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.

FDA highlights risks of evaluating blood pressure with unauthorized medical devices
The agency emphasized that many over-the-counter technologies marketed for this purpose have not been properly evaluated.
Healthcare AI today: Another angle on AI regulation, move fast but don’t break things, WISeR in the real world, more
Getting healthcare AI to fulfill its destiny—can we call it that now?—will require ‘scenario-based’ consideration of every use case.
Repeat imaging rates higher when scans are interpreted by nurse practitioners, physician assistants
The finding is based on an analysis of nearly 1.4 million office-based imaging claims, conducted by the Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute.
Members of Congress condemn Medicare model targeting ‘wasteful’ interventional radiology services
“It is not an exaggeration to say that the requirement of prior authorization for traditional Medicare services will kill seniors,” says Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis.
Referrers frequently failing to recommend patients for key interventional radiology procedure
An analysis of nearly 272,000 uterine fibroid healthcare encounters shows that only about 4% of women underwent uterine fibroid embolization, a minimally invasive IR treatment option.

ACR to Congress: Pump the brakes on proposed changes that could hurt radiologists

The American College of Radiology (ACR) is now asking Congress to intervene to help stop budget changes that could severely hamper imaging professionals.

CMS wants to add wellness programs to the ACA marketplace

Ten states will be allowed to apply to participate in a wellness program demonstration project for their individual health insurance market, CMS announced in a bulletin.

Members of Congress urge CMS to delay proposed myocardial PET cuts

Forty-three members of Congress have signed a letter addressed to CMS Administrator Seema Verma, asking the administration to delay the proposed cuts to myocardial PET scans.

ACOs saved Medicare $1.7B in 2018

Accountable Care Organizations saved Medicare $1.7 billion in 2018, netting $739 in net savings after bonuses and payment losses were distributed in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP).

House members urge CMS to stave off ‘disruptive’ cuts that would harm heart PET

A bipartisan group of U.S. House members are urging the federal government to pull back on proposed cuts that could severely hamper heart treatment using PET.

Uninsured rate among diabetics dropped after ACA

The Affordable Care Act had a profound impact on the uninsured rate of U.S. adults with diabetes, according to a recent study from University of Southern California published in the journal of the American Diabetes Association, Diabetes Care.

Drugmakers latch onto Purdue settlement in opioid lawsuits

As Purdue Pharma files for bankruptcy and prepares to settle a slew of lawsuits for approximately $10 billion for its role in the national opioid crisis, other drugmakers are hoping to latch onto the deal to resolve their own litigation threats.

Websites advertise non-existent 'Trumpcare' health plans

Trumpcare healthcare plans pop up in online search results for health insurance, but there’s one problem: Trumpcare plans aren’t actually real.

Policy & Regulations

FDA highlights risks of evaluating blood pressure with unauthorized medical devices

Healthcare AI today: Another angle on AI regulation, move fast but don’t break things, WISeR in the real world, more

Repeat imaging rates higher when scans are interpreted by nurse practitioners, physician assistants

Members of Congress condemn Medicare model targeting ‘wasteful’ interventional radiology services

Referrers frequently failing to recommend patients for key interventional radiology procedure