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. 

HHS seeks feedback from entities in HIPAA audit program

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is seeking feedback from entities on their involvement in a 2012 Office of Civil Rights HIPAA audit program. Survey results will inform the HHS as it embarks on a permanent program, as required by the HITECH Act.

Report: 29 states failing at transparent healthcare pricing

More than half of U.S. states are failing at transparency when it comes to disclosing costs for healthcare services, according to Health Care Incentive Institute and Catalyst for Payment Reform’s March 18 report on state price transparency laws.

CIO Q&A: Standards could ease stress of breakneck HIT pace

CIOs around the country have a lot on their plate right now, according to Marc Probst, vice president and CIO of Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City. Probst spoke about one of the biggest issues in health IT, Meaningful Use, at the Health Information Management Systems Society annual meeting in New Orleans, and Clinical Innovation + Technology recently caught up with him to get his take on how the initiative is rolling out.

CMS releases guidance on state partnership exchanges

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a 57-page guidance document for qualified health plan issuers participating in federally-facilitated state partnership exchanges, which are set to go live October 2013.

Legislators seek clarity on FDA oversight of mobile medical apps

With the growth of the tablet and smartphone market, U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee members requested clarity from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on its regulatory authority over mobile medical applications, and whether mobile device manufacturers could be subject to excise taxes pursuant to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).

FTC, Idaho AG file antitrust suit

The Federal Trade Commission, together with the Idaho Attorney General, filed a complaint in federal district court seeking to block St. Luke’s Health System’s acquisition of Idaho's largest independent, multispecialty physician practice group, Saltzer Medical Group.

HIMSS: Nursing's critical role in EHR success

NEW ORLEANS—Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, in New Brunswick, N.J., survived a failed EMR implementation effort before it could experience a successful one, according to Nicole Martinez, BSN, RN, director of nursing informatics, who spoke during the Healthcare Information Management and Systems Society annual convention.

HIMSS: ICD-10 impacts everyone

NEW ORLEANS—“Everyone focuses on the increasing numbers of codes” that will come with the shift from ICD-9 to ICD-10, but the new coding system impacts everyone and everything from revenue cycle to patient access to health information management, said Tom Ormondroyd, MBA, vice president and general manager of elearning solutions for Precyse during an educational session at the Health Information Management and Systems Society annual convention.

Around the web

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.”

FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, MD, said the clinical community needs to combat health misinformation at a grassroots level. He warned that patients are immersed in a "sea of misinformation without a compass."

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