FDA recall on endotracheal tubes | $50B Medicare Advantage fraud | CMS proposes physician pay cut | Change Hack update

All Medtronic EMG Reinforced Endotracheal Tubes are being recalled due to a risk of collapse that could lead to serious injury or death.

According to a report, from 2019 and 2021, Medicare Advantage plans put taxpayers on the hook for dubious care services.

The average payment rate to physicians is suggested to be reduced by 2.93% in 2025 under the proposed fee schedule change, the agency noted. 

Several state attorneys general have issued notices to residents regarding the Change Healthcare breach, asking them to sign up for credit monitoring and identity theft protection.

A full court hearing to determine the fate of the FTC ban on noncompete clauses will be scheduled before Aug 31. For now, a judge has issued a preliminary injunction.

A HIPAA notification posted to the company’s website said details about patients’ diagnoses and treatments may have been stolen by hackers.

Hospitals and provider groups have responded with confusion to a rule proposed by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency requiring hospitals and providers to comply with stringent reporting requirements that overlap with HIPAA.

The company said a “significant” number of its 8,700 stores will be shuttered over the next three years as it struggles to remain profitable.

Dozens of drugs are seeing price cuts that could save Medicare enrollees as much as $4,593 per day, CMS said.

Both tirzepatide (Mounjaro) and semaglutide (Ozempic) have made headlines in recent months for their benefits in broad patient populations. This new analysis compared the two medications in obese/overweight adults with and without type 2 diabetes.

Arizona-based Southwest Diagnostic Imaging said the decision is effective immediately, with its 19 locations now considered out-of-network for those using UHC health plans.