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.

White House to end civil service protections for 50,000 federal workers
President Donald Trump's administration said an executive order to implement Schedule F, to make it easier to fire federal works that don't align with its agenda of "draining the swamp," is forthcoming.
Proposed HHS budget would close NINR, cut nursing programs
The American Nurses Association is warning that eliminating support for the training and research offered by the National Institute of Nursing Research could be devastating to the public, as many programs support specialties such as maternal and mental health.
FDA warns that certain coronary imaging catheters are being removed from market over safety concerns
A catheter sheath detached during use and was left in the patient’s body. It was successfully removed, but the FDA said it is now evaluating the potential risk to others going forward. There is no official recall at this time.
FDA clears new cold cathode tomosynthesis system
Cold cathode tubes make for smaller systems that are lighter in weight and require less energy to operate, also resulting in decreased costs.
Arkansas the 30th state to pass legislation bolstering coverage for breast imaging
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed Senate Bill 123 into law on April 14 following its passage by the state legislature, weeks after Virginia passed a similar bill.

AMA releases new toolkit with 5 steps to achieve racial, health equity

The "Racial and Health Equity: Concrete STEPS for Health Systems toolkit is the latest addition to a collection of more than 70 other toolkits that cover transformative medical practice solutions.

Health-tech companies back new legislation introduced to modernize ‘outdated’ health privacy laws

Teladoc Health, IBM, Epic and others all support the bipartisan Health Data Use and Privacy Commission Act.

With patient safety slipping, CDC and CMS turn focus to more resilient approaches

COVID-19 has led to a quick and steep decline in patient safety across the entire American healthcare system.

Appeals court revives lawsuit alleging misordered CT scan led to patient’s death

Lynda Newman, MD, claimed she ordered imaging with contrast, suspecting aortic dissection, but a rad tech performed CT without, leading to a missed diagnosis.

HHS awards $55 million to expand virtual healthcare access

The awards will enhance telehealth, digital patient tools and health information technology to support underserved communities.

American College of Radiology urges FDA to use discretion in ‘point-of-care’ 3D printing oversight

Anatomic models pose significantly less danger than surgical guides or implanted devices and should be regulated differently, the ACR said in recent public comments.

Prior authorization adversely impacts patient care, workforce productivity

An AMA survey shows that prior authorization can have harsh consequences on evidence-based care that interfere with a healthy, productive workforce.

CVS seeks to relieve overworked pharmacists with new policy

Pharmacists have also been affected by the pandemic, with higher than previously reported rates of burnout affecting the profession.

Policy & Regulations

White House to end civil service protections for 50,000 federal workers

Proposed HHS budget would close NINR, cut nursing programs

FDA warns that certain coronary imaging catheters are being removed from market over safety concerns

FDA clears new cold cathode tomosynthesis system

Arkansas the 30th state to pass legislation bolstering coverage for breast imaging