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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Federal judge rejects expansion of association health plans

A federal judge rejected the Trump administration’s efforts to expand access to association health plans March 29, throwing small businesses that rely on those plans into a state of uncertainty, the Washington Post reported.

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Update to ACR Appropriateness Criteria released to public

The American College of Radiology (ACR) has released an update to its ACR Appropriateness Criteria.

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Female Ob/Gyns paid $67K less than male colleagues

Women physicians who work in reproductive health for women earn an average $67,000 less per year than men working in the same field. The pay gap cuts across subspecialties within it, such as reproductive endocrinology, and it holds even after adjusting for years of experience, hours worked and other variables.

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Washington DC enacts breast density reporting bill, requires insurance coverage of additional exams

The D.C. Council has enacted Washington D.C.’s breast density reporting legislation, meaning that all women must now be informed after undergoing a mammogram if they have dense breast tissue.

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1 in 7 patients receive surprise medical bills

Roughly 1 in 7 patients—or 14.5 percent of hospital admissions in the U.S.—experience surprise medical billing despite seeking care at an in-network facility, according to an analysis by the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI).

Medicare FFS amassed $23.2B in improper payments in 2017

Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) programs racked up an estimated $23.2 billion in improper payments in 2017, according to CMS data—almost $19 billion more than Medicaid FFS’ $4.3 billion and a red flag that the program’s documentation requirements might not be up to par.

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Purdue Pharma reaches $270M settlement in opioid case

Purdue Pharma agreed to a $270 million settlement March 26 to help battle Oklahoma’s opioid crisis after a slew of lawsuits threatened to edge the company into bankruptcy.

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Reporting update: PI-RADS version 2.1 released to public

The PI-RADS Steering Committee, a collaboration between the American College of Radiology (ACR), European Society of Urogenital Radiology and AdMeTech Foundation, has published a new update to its Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS).