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.

FDA clears Abbott delivery device for closing holes in the hearts of premature infants
Cardiologists now have a new tool to assist with PDA closure in these vulnerable patients.
American College of Radiology’s longtime head of advocacy to retire
Cynthia R. Moran joined the organization in 2003 after previously spending a decade as director of government relations with the American Academy of Ophthalmology
In brief: Dems and GOPers both wrong about healthcare | Physician trainees literally going hungry | Uplifting points of 2025 light
Democrats want to keep Obamacare going. Republicans want to replace it, ideally with health savings accounts. Regardless of which approach holds sway this week—or whenever—either one would be woefully shortsighted.
House GOP slaps down ACA subsidies as ‘Lower Health Care Premiums Act’ moves to Senate
A Hail Mary attempt by a bipartisan group to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits failed. The new bill contains some reforms, including new reporting requirements for PBMs and support for associated health plans. It now faces the Senate.
Leading nuclear medicine organizations collaborate to streamline PET accreditation
The groups have jointly endorsed a unified framework “to standardize and harmonize quantitative PET imaging worldwide.”

Members of Congress propose radiology-supported bill to ease burden of medical school debt

Lawmakers in the House and Senate have reintroduced the Resident Education Deferred Interest (REDI) Act, endorsed by ASTRO and SIR.

DEA, HHS postpone permanent telehealth prescribing rule—again

The new rule was expected to go into effect on March 21 and would have expanded prescribing practices for buprenorphine, a non-opioid painkiller used to treat addiction.

Rates of breast cancer diagnosis, death expected to climb in coming decades

By 2050, new cases could rise by up to 38%, while deaths may see a steeper climb, potentially increasing 68%, according to new research from WHO.

Edwards Lifesciences Corporation has shared new one-year data on the safety and effectiveness of its Evoque transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement (TTVR) system among patients with tricuspid regurgitation (TR)

CMS approves Medicare coverage for transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement

CMS will cover TTVR for the treatment of symptomatic tricuspid regurgitation on a national level. The agency first proposed such a policy in December, taking time to consider public comments before finalizing its decision.

FDA approves new prostate cancer imaging agent with extended shelf life

The new product from Telix paves the way for increased access at clinics where prostate PET may not have been available in the past.

Bard Peripheral Vascular Rotarex Atherectomy System recall

Safety update: FDA announces Class I recall due to atherectomy devices breaking during use

The FDA shared a warning about these safety issues in February, but said it was still reviewing the evidence. The agency is now saying the devices “may cause serious injury or death” if used without following the updated instructions for use.

Healthcare AI newswatch: California AI hoping, the jagged AI frontier, agents bumping off bots, more

California has moved assertively to legislate guardrails around AI in healthcare. Will other states follow?

Next-generation AI agents are headed for healthcare. What will they do once they get here?

Healthcare AI agents can be classified as one of four models. In increasing order of autonomy and clinical integration, these are: foundation, assistant, partner and pioneer.

Policy & Regulations

FDA clears Abbott delivery device for closing holes in the hearts of premature infants

American College of Radiology’s longtime head of advocacy to retire

In brief: Dems and GOPers both wrong about healthcare | Physician trainees literally going hungry | Uplifting points of 2025 light

House GOP slaps down ACA subsidies as ‘Lower Health Care Premiums Act’ moves to Senate

Leading nuclear medicine organizations collaborate to streamline PET accreditation