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.

Connecticut ACA co-op could be next to shut down

HealthyCT, Connecticut’s nonprofit health insurance co-op, is being placed under supervision by the state after CMS said it will owe millions in risk-adjustment payments.

July 6, 2016

HHS loses in court over fixed indemnity insurance rule

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled that HHS can’t limit the sale of fixed indemnity insurance plans as only a supplement to coverage that meets Affordable Care Act standards.

July 6, 2016

Illinois prisoners to get $80 million mental health boost

Illinois is set to spend $80 million on providing mental health services for 11,000 prisoners at four facilities in the state. 

July 6, 2016

HHS opioid actions would raise buprenorphine cap, delink payment from pain survey

hysicians will be able to prescribe a medication to combat opioid addiction to more patients as part of several new policies HHS has announced in an effort to fight the rise in misuse and deaths tied to both prescription and illegal opioids.

July 6, 2016

UnitedHealthcare sues national dialysis chain for fraud

UnitedHealthcare is suing a national dialysis company, claining American Renal Associates has been exploiting the insurance provider and its own poorer patients for money collected from dialysis treatment.

July 5, 2016

Senate committee discusses changes to physician self-referral law

The Stark law, which prohibits physician referrals for Medicare services to entities with which they share a financial relationship, is due for an overhaul, according to a report released by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.

July 5, 2016

FDA-approved stomach-draining device may face lawsuit

The Food and Drug Administration has approved several new weight loss interventions in the past year, but one in particular seems to be raising eyebrows among physicians.

July 5, 2016

NIH-funded study will track Zika infections on U.S. Olympic team

Athletes, coaches and staff traveling to Brazil as part of the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics will be monitored by researchers for potential exposure to the Zika virus.

July 5, 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