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.

One-third of U.S. may be limited to one choice of insurer on exchanges in 2017

Nearly 36 percent of the exchange market rating regions in the U.S. may have only one insurance company participating in the Affordable Care Act’s exchanges, according to an analysis from Avalere.

August 24, 2016

Device and drug makers keep paying doctors disciplined for misconduct

Thousands of physicians who have been disciplined for serious misconduct, like having sex with patients, are still getting paid by pharmaceutical and medical device companies to act as advisers or promotional speakers, according to an analysis from ProPublica.

August 24, 2016

Tenn. regulator says state exchange ‘very near collapse’

The head of Tennessee’s insurance department said the state’s health insurance exchange is “very near collapse” after approving large rate increases for the three insurers offering coverage in 2017, according to The Tennessean.

August 24, 2016

N.J. hospital accused of false advertising, questionable business practices

Meadowlands Hospital Medical Center (MHMC) in Seacaucus, New Jersey, has been the subject of an investigative series from NJ Spotlight, accusing the facility of lying about the quality of its services and having a long record of safety violations.

August 23, 2016

Former Aetna CEO suggests separating special enrollment customers on exchanges

A separate risk pool for customers who purchase insurance from the Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges during the special enrollment period could help stabilize the market, argued former Aetna CEO and chairman Ronald Williams.

August 23, 2016

Senators want information on increases in price for EpiPens

The price of EpiPens, an injectable treatment for serious allergic reactions, has increased by more than 400 percent in the last nine years, and two U.S. Senators are asking the device manufacturer and federal regulators to explain why.

August 23, 2016

EpiPen's 400 percent price increase has consumers and Congress confused and concerned

U.S. lawmakers are joining concerned parents in demanding to know: What is up with the sudden increase in the price of an EpiPen? 

August 23, 2016

FDA, medical device companies agree to $1 billion in user fees

Medical device companies will pay the FDA nearly $1 billion in user fees for five years beginning in October 2017 under the fourth reauthorization of the Medical Device User Fee & Modernization Act (MDUFA).

August 23, 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