Readiness Matters More Than Ever
Health plans are under increasing scrutiny as CMS intensifies its focus on financial integrity, particularly through One Third Financial Audits. Recent enforcement actions highlight a consistent pattern: issues with cost sharing accuracy and maximum out-of-pocket (MOOP) compliance are not isolated events, but systemic risks embedded within claims processing and configuration even among well-established health plans.
May 52 min read


Alerion Advisors Appoints Jason Montrie as Chief Executive Officer, Accelerating Its Vision to Build the Leading Integrated Service and Technology Platform for Health Plans and Partners
Alerion Advisors today announced the appointment of Jason Montrie as Chief Executive Officer, marking a pivotal milestone in the company’s evolution as a leading integrated platform for health plans, providers and service partners.
May 53 min read


CMS Enforcement Actions: What Two New CMPs Reveal About Operational Risk in Part D and PACE
Two recent CMS enforcement actions highlight a key compliance risk: operational breakdowns in Part D and PACE programs. Here’s what organizations need to know to stay audit-ready
May 42 min read


Material Review Doesn’t Have to Be a Bottleneck
For health plans and marketing teams, material development is constant—but compliant review and approval is where delays happen.
From ANOCs and EOCs to sales materials, websites, and physician communications, every piece must meet CMS, state, and ACA requirements before it can go live. Without the right structure and expertise, review cycles become slow, fragmented, and prone to rework.
Mar 302 min read


PY2020 MA RADV Audit Notices Are Here — And This Is the Largest Cohort Yet
CMS released the PY2020 Medicare Advantage RADV audit notices on Friday—and this round is significant. A total of 471 Medicare Advantage contracts are now under review, making it the largest audit cohort to date.
Mar 232 min read


CMS Releases Updated Risk Adjustment Data Validation (RADV) Questions & Answers and Audit Timeline
CMS recently released an updated Risk Adjustment Data Validation (RADV) Questions & Answers document along with a schedule outlining when upcoming Medicare Advantage RADV audits are expected to begin by payment year. While the release does not introduce major policy changes, it does provide something many organizations have been looking for, which is greater transparency into how CMS intends to sequence future RADV audits.
Mar 113 min read


CMS BALANCE Model Prep: Key GLP-1 Bridge Demonstration Timeline for Medicare Health Plans
CMS is introducing a major shift in how Medicare approaches obesity and metabolic health through the Better Approaches to Lifestyle and Nutrition for Comprehensive Health (BALANCE) Model.
Mar 93 min read


Clarity Before Disruption: A Smarter Alternative to the Call Center RFP
Regional health plans are navigating intense pressure right now — medical cost containment, CMS scrutiny, growth targets, member experience expectations, and operational resilience. And yet, many plans are operating under a quiet assumption: “Our call center partner is fine.” Maybe they are. But here’s the better question: If you were selecting your call center vendor today — knowing what you now know about performance, compliance risk, scalability, and cost — would you make
Mar 32 min read


CMS February 2026 Enrollment Files: Early Signals for Medicare Advantage Plans
CMS has released portions of the February 2026 Medicare Advantage enrollment files. While membership by individual plan and plan/county has not yet been published, parent organization-level enrollment data (excluding PDP) provides early insight into market movement following a year of plan exits and regulatory pressure.
Feb 173 min read


Top Themes & Takeaways from the 2026 HCCA Managed Care Compliance Conference
The 2026 HCCA Managed Care Compliance Conference made one thing clear: compliance in managed care is no longer a static, check-the-box function. It is rapidly evolving—shaped by advancing technology, heightened regulatory scrutiny and growing expectations that compliance teams operate as strategic risk partners across Medicare, Medicaid and commercial lines of business. Across sessions, speakers emphasized the need for compliance programs that are proactive, operationally emb
Feb 53 min read


CMS’ Proposed Risk Adjustment Changes: An Overview
On Monday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the Calendar Year (CY) 2027 Advance Notice for the Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D programs. At more than 160 pages, the document pairs a modest projected payment increase with some of the most consequential refinements to MA risk adjustment in recent years.
Jan 286 min read


CY 2027 Medicare Advantage & Part D Advance Notice: Small Increase, Big Strategic Decisions
Medicare Advantage & Part D Advance Notice
Jan 273 min read


CMS Program Audit Readiness: What Health Plans Must Know in 2026
CMS will begin issuing Program Audit notifications next month, and health plans should be actively preparing now—not waiting for the audit letter to arrive.
Jan 262 min read


CMS Audit Support & Mock Audits: Preparing for CMS’ 2026 Pilot Audit Expectations
CMS is signaling a new era of audit scrutiny. With the introduction of its 2026 pilot audit approach, CMS is recalibrating how it evaluates Compliance Program Effectiveness (CPE)—placing heightened emphasis on real-time operational integration, governance, and issue resolution rather than static documentation alone.
Dec 31, 20252 min read


The OIG Did It Again: What the Latest Medicare Advantage Audit Signals
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) has released another targeted Medicare Advantage (MA) compliance audit, this time reviewing diagnosis codes submitted by UCare Minnesota (H2459).
Dec 17, 20252 min read


CMS Appeals Federal Court Decision on RADV Rule — What MA Plans Should Do Now
CMS has officially appealed the federal court ruling that struck down its 2023 RADV Final Rule, reaffirming the agency’s commitment to defend extrapolation as a central tool in Medicare Advantage oversight. On Nov. 21, the Department of Justice filed a notice of appeal in Humana Inc. v. Kennedy to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. The lower court had vacated the RADV rule on procedural grounds, finding CMS violated the Administrative Procedure Act by shifting its legal jus
Nov 25, 20252 min read
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