HHS and CMS are creating the Healthcare Advisory Committee, a group of experts tasked with providing strategic recommendations directly to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz.
The goal: improve how care is financed and delivered across Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, and the Health Insurance Marketplace, while reducing red tape and putting patients first.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) WISeR model (originally designed to streamline utilization management and prior authorization processes) is facing renewed attention from lawmakers. A bipartisan congressional letter sent to CMS questions the agency’s legal authority to apply the model to traditional Medicare and warns of potential impacts on beneficiary access, provider operations, and program compliance. As the healthcare industry awaits CMS’ response, payer and provider organizations should prepare for possible policy adjustments that could affect authorization workflows, clinical operations, and financial performance.