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. 

Health insurance deals may increase costs for hospitals, physicians and patients

Two proposed mergers among four of the five largest health insurance companies in the U.S. would decrease competition and increase costs for hospitals, physicians and patients, according to an American Medical Association (AMA) analysis.

Medicare wellness visits causing confusion

When the Affordable Care Act first went into effect, one of the perceived benefits for physicians was the three new billing codes that cover various “wellness visits” for Medicare Part B patients. But so far, the perk is failing to live up to expectations. 

Survey shows dismal ICD-10 readiness

More than half of healthcare organizations are not yet ready for the Oct. 1 ICD-10 transition, according to a new survey.

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CMS names ICD-10 ombudsman

William Rogers, MD, director of the Physicians Regulatory Issues Team at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, has been named ICD-10 ombudsman.

AHA issues ICD-10 countdown checklist

With just over a month to go until the Oct. 1 ICD-10 deadline, the American Hospital Association has released a checklist of key steps that hospitals should take to ensure a successful transition.

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Medicare’s 3-day hospital stay better off waived: analysis

Medicare has long required a three-day hospital stay before it will pick up the tab for a senior to move into a skilled nursing facility. A new data crunch shows that waiving this prerequisite shortens costly and risky hospital stays—without driving up admissions to skilled nursing facilities or lengthening stays therein.

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AHA implores feds to put Anthem-Cigna through the wringer

The American Hospital Association is urging the U.S. Department of Justice to take a hard look at Anthem’s planned $48.4 billion purchase of Cigna.

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Transparency in clinical trials proving effective at advancing science rather than careers

Researchers are as subject to human nature as anyone else and so may be inclined to only publish, or at least to slant study design and conclusions toward, positive results of clinical trials. 

Around the web

The tirzepatide shortage that first began in 2022 has been resolved. Drug companies distributing compounded versions of the popular drug now have two to three more months to distribute their remaining supply.

The 24 members of the House Task Force on AI—12 reps from each party—have posted a 253-page report detailing their bipartisan vision for encouraging innovation while minimizing risks. 

Merck sent Hansoh Pharma, a Chinese biopharmaceutical company, an upfront payment of $112 million to license a new investigational GLP-1 receptor agonist. There could be many more payments to come if certain milestones are met.