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. 

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HHS extends anti-kickback waivers for MSSP ACOs

The Department of Health & Human Services' Office of the Inspector General and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have extended waivers to the Anti-Kickback Statute and Stark Law for certain accountable care organizations through Nov. 2, 2015, reports Becker's Hospital Review. 

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Analysis: Part D is main cause of $500B Medicare slowdown

Prescription drug spending (or Part D) has accounted for more than 60 percent of the slowdown in Medicare benefits since 2011, according to an analysis presented in Health Affairs.

Most uninsured don’t know about upcoming enrollment period

Only 11 percent of people without health insurance are aware that open enrollment is set to begin, according to The New York Times.

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Open Payments website gets improvements

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has issued a beta release of an online search tool to help users better navigate its Open Payments website, which went live with data on physicians' corporate relationships on Sept. 30, reports The Wall Street Journal.

CMS launches Open Payments search tool

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has released a beta search tool to help consumers better conduct searches of the Open Payments database, which contains information on physicians' corporate financial relationships.

Obama taps Ron Klain to serve as 'Ebola czar'

President Obama has brought in Ron Klain, a crisis-response operative and former chief of staff to two vice presidents, to handle the government’s response to Ebola, reports The New York Times.

Calming fears that ACA would overburden the healthcare industry

With 10 million individuals in the U.S. now on insurance rolls thanks to the Affordable Care Act, many worried that the already overburdened industry would burst at the seams. A UCLA study appears to put some of those concerns to rest, reports California Healthline.

CDC to offer more Ebola training to healthcare industry

In response to news that a nurse has contracted Ebola, a spokesperson from the Centers or Disease Control and Prevention announced that the agency would issue more specific instructions and explanations on the use of protective gear, reports The New York Times.

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.