The Drug Enforcement Administration is proposing the adoption of some COVID-era prescription practices around certain controlled substances. The agency published a framework to guide any such changes Jan. 17. 

Stephen Browning, the FDA's assistant director of hemodynamics and heart failure diagnostics, spoke with Cardiovascular Business about the agency's perspective on AI-enabled cardiovascular devices and many other topics.

The agencies said private equity firms are rolling up healthcare sectors through serialized purchases that fly under the radar of regulators, creating an unsustainable level of consolidation. 

A new report from the Office of the Inspector General found the FDA failed to properly record meetings with drug manufacturers, ultimately approving drugs later shown to have safety and efficacy issues. 

Maquet Cardiovascular, a subsidiary of Getinge, is recalling two of its endoscopic vessel harvesting devices due to issues with different pieces bending, peeling or detaching during use. Some of the company's other EVH devices were recently involved in a separate recall for similar reasons. 

Tracy Young, CRNA, vice president at the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology, details the ongoing fight between providers and insurers over how anesthesiologists get paid. 

CMS is accepting public comments on the topic for a period of 30 days. Recor Medical and Medtronic have both shared statements in support of the potential policy shift.

HHS has thought through the ways AI can and should become an integral part of healthcare, human services and public health. Last Friday—possibly just days ahead of seating a new secretary—the agency released a detailed plan for getting there from here.