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. 

Medicare physician fee schedule final rule 2026.

Medicare Physician Fee Schedule cuts cardiologist pay because CMS says doctors should be more efficient

The new, negative 2.5% efficiency adjustment will be applied to the vast majority of Medicare payments for physician services. It was opposed by cardiology and most other medical societies. 

FDA grants De Novo marketing authorization for at-home prenatal ultrasound

Women's health experts are calling the approval a "long-awaited leap forward" for obstetrical care.

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MRI recall update: New guidance on issue prompting FDA Class 1 safety warning

Concerns pertain to the systems’ venting paths, but certain functions within their operating suite, manufactured by IMRIS Imaging Inc., could trigger an adverse event within the scanner itself.

Medicare money bills dollars

Medicare releases 2026 physician fee schedule, finalizing cuts opposed by radiology

Medicare is finalizing a controversial “efficiency adjustment” and cuts related to practice expenses—both opposed by imaging groups earlier this year. 

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45% of seniors report longer wait times for care than 1 year ago, new RBMA survey finds

About 60% of those experiencing delays said they’ve struggled to find doctors who accept Medicare, the Radiology Business Management Association reports. 

Medicare Money

CMS 2026 physician fee schedule emphasizes chronic disease management, includes pay raise

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced a 3.26% reimbursement increase for all providers, with those enrolled in alternative payment models seeing a higher rise.

Contractor for clinician-focused addiction recovery program sued over ‘punishingly expensive’ practices

The plaintiffs, 10 nurses and one doctor, are all enrolled in the state-mandated initiative for clinicians with past substance abuse issues. The rules require monitoring and regular drug testing to prove sobriety; however, the lot argues that the contractor in charge, Maximus, is being dishonestly punitive.

At the recent American College of Cardiology (ACC) Legislative Committee meeting, leaders warned that ongoing federal policy uncertainty threatens patient access and the stability of cardiovascular care. Cathie Biga, MSM, immediate past president of the ACC, outlined growing concerns over telehealth, shrinking Medicare reimbursement, and mounting physician workforce shortages driven by visa restrictions.

ACC raises red flags over telehealth, payment reform and the cardiologist shortage

"We need telehealth the way we had it for COVID," Cathie Biga told Cardiovascular Business at TCT 2025. "We don't want to go back to having it so restricted."