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. 

Former employee sues hospital operator for unnecessary procedures and illegal billing

A former claims director filed a lawsuit against HCA Holdings alleging the company performed unnecessary cardiology procedures and submitted false claims, the Wall Street Journal reports.

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CMS updates hospital outpatient rates and ambulatory surgical center payments

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services made changes to outpatient rates and ambulatory surgical center payments for 2015, Healthcare Finance reports.

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Companies barred from offering plans without hospital coverage

The Department of Health and Human Services revealed that health plans without hospital benefits do not qualify as satisfying the minimum value requirement, Kaiser Health News reports.

IPC The Hospitalist facing federal charges

A judge in Chicago upheld a government lawsuit against IPC The Hospitalist, a firm that employs physicians and acute-care specialists in 27 states, Bloomberg reports.

Healthcare policy should focus on socioeconomic, lifestyle factors, not just care

By some estimates, healthcare is only responsible for 10 percent of the factors related to longevity; the rest is dependent on genetics, socioeconomic circumstances and healthy habits. That means care alone is inadequate, and public policy should change to reflect that reality, a health policy expert contends.

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Bill seeks to repeal taxes on health insurers

Members of the House of Representatives have introduced a bill that would repeal a tax on health insurance companies, The Hill reports.

Deadline extended for health insurance exchanges

The Department of Health and Human Services has announced an extension for people who had trouble purchasing insurance through the federal HealthCare.gov website, reports Politico.

GAO: CMS prepared for ICD-10

The General Accounting Office has deemed the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ready to make the switch to ICD-10, reports Clinical Innovation + Technology.

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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