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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Industry groups applaud MACRA ‘pick your pace’ options

CMS is drawing near unanimous praise from medical associations for allowing greater flexibility for providers to comply with the payment reforms in the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA).

CMS rejects Ohio’s Medicaid waiver request

Ohio’s proposal to charge Medicaid beneficiaries premiums—and end coverage if enrollees fall behind on payments—has been rejected by CMS.

Quality Payment Program introduces choices for physicians in 2017

A blog post by Andy Slavitt, Acting Administrator of CMS, highlights the choices eligible physicians will have for the Quality Payment Program starting on Jan. 1, 2017.

CMS finalizes emergency preparedness rule

Medicare and Medicaid providers will have to comply with CMS’ four new standards on emergency preparedness for natural and man-made disasters.

CMS won’t require full-year MACRA reporting in 2017

Responding to concerns from the healthcare industry, CMS announced it will provide several “pick your pace” options for providers to comply with the payment reforms in the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA).

New bills would offer exemptions to ACA’s individual mandate

Two pieces of legislation sponsored by Republicans would waive penalties for people who don’t have health insurance if their options are limited on the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance marketplace.

More Medicare Advantage enrollees may decrease fee-for-service spending

In counties with the largest growth in Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollment, there was “a significant decrease” in spending growth for fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare, according to a new study published in the journal Health Affairs.

21st Century Cures Act unlikely to move until after election

Legislation aiming to speed up the regulatory approval process for medical devices and drugs and boost research funding will have to wait until after Election Day.

Around the web

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. 

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

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. 

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