Policy & Regulations

This channel includes news coverage of healthcare policy and regulations set by Congress, the states, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and medical associations and societies.

Stewardship Health sale to private equity finalized for $245M
The physician group, once part of Steward Health Care, has been rebranded as Revere Medical.
Baxter producing IV solutions ahead of schedule at Asheville-area site
The company said its largest production line at its North Carolina plant is operational, accounting for 25% of total output. The site was damaged by flood waters from Hurricane Helene.
Hackers were inside an Iowa hospital’s network for two weeks
St. Anthony Regional Hospital confirmed patient data was taken by cybercriminals, but the August incident is still being investigated.
Bill introduced in Congress would raise physician reimbursement by 1.9%
The Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act aims to change the annual Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services physician fee schedule, which cut reimbursement by 2.8% for 2025.
Good AI governance can spell the difference between smashing success and mere learning experience
Discussions of AI governance may cause many an eye to glass over, but the discipline is as crucial to the ascent of AI in healthcare as big training datasets drawn from diverse patient populations.

HIMSS eyes 3 main topics to improve homeland security

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security released its Draft National Cyber Incident Response Plan (NCIRP) in September. Now, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) has written a letter focusing on three main topics to improve the plan.

November 2, 2016

Health Care M&A Deal Volume and Value Slipped in Q3:2016, According to HealthCareMandA.com

NORWALK, CT – October 27, 2016 – Health care merger and acquisition activity slipped in the third quarter of 2016. Compared with the second quarter of 2016, deal volume fell 11%, to 369 transactions. Deal volume was also lower than in Q3:15, down 10% from the 411 transactions announced then. Combined spending in the third quarter totaled $48.0 billion, a decrease of 46% compared with the approximately $88.3 billion spent in the previous quarter, according to HealthCareMandA.com.

November 1, 2016

3-month limit on short-term insurance finalized as ACA enrollment begins

Just ahead of the fourth open enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance marketplace, HHS finalized a rule aimed at improving the risk pool on the exchanges and keeping consumers away from plans that don’t comply with the ACA.

November 1, 2016

Advocate, NorthShore merger halted by appeals court

A federal appeals court sided with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) against the proposed merger of two Illinois hospital chains, Advocate Health Care and NorthShore University Health System, reversing a lower court’s decision that denied the FTC a preliminary injunction.

November 1, 2016

5 recommendations to reduce, prevent opioid overdoses

Graduate students at the University of Pittsburgh have compiled a list of recommendations to prevent opioid overdoses that is being presented at the American Public Health Association 2016 Annual Meeting & Exposition in Denver.

October 31, 2016

U.S. Supreme Court to take up nursing home arbitration case

The validity of arbitration clauses in nursing home residency agreements will be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, as justices have agreed to hear a case against two Kentucky facilities.

October 31, 2016

5 things to know about the Chronic Care Act

A bipartisan group of Senators is proposing ways to improve health outcomes for Medicare beneficiaries with chronic conditions, which account for the majority of Medicare spending.

October 31, 2016

Hospitals, health plans incorrectly omitted from Illinois ACA exchange

Information on Illinois’ health insurance exchange may be incomplete or inaccurate as shoppers prepare for the fourth open enrollment period.

October 28, 2016

Around the web

Cardiovascular Business

Q&A: Why are cardiovascular devices involved in so many recalls? FDA policies may be to blame

Cardiovascular devices are more likely to be in a Class I recall than any other device type. The FDA's approval process appears to be at least partially responsible, though the agency is working to make some serious changes. We spoke to a researcher who has been tracking these data for years to learn more.

Cardiovascular Business

Cardiologist compensation still rising, especially in invasive and interventional cardiology

Updated compensation data includes good news for multiple subspecialties. The new report also examines private equity's impact on employment models and how much male cardiologists earn compared to females.

Cardiovascular Business

FDA’s tirzepatide decision creates uncertainty for patients—and leads to a lawsuit

When drugs are on the FDA’s shortage list, outsourcing facilities can produce their own compounded versions. When the FDA removed tirzepatide from that list with no warning, it created a considerable amount of chaos both behind the scenes and in pharmacies all over the country.

Policy & Regulations

Stewardship Health sale to private equity finalized for $245M

Baxter producing IV solutions ahead of schedule at Asheville-area site

Hackers were inside an Iowa hospital’s network for two weeks

Bill introduced in Congress would raise physician reimbursement by 1.9%

Good AI governance can spell the difference between smashing success and mere learning experience

Around the web