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.

Federal government sends erroneous tax information to 800,000 people buying insurance

The federal government made mistakes in sending tax information to 800,000 people who received subsidies to help pay for their health insurance, the Associated Press reports.

March 2, 2015

Former employee sues hospital operator for unnecessary procedures and illegal billing

A former claims director filed a lawsuit against HCA Holdings alleging the company performed unnecessary cardiology procedures and submitted false claims, the Wall Street Journal reports.

February 27, 2015

CMS updates hospital outpatient rates and ambulatory surgical center payments

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services made changes to outpatient rates and ambulatory surgical center payments for 2015, Healthcare Finance reports.

February 27, 2015

Companies barred from offering plans without hospital coverage

The Department of Health and Human Services revealed that health plans without hospital benefits do not qualify as satisfying the minimum value requirement, Kaiser Health News reports.

February 23, 2015

IPC The Hospitalist facing federal charges

A judge in Chicago upheld a government lawsuit against IPC The Hospitalist, a firm that employs physicians and acute-care specialists in 27 states, Bloomberg reports.

February 20, 2015

Healthcare policy should focus on socioeconomic, lifestyle factors, not just care

By some estimates, healthcare is only responsible for 10 percent of the factors related to longevity; the rest is dependent on genetics, socioeconomic circumstances and healthy habits. That means care alone is inadequate, and public policy should change to reflect that reality, a health policy expert contends.

February 19, 2015

Bill seeks to repeal taxes on health insurers

Members of the House of Representatives have introduced a bill that would repeal a tax on health insurance companies, The Hill reports.

February 18, 2015

Deadline extended for health insurance exchanges

The Department of Health and Human Services has announced an extension for people who had trouble purchasing insurance through the federal HealthCare.gov website, reports Politico.

February 17, 2015

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