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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BCBS, Mayo Clinic agree to 5-year collaborative relationship

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and Mayo Clinic will enter into a five-year agreement that will keep all state-wide Mayo Clinic locations within network through 2023.

Beverly Hills radiologists sentenced to 10 years in patient referral kickback case

Ronald Grusd, MD, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison Monday after he fraudulently billed California insurance companies more than $25 million while also paying kickbacks for patient referrals from clinics in San Diego, the Times of San Diego reported.

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Trump to announce expansion of non-ACA-complaint 'association health plans'

The Trump administration appears close to announcing a new health insurance option for small businesses and self-employed individuals that would offer fewer benefits and cost less.

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62% of millennials would let insurers check social media if it lowered premiums

A majority of millennials—individuals between 18 and 34 years old—are willing to let health insurance companies access their social media, provided their premiums could be lowered, according to a survey from MuleSoft Inc.

6 factors behind PwC's 2019's medical cost trend of 6%

PricewaterhouseCoopers released its report on medical cost trends, which estimates numbers for 2019. The good news? Cost increases have leveled off—rising 6 percent in 2019. But for employers, these increasing expenditures do not lead to improved productivity. Medical costs continue to jump, while growth in labor productivity should remain near 1.1 percent for 2019—below the average annual increase of 2.3 percent in recent decades.

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MITA backs investigation into security of legacy medical devices, offers policy guidance

The Medical Imaging and Technology Alliance (MITA) submitted formal comments June 11 to the Energy and Commerce Committee applauding the organization’s investigation into medical device vulnerabilities and outlined suggested policies to advance cybersecurity for legacy medical imaging equipment.

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MedPAC proposes payment cuts to radiology, other specialties

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has proposed making payment cuts to numerous specialties, including radiology, to “rebalance” the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule toward ambulatory evaluation and management (E&M) services.

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Trump administration announces tariffs on $50B of Chinese goods—including medical devices

After months of statements, speculation, trade talks, tweets and threats, the U.S. government has officially put tariffs in place on $50 billion worth of products imported from China, including medical imaging equipment. X-ray, CT and MRI equipment are all on the list of products included in this announcement.