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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Senators introduce bill to continue higher Medicaid rates for primary care

With the provision in the Affordable Care Act that provides federal money to states to help them make their Medicaid payment rates for primary care match Medicare rates set to expire at the end of this year, Democratic Senators have introduced a bill to continue federal support for higher Medicaid rates for two more years.

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Todd Park to step down as CTO

Todd Park will step down as U.S. chief technology officer by the end of 2014, according to several news sources.

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CMS extends Sunshine Act records review deadline, tosses a third of reported data

Physicians and teaching hospitals now have until September 8, 2014, to review payment information manufacturers and group purchasing organizations have submitted to the government about them as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) had to take its online Open Payments verification system down for nearly two weeks to fix glitches and problems with the reported data.

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CMS offers four-pronged ICD-10 testing approach

Backing up the final rule cementing Oct. 1, 2015, as the new implementation date for ICD-10, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has outlined a "comprehensive four-pronged approach" to help providers prepare.

AHIMA article aims to dispel top ICD-10 misconceptions

An article in the new issue of the Journal of AHIMA aims to dispel several misconceptions regarding ICD-10.

Oct. 1, 2015 date nailed down for ICD-10

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) finally issued a rule finalizing Oct. 1, 2015, as the new compliance date for healthcare providers, health plans and healthcare clearinghouses to transition to ICD-10. This marks the second one-year delay for the ICD-10 transition.

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Sunshine act payments verification process may be even more cumbersome than you think

The American Medical Association (AMA) is doing a full court press to get every member to verify his or her industry payments well before the August 27 deadline to dispute reported data because the process is turning out to be longer and more glitch prone than many anticipated.

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Hospitalists urge Congress to can observation status

A report released today from the Society of Hospital Medicine in conjunction with its testimony before the Senate Special Committee on Aging urges a significant overhaul of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) policy on observation status and two-midnight rule definition for inpatient status.

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.