It’s not a vacation. Let’s start with federal employees; you deserve better. You often could get paid more elsewhere but you want to serve. And instead of saying thank you, Congress asks you to take a seat on the bench and (hopefully) get backpay. It feels awful and I am so sorry you have to go through this. I’ve been there and done that and it is nerve-wracking. Fingers crossed that this all resolves quickly.

Hiring. But that aside (I know I sold it), if service and pharmaceuticals is your thing… how about working at CMS? They are hiring for the group that does Medicare drug negotiation. Let’s be honest, was I intrigued by the idea of applying for a job at CMS on Medicare negotiation? Yes. I mean from a policy perspective you’d be front and center for the biggest change in years. You could write your next job description from there.  

Spaghetti at the wall leaves a mark. In theory, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation is a fantastic idea. Quick experiments to see what works and what doesn’t. If it works, keep doing it. If it doesn’t, stop. Unsurprisingly, the Congressional Budget Office is now realizing that this costs money to figure out. Or really it will lose money trying to save money. Let’s see if nuance works when asking for $.

I wish I could quit you. Dan Ollendorf is circling back to the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review as their Chief Scientific Officer and Director of Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Methods and Engagement. With CMS looking at health technology assessments in a new way, could be an interesting switch. ICER is a tool to judge value, not the only tool.

I’d like to order the huge plastic bear of animal crackers and can you check my rash? Costco, with its 125 million members, is moving into the virtual healthcare space (primary care, health checks and mental health.)  

Women’s spending in healthcare > Men’s spending in healthcare. Women are more than the sum of their parts? But man those parts can cost a lot to take care of.