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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MITA cheers federal breast density reporting requirement

The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA) has issued a statement in support of the recently passed federal requirement that all mammography providers must include information about breast density in reports sent to patients and their physicians.

Crossover Health Acquires Sherpaa Health Virtual Primary Care Platform

Crossover Health, a leading provider of comprehensive health services for self-insured employers, announced today that it has acquired the exclusive rights to the technology platform developed by Sherpaa Health, the pioneer of virtual primary care.

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GE to sell biopharma biz for $21B, postpone healthcare IPO

General Electric Company (GE) is selling its biopharma business to Danaher for $21.4 billion, the company announced Feb. 25. With a definitive agreement signed between the two parties, GE’s previous plan to spin off its healthcare sector with its own initial public offering is likely put on hold, GE Chairman and CEO Larry Culp told CNBC.

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Report reveals drug middlemen snagged $124M in Kentucky

Drug middlemen gobbled up $123.5 million in hidden costs in Kentucky’s Medicaid program, according to a new report from the Kentucky’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

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FDA: Thermography not cleared as standalone tool for breast cancer screening, diagnosis

The FDA has published a statement emphasizing that thermography is not cleared as an alternative to mammography for breast cancer screening or diagnosis. This comes on the heels of the agency sending La Mesa, California-based Total Thermal Imaging a warning letter for marketing "an unapproved thermography device as a sole screening device for breast cancer and other diseases.”

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Cigna, Anthem dispute bills after failed merger

A proposed merger between two major health insurance providers ended in a messy breakup after antitrust issues prohibited the roughly $50 billion transaction in 2017. Now, the two companies, Anthem and Cigna, are still disputing which company will foot the costs of the failed deal, Bloomberg Quint reported.

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CivicaRx wants to change drug costs by working with pharma

CivicaRx, the not-for-profit entity created last year by a group of health systems and hospitals, is planning to achieve its goals of lowering drug prices and addressing shortages in hospitals by working directly with pharmaceutical companies and buying drugs, Bloomberg reported.

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Traveling and waiting for healthcare services costs $89B each year

Getting to and waiting for a doctor’s appointment will likely take longer than getting a car repair, according to a recent analysis of travel and wait times among professional services by Altarum. All that waiting and traveling adds up to a significant burden in the U.S.–– an average of $89 billion annually in economic costs from 2006 to 2017.