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.

Medical groups lobbying for fewer OpenPayments requirements

The American Medical Association and the American College of Radiology are among the groups pushing members of Congress to roll back laws requiring groups to disclose financial ties to doctors in the federal government’s OpenPayments database.

July 22, 2016

Editorial: Politics pose major threat to healthcare

The healthcare industry is never far from the headlines—and, at least recently, it has not for the best reasons. Hackers are stealing patient data, costs are increasing and the political landscape is always shifting.

July 21, 2016

Fracking and asthma events could be correlated, says study

The results of a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine contains some bad news for asthmatics living in certain areas. 

July 20, 2016

HHS report leaves it to Congress to fill privacy gaps on health data

A report on privacy and security concerns surrounding new technology that collects health data, such as wearable fitness trackers, admitted regulations like HIPAA haven’t kept pace with new developments.

July 20, 2016

Experts eye government's role in reducing public health inequalities

A report released earlier this month by CMS predicted healthcare spending will top $10,000 per American in 2016—a lot of money for individual patients and the insurance programs, both public and private, that subsidize them.

July 19, 2016

FBI gives suggestions on how to prevent healthcare hackers

In recent news, healthcare hackers such as “TheDarkOverlord” have been stealing private patient records and parading their spoils around the internet. He claims to be selling these private documents on the black market is ransom is not paid by the healthcare providers he initially stole the information from. This activity has caught the interest of the FBI, reports Information Management. 

July 19, 2016

U.S. drug costs can be more than double those in Europe

Some of the most-used drugs in the U.S. are thousands of dollars more expensive in this country than they are in other countries, according to Vox. 

July 19, 2016

Joint Commission keeping clinician texting ban in place until September

After reversing a five-year-old ban on healthcare organizations sending orders in May, the Joint Commission has changed plans again, announcing in its June newsletter the previous ban won’t be lifted until September.

July 19, 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