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.

Catholic hospital sued for refusing to perform emergency abortion on a hemorrhaging patient
California Attorney General Rob Bonta is suing Providence St. Joseph Hospital to discourage an incident like this from happening in the future.
Newsom vetoes bill to regulate private equity transactions in healthcare
Assembly Bill 3129 would have given the California Attorney General oversight of all private equity investments or purchases involving a healthcare entity. Gov. Gavin Newsom argued that a similar regulatory framework is already in place.
FDA announces recall of Pfizer's fast-tracked sickle cell drug
The drugmaker is voluntarily withdrawing Oxbryta from the market due to a higher-than-acceptable risk of death.
Public health coalition wins lawsuit against EPA for lack of fluoride oversight
A federal judge in California ruled existing evidence of the negative effects of fluoride in drinking water warrants an investigation and potential action from the Environmental Protection Agency.
Cardiology groups cheer new bill that would improve access to Medicare claims data
If passed, this bill would help clinician-led clinical registries explore Medicare data for research purposes. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons and American College of Cardiology both shared public support for the bipartisan legislation.

Merger talks are over for Care New England, Lifespan

Merger talks between Care New England, one of the largest healthcare systems in Rhode Island, Brown University and Lifespan, operator of Rhode Island Hospital, are over.

July 18, 2019

HHS will not push rebate rule forward

A proposed rule to eliminate drug rebates will not be pushed through. However, President Trump could still take on the pharmaceutical industry in other ways.

July 12, 2019

CVS expands HealthHub concept to new markets

After introducing its new HealthHub concept store in Texas, CVS Health is spreading the store model to Boston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia, the company announced.

July 11, 2019

5 new payment models proposed for kidney care

HHS and CMS are following through on an executive order from President Trump to overhaul kidney care in the nation by proposing five new payment models.

July 11, 2019

ACOs are slow to adopt downside risk

Only 28% of ACOs formed in 2012 have taken on downside risk, while just 33% had at least one contract with downside risk in 2018, according to a study published in Health Affairs.

July 10, 2019

Trump preparing another exec order on drug prices

President Trump is preparing to issue an executive order that would declare a favored nations clause for drug prices, ensuring the U.S. would not pay higher prices than other countries for prescription medications, CNBC reported.

July 9, 2019

Obamacare lawsuit heads to appeals court

The biggest challenge to the Affordable Care Act to date heads to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans Tuesday, July 9, for scheduled oral arguments in the case.

July 9, 2019

Trump rule to disclose drug prices blocked by judge

A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s rule requiring drugmakers to publish the list prices of prescription medications in direct-to-consumer television advertisements.

July 9, 2019

Around the web

Cardiovascular Business

Cardiology groups cheer new bill that would improve access to Medicare claims data

If passed, this bill would help clinician-led clinical registries explore Medicare data for research purposes. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons and American College of Cardiology both shared public support for the bipartisan legislation.

Cardiovascular Business

Watchdog group, fearful of fraud, wants more oversight for remote patient monitoring

Cardiologists and other physicians may soon need to provide much more information when ordering remote patient monitoring for Medicare patients.

Cardiovascular Business

Most recalled cardiovascular devices gained FDA approval with little to no clinical evidence

Why are so many cardiovascular devices involved in Class I recalls? One possible reason could be the large number of devices hitting the market without undergoing much premarket clinical testing.