State Policy · MD
Maryland Rate-Setting Commission Chair and Executive Director Depart During AHEAD Model Transition
Health Services Cost Review Commission Chair Joshua Sharfstein and Executive Director Jon Kromm left the commission in July 2026 as Maryland transitions from the Total Cost of Care model to the AHEAD model. Both officials joined HSCRC in 2023 and negotiated with federal officials under two administrations on Maryland's hospital rate-setting authority. William Henderson will serve as interim executive director; no new chair has been named. The leadership change occurs as the state implements a multiyear transition to AHEAD after the previous all-payer model expired December 31, 2025, with ongoing uncertainty about Maryland's authority to set Medicare rates following Trump administration renegotiation of the original 2024 agreement.
Why it mattersThe leadership vacuum at HSCRC comes at a critical juncture as Maryland implements AHEAD and navigates potential loss of Medicare rate-setting authority, creating uncertainty for hospital payments and Medicaid capitation rate methodologies tied to all-payer rates.