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. 

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Healthcare employment soared through end of 2018

The healthcare industry took the lead as the largest employer in the United States in 2018, with high rates of job growth continuing through the end of the year, according to recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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WSJ: Private insurers kept $9B in cash from Medicare

Health insurers have been inflating cost estimates for providing prescription-drug benefits to more than 40 million Medicare beneficiaries, allowing them to cash in $9.1 billion in extra payments from 2006 to 2015, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.

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Participating in a CMS pay-for-performance program? Consider reporting as a group

Radiology practices who hope to achieve success in CMS pay-for-performance programs should consider group participation rather than each radiologist participating as an individual, according to new research published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

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Payment cuts to 340B drug program put on pause

A federal judge has intervened in the planned payment cuts to the 340B drug pricing program that enables outpatient facilities to purchase certain drugs at a lower cost.

Obamacare lawsuit appeals process to launch

Several Democratic states have filed notice to appeal the recent court ruling that declared the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional, The Hill reported.

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Judge: ACA to stay in place during appeals process

The Affordable Care Act will remain in place after a judge declared the healthcare rule was unconstitutional in late December. The judge, U.S. District Court Judge Reed O'Connor, has since stated the ACA will remain in effect while the case goes through an appeals process.

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ACR Appropriateness Criteria updated with 7 new topics

The American College of Radiology (ACR) has released seven new and 19 revised topics for its ACR Appropriateness Criteria.

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CMS finalizes changes to the ACO program

CMS has finalized changes to the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) that “dramatically redesigns and sets a new direction” for Medicare accountable care organizations (ACOs). The final rule, as outlined in the proposed rule announced in August, will force ACOs to take on more risk at a quicker pace.