From long waits to manipulated medical records to preventable deaths, the Department of Veterans Affairs has had more than its share of problems over the past few years. That’s no secret. 

Anticipating a plunge in the number of uninsured patients, the framers of the Affordable Care Act reduced disproportionate-share (DSH) payments to hospitals serving outsized indigent and Medicaid populations. A recent crunch of the numbers shows the cuts are placing particular pains on children’s hospitals. 

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced on Dec. 18 that it planned on blocking the proposed merger of two major hospital systems in Chicago, the third time in six weeks that the FTC challenged a proposed hospital merger.

By cutting patients’ out-of-pocket expenses for screening mammography, the Affordable Care Act succeeded in sending many more women for the exams. Now comes a review of Medicare claims revealing that the effect was nowhere to be found in the target population for screening colonoscopy.

The House of Representatives released specifics on a $1.1 trillion funding bill that includes a package of tax breaks, coming down to the wire on Tuesday, Dec. 15, to finalize the bill by the deadline.

The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) is urging the federal government to give healthcare providers more time to adjust to recent changes to the Meaningful Use program before mandating new and burdensome Stage 3 requirements.

The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) held a panel discussion earlier this month, discussing medical malpractice reform along with a variety of other topics. 

Maybe you’re familiar with a little effort called ICD-10 that has been the subject of delays, debate, regulations, contingencies and more for several years now.