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Setting the Floor: New FAR Rule Defines Minimum Contractor Information System Safeguarding

Client Alert | 1 min read | 05.17.16

Shifting approaches, on May 16, 2016, the FAR Council concluded a long-running rulemaking with a final rule and a new clause, FAR 52.204-21, that will establish minimum security controls pulled from NIST Special Publication 800-171 over contractor information systems that may process, store, or transmit “Federal contract information,” defined as information provided to or generated under any government contract (except for COTS) that is not intended for public release. Future rules will address more specific controls applicable to more sensitive information such as Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), but this rule focuses instead on establishing those baseline controls the FAR Council believes any prudent business would implement in relation to its information systems and does not replace more stringent security requirements like those in the DFARS Safeguarding Rule.

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Client Alert | 2 min read | 03.27.26

CMS Releases PY 2020 RADV Audit Methods and Instructions: Key Takeaways for Health Plans

On March 20, 2026, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released new guidance outlining the agency’s audit methods and instructions for Medicare Advantage (MA) plans subject to upcoming risk adjustment data validation (RADV) audits for payment year (PY) 2020. In addition to providing necessary context for MA plans selected for auditing, this resource clarifies CMS’s methodological and procedural expectations. While the high-level takeaways are recapped below for convenience, we strongly recommend that MA organizations selected for PY 2020 audits closely review the guidance to understand what may be involved — or required — during the agency’s review....