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.

Senate bounces spending bill back to House with 2.5% Medicare rad fix
In addition, there are no restrictions on pass-through entity taxes (PTET), which “benefits independent physician practices,” one expert notes.
Medicare cost-cutting initiative targets ‘wasteful, inappropriate’ interventional radiology services
Interventional radiologists criticized the CMS proposal, believing it could lead to excess morbidity and mortality in Medicare.
103K Medicare beneficiaries issued new IDs after ‘data incident’ at CMS
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said “malicious actors” created fake accounts for Medicare beneficiaries through the agency’s patient portal, using stolen data from an unknown source. The incident is being investigated.
FDA announces recall of Baxter infusion pumps with mismatched software
Spectrum V8 and V6 infusion pumps may have accidentally had their software switched, which could result in underinfusion or a fluid overload. While no injuries have been reported, for safety the affected pumps need to be removed from where they are used and sold.
Medtronic’s new ECMO system receives a key approval
According to Medtronic, its VitalFlow ECMO system was designed and developed with the user experience in mind.

NHS announces major overhaul of cancer screening programs amid recent issues

NHS England has announced plans to do a major overall of its national cancer screening programs as part of its Long Term Plan, an initiative aimed to improve patient care and outcomes, according to an NHS press release published Nov. 15.

Housing reimbursement may be on the way for Medicaid

Expanded benefits could include paying for housing among Medicaid beneficiaries, according to HHS Secretary Alex Azar, who spoke about the impact of social determinants of health during a speech with the Hatch Foundation for Civility and Solutions on Nov. 14.

NHS England announces ‘major overhaul’ to national cancer screening programs

The National Health Service (NHS) England announced a “major overhaul” to national cancer screening programs in an effort to curb cancer-related mortality.

Where Medicare Advantage will cost the least in 2019

Healthcare costs around the country vary across settings and services, and the same is true for Medicare Advantage, which is expected to grow to 22.6 million members in 2019.

Mayo Clinic receives $200M gift

A philanthropist has given $200 million to Mayo Clinic in what is the largest-ever donation to the nonprofit hospital system.

NYT: Hospital mergers lead to higher costs for patients

On the surface, hospital mergers may seem like an opportunity to create benefits for consumers, including more resources for top-notch care and lower costs. However, cheaper prices aren’t a likely outcome, according to an analysis by The New York Times.

CMS to allow Medicaid mental health demonstrations

CMS sent state Medicaid directors an email on Nov. 13 announcing new opportunities to design service delivery systems for treating mental health. The announcement eases previous prohibitions against using Medicaid funding to pay for short-term residential treatment in an institution for mental disease.

Envision reaches contract agreement with Cigna

Envision Healthcare has reached a new statewide agreement with Cigna Healthcare of Arizona. The multiyear agreement ensures Envision’s clinicians are in-network.

Policy & Regulations

Senate bounces spending bill back to House with 2.5% Medicare rad fix

Medicare cost-cutting initiative targets ‘wasteful, inappropriate’ interventional radiology services

103K Medicare beneficiaries issued new IDs after ‘data incident’ at CMS

FDA announces recall of Baxter infusion pumps with mismatched software

Medtronic’s new ECMO system receives a key approval