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.

12 charged in Florida as part of ‘Operation Nightingale’ sting on low-quality nursing schools
The defendants include operators and staff at nursing schools that were shut down over accusations they provided pay-for-play degrees that RNs and LPNs used to obtain licenses.
ACR changing its accreditation process in response to corporate consolidation
CEO Dana Smetherman, MD, MPH, MBA, explains how the consolidation of radiology practices has shifted how the college thinks about its processes.
FDA highlights risks of evaluating blood pressure with unauthorized medical devices
The agency emphasized that many over-the-counter technologies marketed for this purpose have not been properly evaluated.
Healthcare AI today: Another angle on AI regulation, move fast but don’t break things, WISeR in the real world, more
Getting healthcare AI to fulfill its destiny—can we call it that now?—will require ‘scenario-based’ consideration of every use case.
Repeat imaging rates higher when scans are interpreted by nurse practitioners, physician assistants
The finding is based on an analysis of nearly 1.4 million office-based imaging claims, conducted by the Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute.

Many U.S. websites do not reflect updated lung cancer screening guidelines

Accurate information relative to personal risk is crucial for improving uptake of low-dose CT (LDCT) lung cancer screening, but new data indicate that many websites' content on the topic is out of date.

Example of the four types of breast tissue density. The density of fibroglandular tissue inside the breast impacts the ability to easily see cancers. Cancers are very easy to spot in fatty breasts, but are almost impossible to find in extremely dense breasts. These examples show craniocaudal mammogram findings characterized as almost entirely fatty (far left), scattered areas of fibroglandular density (second from left), heterogeneously dense (second from right), and extremely dense (far right). RSNA

Breast density notification laws: How will the FDA's updates affect radiologists and referring providers?

The FDA will soon require mammography providers to inform all patients of their breast density status. To anticipate how the update might affect key stakeholders, it’s important to understand exactly what has changed.

Paltry use of CT for lung cancer screening persists across all payer types

The findings should serve as a call to action for radiologists to increase awareness about LDCT, experts contended.

UnitedHealthcare to cut back on prior authorization paperwork

UnitedHealthcare announced it would remove 20% of its current prior authorizations starting with the third quarter of this year.

FDA approves OTC Narcan for the first time

The medication can reverse an opioid overdose and is a critical, life-saving product now able to be sold directly to consumers in places like pharmacies, convenience stores, grocers, gas stations and online, the FDA said.

Congress aims to crack down on ‘zombie drug’

Xylazine is a sedative intended for animals such as horses and cattle, but it is increasingly being found mixed with strong opioids such as fentanyl.

A list of cardiovascular drugs a patient is taking in a graphical format in the Cardioviso atrial fibrillation patient management application GE Healthcare showed at ACC.23.#ACC23 #ACC

Lawsuit slams PBMs Cigna, Humana as price-fixing ‘modern gangsters’

“Medications shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg, metaphorically or literally,” says Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost “Insulin is just a symptom of the problem; PBMs are the disease.”

American College of Radiology says accreditation fees will rise 9% across most modalities

Pricing updates will take effect on July 1 and mark the first rate increase in more than a decade, ACR said.

Policy & Regulations

12 charged in Florida as part of ‘Operation Nightingale’ sting on low-quality nursing schools

ACR changing its accreditation process in response to corporate consolidation

FDA highlights risks of evaluating blood pressure with unauthorized medical devices

Healthcare AI today: Another angle on AI regulation, move fast but don’t break things, WISeR in the real world, more

Repeat imaging rates higher when scans are interpreted by nurse practitioners, physician assistants