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.

Trump administration exempts doctors from work visa freeze
SCAI said reversing the processing hold allows physicians to continue serving patients and helps stabilize the workforce.
Thousands of reprocessed EP catheters recalled
Stryker Sustainability Solutions is recalling more than 8,000 reprocessed medical devices. This is a Class II recall, according to the FDA, and these devices should no longer be used to treat patients.
American College of Radiology urges FDA to address breast biopsy needle shortages
“According to widespread reports from the breast imaging community, these shortages are creating immediate and substantial challenges for breast imaging practices nationwide," ACR warned the FDA in a letter May 11.
Bill in Congress would rein in PBMs, force divestment from pharmacies
The Patients Before Monopolies Act was introduced into both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives with bipartisan support. If it passes, pharmacy benefit managers would be required to divest from retail stores.
‘Best Countries’ report: Middling scores for health cut into US’s bid for overall greatness
A meticulous comparison of quality-of-life factors across 100 countries has yielded good news and bad news for the United States of America.

President Trump's presidential proclamation Sept. 19 to implement a $100,000 fee for H-1B visa applications had immediate backlash from dozens of medical societies. Groups like the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) said this will cut off the flow of foreign physicians into the U.S. at a time when we cannot graduate enough American physicians to fill positions in a healthcare system that is facing a rapidly growing physician shortage.

Trump administration exempts doctors from work visa freeze

SCAI said reversing the processing hold allows physicians to continue serving patients and helps stabilize the workforce.

Thousands of reprocessed EP catheters recalled

Stryker Sustainability Solutions is recalling more than 8,000 reprocessed medical devices. This is a Class II recall, according to the FDA, and these devices should no longer be used to treat patients.

American College of Radiology urges FDA to address breast biopsy needle shortages

“According to widespread reports from the breast imaging community, these shortages are creating immediate and substantial challenges for breast imaging practices nationwide," ACR warned the FDA in a letter May 11.

Bill in Congress would rein in PBMs, force divestment from pharmacies

The Patients Before Monopolies Act was introduced into both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives with bipartisan support. If it passes, pharmacy benefit managers would be required to divest from retail stores.

‘Best Countries’ report: Middling scores for health cut into US’s bid for overall greatness

A meticulous comparison of quality-of-life factors across 100 countries has yielded good news and bad news for the United States of America.

Blood pressure drug recalled after failed test

Nearly 700 bottles of a popular ACE inhibitor are being recalled after it failed an Organic Impurities Test. The drug was manufactured in India and then distributed by New Jersey-based Rising Pharma Holdings.

CMS pauses new Medicare hospice and home health provider entries for six months

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said it’s issuing a nationwide moratorium on new providers entering the spaces until it has a chance to look into allegations of fraud, waste and abuse. It confirmed investigations of various organizations are pending.

Consolidation of physician practices proceeds apace, corporatizing medicine one acquisition at a time

The days when most doctors worked in independent practice settings are fading from memory like old photoprints in a musty scrapbook.