August 11, 2026 | View as Webpage

Maryland’s health care system is entering an important new phase, and MedChi is watching closely on behalf of physicians and patients across the state.

Governor Wes Moore has appointed Kevin Sexton to serve as Chair of the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission (HSCRC), the state agency that regulates Maryland’s hospital rates and helps guide broader health system transformation. The appointment comes as Maryland begins implementation of the AHEAD model which will shape the state’s approach to hospital payment, total cost of care, population health, and primary care investment in the years ahead.

Sexton is familiar to many in Maryland’s health care community. He previously served as an HSCRC commissioner for eight years, including six years as vice chair, and brings deep experience with Maryland’s unique all-payer hospital rate-setting system. He also served as President and CEO of Holy Cross Hospital from 1998 to 2018, where his leadership included expanding community health centers and prenatal care services for uninsured patients.

Kevin has a deep understanding of Maryland’s healthcare system and has consistently demonstrated a collaborative approach that values the perspectives of physicians and other stakeholders. We look forward to working with Chairman Sexton to continue advancing high-quality, patient-centered healthcare across Maryland.

The transition follows the announced departures of former HSCRC Chair Joshua Sharfstein and Executive Director Jon Kromm, whose tenure included negotiations over Maryland’s latest federal-state agreement. As the work shifts from negotiation to implementation, MedChi believes clear communication among physicians, hospitals, insurers, policymakers, and community partners will be essential.

MedChi’s focus remains clear: physician voices must be part of the policy decisions that affect how care is delivered in every community. The goals of the AHEAD model—better outcomes, lower costs, stronger primary care, and improved health equity—can only be achieved if the realities of medical practice are reflected in implementation.

As Maryland enters this next chapter, MedChi looks forward to working with Chairman Sexton and the HSCRC to help ensure the state’s health care transformation remains grounded in high-quality, patient-centered care.

To learn more about Kevin Sexton's nomination, click here.

Gene M. Ransom III

CEO

MedChi, The Maryland State Medical Society

• Thursday, September 17 - Center for a Healthy Maryland Fundraiser
• Friday, September 18 - ACOG Summer Social
• Wednesday, September 30 - Mid-Shore County Medical Societies Membership Meeting
• Friday, October 9 - ACOG Novak Symposium
• Saturday, October 10- MedChi Fall House of Delegates and Annual Meeting
• Wednesday, October 14- Wicomico County Medical Society Meeting
• Wednesday, October 21 - Montgomery County Medical Society Fall Membership Meeting & Rockower Advocacy Leadership Lecture
• Thursday, October 29 - Maryland Society of Eye Physicians & Surgeons Fall Banquet

Urge Congress to Support the Patients First Act, H.R. 9693

The recently introduced Patients First Act, H.R. 9693, would reform the Medicare physician payment system by providing greater stability, expanding opportunities for participation in payment models, and better aligning payment updates with the actual costs of care and inflation. Led by Representatives Greg Murphy, MD (R-NC), John Joyce, MD (R-PA), and Kim Schrier, MD (D-WA), this bipartisan bill would help create a more stable and predictable Medicare payment system so physicians can keep caring for patients in their communities. il Congress

Payment cuts and instability have forced physicians to make critical decisions — such as consolidation or limiting the number of beneficiaries they can serve — for financial rather than patient care reasons. These cuts particularly impact small, rural, and independent practices. Despite rising practice costs, Medicare physician payment has fallen by approximately 33 percent since 2001, when adjusted for inflation.

These cuts combined with patchwork solutions have created instability for physicians and limited patient access to high-quality, value-based care. H.R. 9693 would remedy these shortcomings by:

1. Providing a permanent annual payment update tied to the Medicare Economic Index (MEI) to better reflect increases in practice costs
2. Modernizing budget neutrality policies, including provisions from H.R. 8163
3. Creating a physician-led process for developing simplified, clinically relevant quality measures
4. Expanding opportunities for physicians to participate in alternative payment models

Contact your member of Congress today and urge them to cosponsor the Patients First Act, H.R. 9693.

Maryland Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics Offers Rural Health Regional Meetings

The Maryland Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (MDAAP) is inviting all pediatric healthcare practitioners to three upcoming meetings in rural regions. These meetings, which have a mental health focus, are venue for connection, sharing resources, networking and assisting MDAAP in understanding how to better support rural practitioners. The meetings are being held on August 8th (Southern Maryland), August 15th (Eastern Shore), and August 29th (Western Maryland) and are open to all, not just MDAAP members.

For more information and to register, visit MDAAPs rural health page. 

Best Practices and Guidelines to Treat the Most Common Types of Skin Cancer

The Maryland Dermatologic Society invites you to a CME on September 10, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. to improve learners’ knowledge, confidence, and competence on using immune checkpoint inhibitors for basal cell and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. This session is intended for dermatologists, oncologists, and advanced practitioners to enhance treatment competence and patient outcomes. For more information and to register, click here.

Stop Letting Political Purists Play Games with My Patients' Health

MedChi President Eric Wargotz's Op-Ed, I'm a doctor. Stop letting political purists play games with my patients' health, was recently featured in the Washington Examiner. The article addresses the need for innovative state models that aim to improve the population's overall nutrition. To read more, click here.

If you have news to share about yourself, a colleague, or your practice, and would like us to feature it in MedChi News,

please contact Olivia Ballmann. All submissions are subject to review and approval.

Submission does not guarantee inclusion, publication, or use.

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