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.

Physician practice leaders ‘alarmed’ by skyrocketing cost of prior authorization policies

A new analysis estimates that the price tag for radiologists and other specialties to manually generate a prior authorization increased 60% between 2018 and 2019.

Conservative groups launch ad blitz to stop surprise medical billing proposal opposed by radiologists

The “Coalition Against Rate-Setting,” launched in January, wants to bury bipartisan legislation proposed to address this issue.

Pharma industry lobbying hit $29M in 2019

The pharmaceutical industry upped its lobbying efforts in 2019, with a record-high of $29 million spent lobbying Congress.

Civica Rx, Blue Cross Blue Shield tackle high-cost generic medications with new subsidiary

Civica Rx and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and 18 of its health plans have teamed up to create a new subsidiary that will target low-cost generic drugs.

How US could fall behind China in AI development

The United States is still viewed as the world’s leader in researching and developing AI solutions—but could that reputation be at stake?

$13.3B of healthcare administration could be automated

One-third of healthcare administrative spending could be automated and save $13.3 billion, according to a report by CAQH.

Centene, WellCare $17.3B merger clears regulatory requirements

Centene has passed all regulatory hurdles to seal the deal on a merger with WellCare Health Plans worth $17.3 billion.

Amazon ramps up trademarks for pharmacy business

Amazon is signaling it may soon sell prescription drugs in the U.K., Canada and Australia after the company moved to trademark “Amazon Pharmacy” in those countries at the start of 2020, CNBC reported.

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