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. 

Zimmer Biomet to Acquire LDR to Enhance Innovation and Growth of Spine Business

WARSAW, Ind. and AUSTIN, Texas, June 07, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:ZBH) (SIX:ZBH) (Zimmer Biomet or the Company), a global leader in musculoskeletal healthcare, and LDR Holding Corporation (NASDAQ:LDRH) (LDR), a global medical device company focused on designing and commercializing novel and proprietary surgical technologies for the treatment of patients suffering from spine disorders, today announced that both Boards of Directors have approved a definitive agreement under which Zimmer Biomet will commence a tender offer to acquire all of the outstanding shares of LDR for $37.00 per share in cash, which implies a transaction value of approximately $1.0 billion.  The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the third quarter of 2016.

State news: 5,000 nurses may strike in Minn., managed care owed $571M in Ill.

Here’s a roundup of healthcare news from Minnesota, Illinois, California, Florida and Alaska.

Obama against privatizing the VA

Privatizing the Veterans Administration healthcare system “would be a mistake,” President Barack Obama said in an interview with the Colorado Springs Gazette.

Q&A: UCLA professor says ACA exits more politics than death spiral

With large insurers like UnitedHealthcare and Humana announcing their departure from the health insurance marketplaces and some remaining insurers proposing bigger-than-expected increases in premiums, some health experts are predicting the Affordable Care Act is sending the industry into a so-called death spiral. UCLA Center for Health Policy Research Director Gerald Kominski, PhD, would argue otherwise.

Calif. doctor opens practice dedicated to legal assisted suicide

As California’s law legalizing physicians aiding in ending the life of the terminally ill goes into effect, Lonny Shavelson, MD, is opening a practice in Berkeley, California, specifically dedicated to serving patients who want to die.

State news: N.Y. may change malpractice limits, Calif. considers coverage for undocumented

Here’s a roundup of healthcare news from New York, California, North Carolina, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Texas.

OIG triples healthcare fraud, abuse recoveries in the last three years

The Office of Inspector General's Semiannual Report to Congress has found that the total amount of expected recoveries reported between October 1, 2015 and March 31, 2016, is $2.77 billion, including $555 million in recoveries found through audits and $2.2 billion through investigations.

FDA promises new compassionate use form will save physicians time

Physicians will have to fill out a new form to request access to investigational drugs for patients with terminal illnesses, which the Food and Drug Administration said will take 45 minutes to complete.

Around the web

In the post-COVID era, wages for permanent RNs are rising, and wages for travelers are decreasing. A new report tracked these trends and more. 

Two medical device companies have announced a transaction that could shake up the U.S. electrophysiology market. 

These companies were already part of the Johnson & Johnson family, but they had still retained their previous brand names. Now, each one is officially going by Johnson & Johnson MedTech. 

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