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 publishes final rule on overpayments for Medicare Parts A and B

CMS has published a final rule that requires healthcare providers and suppliers receiving funds from Medicare Part A and Part B to report and return overpayments within 60 days of first identifying them. 

February 11, 2016

Burwell has faith remaining states will embrace Medicaid expansion

HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell spoke to reporters last week about the Affordable Care Act’s 2016 open enrollment figures and the future of healthcare in the U.S. 

February 10, 2016

Longer hours show no significant impact on resident satisfaction or patient care

Surgical residents who are allowed to work longer hours than currently allowed so that they can stay with or stabilize patients do not show any signs of putting their patients at risk, according to a recent study published by the New England Journal of Medicine. 

February 4, 2016

State of California fines hospital more than $86,000 for towel left inside of a patient

The California Department of Public Health fined the Community Regional Medical Center $86,625 after a hospital employee left a towel inside a patient following abdominal surgery, the Fresno Bee reports. This is the hospital’s fourth penalty since 2007.

February 1, 2016

Examination of private insurance claims data offers new insights

A recent report examining employer-sponsored private insurance claims data found that basing healthcare decisions on Medicare data might not be the best practice. The researchers found that the correlation between total spending per Medicare beneficiary and total spending per privately insured beneficiary was 0.14 in 2011, while the correlation for inpatient spending was 0.267.

January 29, 2016

CMS looks to adapt ACO benchmarks to regional realities

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is proposing changes in the benchmarks it uses to evaluate ACOs in the Medicare Shared Savings Program.

January 29, 2016

California hospital pays more than $3.2 million to settle allegations

A hospital in Oceanside, Calif., agreed to pay more than $3.2 million to settle claims it violated laws and Medicare’s prohibition on having an illegal financial relationship with referring physicians.

January 21, 2016

Government Accountability Office finds flaws in FDA's methods

According to a new 42-page report published by investigators from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), there are significant flaws in the way the FDA tracks drugs after they come to market. 

January 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