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.

CMS requires new disaster preparedness standards for healthcare providers

CMS is planning to publish a new set of regulations Sept. 16 that require healthcare providers to comply with new disaster preparedness guidelines. 

September 12, 2016

Industry groups applaud MACRA ‘pick your pace’ options

CMS is drawing near unanimous praise from medical associations for allowing greater flexibility for providers to comply with the payment reforms in the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA).

September 12, 2016

CMS rejects Ohio’s Medicaid waiver request

Ohio’s proposal to charge Medicaid beneficiaries premiums—and end coverage if enrollees fall behind on payments—has been rejected by CMS.

September 12, 2016

Quality Payment Program introduces choices for physicians in 2017

A blog post by Andy Slavitt, Acting Administrator of CMS, highlights the choices eligible physicians will have for the Quality Payment Program starting on Jan. 1, 2017.

September 9, 2016

CMS finalizes emergency preparedness rule

Medicare and Medicaid providers will have to comply with CMS’ four new standards on emergency preparedness for natural and man-made disasters.

September 9, 2016

CMS won’t require full-year MACRA reporting in 2017

Responding to concerns from the healthcare industry, CMS announced it will provide several “pick your pace” options for providers to comply with the payment reforms in the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA).

September 8, 2016

New bills would offer exemptions to ACA’s individual mandate

Two pieces of legislation sponsored by Republicans would waive penalties for people who don’t have health insurance if their options are limited on the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance marketplace.

September 8, 2016

More Medicare Advantage enrollees may decrease fee-for-service spending

In counties with the largest growth in Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollment, there was “a significant decrease” in spending growth for fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare, according to a new study published in the journal Health Affairs.

September 8, 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