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.

Unregulated Craiglist drug market rising due to sky-high prices

More Americans afflicted with chronic disease are turning to unregulated markets such as Craigslist to find insulin and other necessary medications because they can’t afford to purchase them at the pharmacy.

Study: Universal healthcare system would save lives, improve healthcare

A Medicare for all healthcare system has the potential to improve the availability of services and efficiency of care in the United States, according to a recent study published in The Lancet.

House committees break logjam, setting up ‘showdown’ on surprise billing

Lawmakers have advanced two differing legislative proposals to address this issue, with one drawing favor from radiologists and other specialties.

RADPAC raised $1M in 2019, placing radiology near the top in contributions

The ACR Association's political action committee surpassed this dollar mark for the ninth consecutive year in a row, officials noted.

Healthcare spending closes in on $6K per privately insured person

HCCI analyzed more than 2.5 billion de-identified claims, including those for prescription drugs as well as medical visits, filed from 2014 to 2018 with Aetna, Humana, Kaiser Permanente and UnitedHealthcare.

CMS will simplify prior authorization process that’s given radiologists headaches for years

Administrator Seema Verma recently revealed that her agency has identified such changes as a top priority in 2020.

Radiology societies urge Congress to halt $3B in proposed cuts to NIH

Twenty-four imaging advocacy groups are asking lawmakers to stave off any cuts to the National Institutes of Health, which funds numerous radiology-related research initiatives.

Fewer struggling to pay medical bills—surprise or not—but millions still set back

Citing data previously published from the National Health Interview Survey, authors Amy Cha, PhD, MPH, and Robin Cohen, PhD, point out that major medical bills piling up for one member of a family tend to weaken the entire household.

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