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. 

CMS delays star ratings for HealthCare.gov plans

CMS is further delaying the star rating system intended to help patients make decisions when they shop for insurance on HealthCare.gov, reports Modern Healthcare.

5 thoughts on navigating healthcare's future landscape

With more healthcare companies expanding and others combining to form technological powerhouses the healthcare landscape is drastically changing. The question that healthcare leaders ask now becomes “how do we navigate through this unknown territory?”

CHIME says FDA device interoperability guidance not strict enough

Draft guidance from the FDA on making sure medical devices and electronic records are interoperable doesn't go far enough, according to a letter to the FDA from the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME).

Google given access to healthcare data of 1.6M patients

Artificial intelligence company DeepMind, owned by Google, has been given access to the healthcare data of 1.6 million patients from three hospitals, reports The Guardian.

DOJ: South Dakota sending thousands to nursing homes unnecessarily

The Department of Justice is accusing South Dakota of wrongly funneling people with disabilities like blindness and severe diabetes into nursing homes or long-term care facilities

Pelican State’s Medicaid expansion named ‘Healthy Louisiana’

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards unveiled a new name and website for the state’s Medicaid program.

CMS emphasizes flexibility in webinar on proposed MACRA rule

CMS officials went over the numerous criteria factoring into the two new reporting paths, along with how and when clinicians would be scored under the new system.

Hospitalizations for opioid abuse double, costs quadruple in 10 years

Hospitalizations related to opioid abuse/dependence doubled while inpatient charges almost quadrupled between 2002 and 2012.

Around the web

The tirzepatide shortage that first began in 2022 has been resolved. Drug companies distributing compounded versions of the popular drug now have two to three more months to distribute their remaining supply.

The 24 members of the House Task Force on AI—12 reps from each party—have posted a 253-page report detailing their bipartisan vision for encouraging innovation while minimizing risks. 

Merck sent Hansoh Pharma, a Chinese biopharmaceutical company, an upfront payment of $112 million to license a new investigational GLP-1 receptor agonist. There could be many more payments to come if certain milestones are met.