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. 

Thumbnail

CVS-Aetna deal gets DOJ’s preliminary approval

CVS Health and Aetna have received a preliminary go-ahead from the Department of Justice to complete their $69 billion merger.

Thumbnail

House Speaker Paul Ryan opposes Medicare for all

As more democrats are jumping on board the Medicare-for-all train, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R–WI) slammed the idea, arguing that his colleagues across the aisle have “gone off the rails,” The Hill reported.

Thumbnail

CMS boosts transparency around accreditation organizations

CMS is increasing its oversight when it comes to accrediting organizations that survey Medicare certified healthcare providers, following a 2017 Wall Street Journal investigation that revealed accreditations were still given to facilities with ongoing patient care problems.

Thumbnail

Reuters: Civitas considering potential sale

Civitas Solutions, a home- and community-based healthcare services provider based in Boston, is considering a potential sale and strategic alternatives, according to Reuters, which cited people familiar with the matter.

Thumbnail

Kaiser: Employer-sponsored health plan premiums are rising

More than half of U.S. employers are offering their staffers health insurance, according to the 2018 Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) Employer Health Benefits Survey—but annual family premiums are up 5 percent this year, and premiums for individual coverage rose a similar 3 percent.

Thumbnail

CVS will keep Aetna headquarters for next decade

CVS Health will keep Aetna’s headquarters in Hartford, Connecticut, for at least 10 years following the completion of its $69 billion merger with Aetna, The Hartford Courant reported.

Thumbnail

CMS’s aim to cut documentation will be a payment cut

When CMS proposed several changes to the Physician Fee Schedule and Quality Payment Program in July, it was under the guise that the agency was knocking off burdensome documentation requirements for physicians. However, the agency’s own proposal states documentation time won’t actually be reduced by much—but the changes will likely come with a payment rate cut.

FDA raids California offices of e-cigarette maker

The Food and Drug Administration conducted a surprise inspection at the offices of Juul Labs—a large e-cigarette maker—last week and walked away with more than a thousand pages of documents related to the company’s marketing and sales practices, The New York Times reported.

Around the web

Compensation for heart specialists continues to climb. What does this say about cardiology as a whole? Could private equity's rising influence bring about change? We spoke to MedAxiom CEO Jerry Blackwell, MD, MBA, a veteran cardiologist himself, to learn more.

The American College of Cardiology has shared its perspective on new CMS payment policies, highlighting revenue concerns while providing key details for cardiologists and other cardiology professionals. 

As debate simmers over how best to regulate AI, experts continue to offer guidance on where to start, how to proceed and what to emphasize. A new resource models its recommendations on what its authors call the “SETO Loop.”