Washington D.C. Based Government Relations
- WHG helps clients solve problems navigating the Government’s complex healthcare policy structure and multi-layered decision-making to develop effective government relations strategies post pandemic outbreak and beyond.
- WHG understands how to adapt to the inevitable and on-going changes in health policy decision-making processes that occurs with every election cycle and the potential rapid change in ideology.
- WHG, with every election cycle, reaches out to new Members of Congress, the respective new health committees and staff and new agency administrators with every election cycle.
- WHG engages in dialogue with the relevant decision-makers - understanding the nuances of how the Administration, Congress and Federal Agencies interact in shaping healthcare policy under the federal emergency regulations is critical to implementation.
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Ideology and Agency Leadership
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Why Our Healthcare Industry Experience & D.C. Location Matters
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- Because WHG is strategically located on Pennsylvania Avenue between the Capitol and the White House and just six blocks for the main HHS building, WHG has been able to more readily access face-to-face meetings at multiple levels of the HHS Agencies and on Capitol Hill.
- Because WHG's previous years of Washington D.C. presence with face-to-face meetings at multiple levels of the HHS Agencies and on Capitol Hill, we know how to leverage virtual access to multiple levels of the HHS Agencies and on Capitol Hill.
COVID-19 Reality - Impact on Budget Neutrality & Government Relations
- COVID-19 Reality is playing a critical role in the 2021 annual HHS budgeting process and the subsequent Mandated Budget Neutral fee-for-service and prospective payment systems.
- Health and Human Services (HHS) has 11 operating divisions, including eight agencies in the U.S. Public Health Service and three human services agencies.
- HHS outlays, as reported in the HHS 2021 total budget = $1.370 Trillion - Medicare = $728.2 Billion & Medicaid = $448.1 Billion
- Budget Neutral Mandates to offset the increases in pandemic spending have resulted in various across-the-board 2021 payment schedule reductions; e.g. the Medicare Physicians Fee Schedule RVU Conversion Factor reduction is -3.3%.
Government Relations Post Pandemic OutbreakFederal Agencies, Congress and the Administration require more and more decision-making to be made based upon clinical data evidence.
The first two questions asked on the Hill - "What is the science supporting the ask?" and "Is it budget neutral?" |
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WHG helps clients solve problems navigating the Government’s complex healthcare policy structure and multi-layered decision-making to develop effective government relations strategies.
We engage in dialogue - understanding the nuances of how the Administration, Congress and Federal Agencies interact in shaping healthcare policy is critical to implementation.
U.S. Government is the largest funder and primary driver of health policy decision-making.
- Ideology and Agency Leadership = Administration
- Legislation and Appropriations = Congress
- Interpretation and Implementation = Federal Agencies
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The WHG team’s years of healthcare industry and government relations experience positions us uniquely to best understand our client’s challenges and develop targeted government relations strategies.
Our network is deep, and our relationships are strong nationwide throughout the healthcare industry.
We survey the current political and policy landscape, then match emerging practices with the client's goals and identify opportunities and threats.
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We use our knowledge base to craft succinct and powerful messaging to best articulate our client’s challenges and effectively educate key decision-makers and influencers on policy solution pathways.
WHG is strategically located on Pennsylvania Avenue between the Capitol and the White House.
Health Policy Ideology and Leadership
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The Administration sets the vision and tone for health policy ideology and development at a macro level.
The Administration appoints Cabinet and Agency leadership to advise, develop policy at an operating level and implement executive and legislated policies at a granular level. WHG understands how to adapt to the inevitable and on-going changes in health policy decision-making processes that occurs with every election cycle and the potential rapid change in ideology. |
Health Policy Legislation and Appropriations
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In Congress at least 6 different full committees and their respective subcommittees have appropriations, jurisdiction and oversight responsibility over healthcare.
Complicating the approach is the probable and rapid change in ideology and health policy with every election cycle as Congressional Members, health committees, staff and agency administrators change.
WHG attends legislative health policy hearings to better serve our clients staying current on the ever changing political and policy landscape.
The WHG team’s years of healthcare industry experience puts us in a unique position to help our clients craft succinct and powerful messaging to best articulate their needs to the policy makers.
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Health Policy Implementation
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HHS is the Federal Agency tasked with implementation of legislated health policy - 2020 outlays = $1.286 Trillion making HHS the biggest and most powerful funder of healthcare.
HHS has eleven agencies including CDC, CMS, FDA and NIH along with multiple centers, offices and administrative contractors.
Reimbursement methodologies are convoluted and involve multiple agencies/centers with overlapping jurisdiction over beneficiary benefits, coding, coverage and payment methodologies.
HHS - CDC - CMS - FDA - NIH have weighty discretion in interpretation and implementation of legislated health policy.
WHG understands the processes and knows the responsible decision-makers.
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Government Relations Core Services
- Healthcare Strategy Development
- Succinct And Powerful Messaging
- Legislative Strategy
- Grassroots Advocacy
- HHS and CMS Policy Work
- Federal Agency Regulatory Work
- Monitoring, analyzing, and reporting on healthcare policy, legislative and regulatory developments
WHG provides clients with guidance in developing and implementing solid sustainable government relations strategies to help maximize stakeholder value.