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.

Senators introduce bill to criminalize private equity ‘looting’ in healthcare
Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren are co-sponsoring legislation that would put executives in jail if their business practices result in the death of a patient.
Telehealth execs face 20 years for $100M Adderall prescription fraud
The CEO and the medical director of telehealth platform Done have both been arrested for allegedly running a virtual pill mill.
UnitedHealth needs to be solely responsible for HIPAA notifications after Change Healthcare breach, letters demand
The ONC has fallen short of plainly stating that UnitedHealth is required to send the notifications, leaving providers in regulatory limbo.
Addressing staffing shortages in cardiology
ACC President Cathie Biga, MSN, RN, Edward Fry, MD, and electrophysiologist Parin Patel, MD, discuss the growing cardiologist shortage.
CVS generic drugs twice as likely to be recalled over safety concerns, investigation finds
CVS generics have been linked to more than 15 manufacturers cited for producing allegedly contaminated drugs.

Senators introduce bill to criminalize private equity ‘looting’ in healthcare

Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren are co-sponsoring legislation that would put executives in jail if their business practices result in the death of a patient.

June 14, 2024

Telehealth execs face 20 years for $100M Adderall prescription fraud

The CEO and the medical director of telehealth platform Done have both been arrested for allegedly running a virtual pill mill.

June 14, 2024

UnitedHealth needs to be solely responsible for HIPAA notifications after Change Healthcare breach, letters demand

The ONC has fallen short of plainly stating that UnitedHealth is required to send the notifications, leaving providers in regulatory limbo.

June 13, 2024

There has been a growing shortage of cardiologists the past several years, but this has accelerated due to burnout from the pandemic, falling reimbursements and increasing administrative burdens. This prompted a joint session on this topic with the ACC and the Heart Rhythm Society at HRS 2024, with ACC President Cathie Biga, MSN, FACC, president and CEO of Cardiovascular Management of Illinois, former ACC president Ed Fry, MD, chair of the Ascension National Cardiovascular Service Line, and EP Parin Patel.

Addressing staffing shortages in cardiology

ACC President Cathie Biga, MSN, RN, Edward Fry, MD, and electrophysiologist Parin Patel, MD, discuss the growing cardiologist shortage.

June 13, 2024

CVS Health announces $10.6B acquisition of Oak Street Health

CVS generic drugs twice as likely to be recalled over safety concerns, investigation finds

CVS generics have been linked to more than 15 manufacturers cited for producing allegedly contaminated drugs.

June 12, 2024

AMA fixing prior authorization_AMA22.jpeg

Coalition seeks to simplify prior authorizations and improve Medicare Advantage coverage

More than 380 organizations have expressed support for the bipartisan Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act, which unanimously passed a House vote in 2022.

June 12, 2024

Cardiologist-supported prior authorization reform reintroduced in Congress

The Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act has been considered by Congress multiple times, getting closer than ever in 2023. Will 2024 be the year it finally lands on the president's desk?

June 12, 2024

Prior authorization documentation in the Konica Minolta Exa PACS. The AMA wants to make insurance p[roviders liable for patient harm caused by prior authorization delays or denials. Photo by Dave Fornell

AMA wants insurers to be accountable when prior authorization harms patients

The American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates this week approved two policies aimed at increasing insurer accountability and transparency amid an explosion of prior authorization requirements.

June 12, 2024

Around the web

AI in Healthcare

US healthcare is flush with venture investments in AI: Silicon Valley Bank report

The past five years have been boom times for AI startups courting venture investors in healthcare, and the good times just keep rolling.

Cardiovascular Business

Cardiologist-supported prior authorization reform reintroduced in Congress

The Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act has been considered by Congress multiple times, getting closer than ever in 2023. Will 2024 be the year it finally lands on the president's desk?

Cardiovascular Business

Q&A: Cardiologist Karen Joynt Maddox on why new healthcare policies are not improving outcomes

Healthcare's ongoing shift toward value-based care is a good thing, Joynt Maddox explained, but its implementation has been far from ideal. She also discussed population health, the pandemic, health disparities and the rising influence of private equity investments.