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.

Reimbursement update: What hospitals need to know about new Medicare payments for cardiac CT
CMS finalized a significant policy change when it increased the Medicare payments hospitals receive for performing CCTA exams. What, exactly, does the update mean for cardiologists, billing specialists and other hospital employees?
Dental chain involved in ransomware coverup fined $350K
A regional chain of clinics that lied through its teeth about a data breach has agreed to pay a $350,000 settlement to resolve multiple allegations it violated HIPAA.
Johnson & Johnson pauses use of FDA-approved PFA system to investigate patient complications
Johnson & Johnson MedTech's Varipulse PFA system has been linked to multiple reports of "neurovascular events" in patients. The company hopes to share more information in the days ahead.
Experts update AUC for amyloid, tau PET imaging for first time in more than a decade
The new appropriate use criteria define 17 specific clinical scenarios, guiding providers on situations when amyloid or tau imaging are and are not appropriate.
$49B in medical debt to be erased from credit reports
A new final rule from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau bans reporting agencies from including medical debts on credit reports or factoring them into credit scores.

Medtronic reaches milestone in study of pulsed-field ablation and mapping catheter for AFib

A randomized study of more than 450 patients with persistent atrial fibrillation is now underway. All patients have been treated, and their outcomes will be tracked for 12 months.

December 5, 2022

Amazon’s $3.9B acquisition of One Medical under review in Oregon

The state of Oregon is taking a hard look at the proposed acquisition of One Medical by Amazon. The deal is valued at $3.9 billion.

December 2, 2022

As FDA approaches decision on Alzheimer's drug, 2 deaths raise concerns

Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai has denied that two deaths that have sparked concerns about a new Alzheimer's disease drug treatment are attributed to its trials.

December 2, 2022

FDA announces another recall for troubled heart device after multiple hospitalizations

This latest recall involves the device's driveline boot cover, which “can become stiff over time” and cause problems for clinicians. There have been 33 complaints since 2017 related to the issue.

December 2, 2022

High copays keep many heart failure patients from filling needed prescriptions

Researchers examined data from more than 900 patients, presenting their findings in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

December 1, 2022

doctor fruits vegetables vegetarian diet

Cardiologist urges physicians to promote plant-based diets: ‘We owe it to the profession, our patients and the planet’

The authors of a new commentary in the American Journal of Cardiology argued that well-balanced plant-based diets are good for the heart and good for society as a whole.

December 1, 2022

Regulatory Roundup: Updates on Medtronic and LivaNova recalls, FDA-cleared AI models, a new heart valve and more

Read our recap of some of the biggest FDA-related stories that impacted cardiology in the last month.

November 30, 2022

Sustainability emerges as a prevalent theme at RSNA 2022

Sustainability might not have been the official theme of RSNA 2022, but it was a prevalent topic among vendors, attendees and presenters.

November 30, 2022

Policy & Regulations

Reimbursement update: What hospitals need to know about new Medicare payments for cardiac CT

Dental chain involved in ransomware coverup fined $350K

Johnson & Johnson pauses use of FDA-approved PFA system to investigate patient complications

Experts update AUC for amyloid, tau PET imaging for first time in more than a decade

$49B in medical debt to be erased from credit reports