NOTE: Due to funding issues, we are unable to offer the CMS internship for 2015.

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Office of Clinical Standards and Quality (OCSQ), in partnership with the Stanford Biodesign Program, is seeking Stanford students interested to learn more about the Medicare reimbursement process for medical devices.
With a Medicare budget of approximately $450 billion and serving over 45 million beneficiaries, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) plays a key role in the overall direction of the health care system. From the beginning of the Medicare program, one of the most important program goals for CMS has been to make “the best of modern medicine'' available to Medicare beneficiaries. Over the last 40 years, significant advances in medical science have offered improved health for beneficiaries and others. Many of these advances have involved the use of new technologies, such as prescription drugs and medical devices.
The fellowships provide a unique opportunity to learn about the CMS reimbursement process for medical devices, including topics such as:

• Coverage, coding, and payment processes and how they relate to each other
• Clinical trial design
• Outcomes assessment
• Budget impact analysis
• Strategies for working with CMS to support timely introduction of innovative technology to the Medicare marketplace

Graduate and undergraduate students, postdoctoral candidates and postdocs from engineering (mechanical, electrical, software, bioengineering and others) and life sciences (biological sciences, medicine and clinical specialties) areas are encouraged to apply. Students must have completed a minimum of three quarters of their college education and must be a current student attending Stanford or have just graduated in the same year as the internship.

The application deadline for 2012 Internship positions is March 1, 2012.

Internship applications will be processed through the Stanford Biodesign Program first, followed by submission to CMS.

About CMS’ Office of Clinical Standards and Quality (OCSQ)
The Office of Clinical Standards and Quality (OCSQ), located in Baltimore, Maryland oversees national quality initiatives and includes the Coverage and Analysis Group (CAG), which is responsible for developing national coverage policy. CAG also provides oversight of Medicare contractors to ensure that the local coverage determination (LCD) process is properly followed. Within CAG, coverage determinations about drugs, non-implantable devices, and laboratory and diagnostic tests are referred to the Division for Items and Devices. Other coverage topics, including surgical procedures and implantable devices, are referred to the Division of Medical and Surgical Services. The Division of Operations and Information Management provides ongoing scanning of industry developments to keep CAG staff abreast of new and developing treatments and technologies that may result in national coverage issues and maintains liaisons with other Department components, such as the FDA. This division is also responsible for oversight of the Medicare Evidence Development & Coverage Advisory Committee (MedCAC) and public notice and comment processes.

OCSQ established the Stanford-FDA Internship and Fellowship Program to increase the range and depth of collaborations between CMS and the outside scientific community. The program offers summer internship opportunities for individuals interested in learning about the Medicare reimbursement process and sharing their knowledge and experience with medical devices and their clinical use.

Objectives of the Program
OCSQ will provide an internship opportunity for students interested in gaining exposure to clinical trial design and data analysis. Each student will be assigned a OCSQ mentor and will work alongside clinicians, economists, and other scientists in the medical device reimbursement and policymaking process. The length of the internship program is a minimum of 12 weeks.
Specific objectives for the internship are as follows:
Teach students about the medical device coverage and reimbursement process. Students will

1. Study relevant CMS regulations and legislation
2. Understand  the process of coverage, coding, and reimbursement
3. Learn about clinical trial and data analysis performed  in support of coverage decisions
4. Develop understanding about CMS’ decision making processes about coverage of new therapies.

Who Should Apply?
Undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral candidates and postdocs from various disciplines such as economics, policy, engineering and life sciences (biological sciences, medicine, surgery and clinical specialties) academic disciplines are encouraged to apply. Undergraduate students must have completed a minimum of three quarters of their college education and must be a current student attending a college or university in the US or have just graduated in the same year as the internship. Graduates and postdocs must be currently attending a college or university.
Candidates must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
Selection Criteria

• Free from conflict of interest
• Relevant academic and/or work experience
• Demonstrated skills
• Ability to collaborate and work with others
• Ability to communicate orally and in writing
• Ability to handle deadline pressure
• Match between preferred medical device areas and current OCSQ project activity.