Category: Regulatory

September 26, 2022

A New York Times investigation found that Providence, one of the nation’s largest health systems, pressured patients into paying their medical bills — even those who were eligible for financial assistance. Instead, the system devised a business strategy to get […]

September 23, 2022

The NSA, which went into effect in January, aims to protect patients from unexpected and costly medical bills when they unknowingly receive care from an out-of-network provider. Instead of seeking payment from the patient, providers and payers can go through […]

September 22, 2022

The Senate Finance Committee on Thursday released a bipartisan-supported discussion draft bill that aims to increase mental health access and improve mental health workforce shortages. The draft bill proposes to fill the gap in mental healthcare worker shortages by funding […]

September 20, 2022

A federal judge denied the Department of Justice’s attempt to block UnitedHealth Group’s $13 billion purchase of Change Healthcare, delivering a win on Monday to the healthcare giant as its reach continues to expand. Judge Carl Nichols’ ruling follows an […]

September 19, 2022

Dr. Nelson Onaro conceded last summer that he’d written illegal prescriptions, although he said he was thinking only of his patients. From a tiny, brick clinic in Oklahoma, he doled out hundreds of opioid pills and dozens of fentanyl patches […]

September 16, 2022

New Jersey Rep. Bill Pascrell wants federal health regulators to investigate the nation’s largest for-profit hospital operator. The Democrat sent a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra this week urging him to launch an inquiry into HCA Healthcare’s emergency department […]

September 13, 2022

Australian law firm Shine Lawyers has announced a $204.90m (A$300m) settlement has been reached in two class action suits against Johnson & Johnson (J&J) Medical for the sale of defective pelvic mesh implants. J&J Medical and its subsidiary Ethicon faced […]

September 12, 2022

Last month, the FDA authorized omicron-specific vaccines, accompanied by breathless science-by-press release and a media blitz. Just days after the FDA’s move, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention followed, recommending updated boosters for anyone age 12 and up who […]

August 31, 2022

The Food and Drug Administration has authorized updated COVID-19 booster vaccines for emergency use, hoping the reformulated shots from partners Pfizer and BioNTech and Moderna can curb an expected wave of new infections this winter. The FDA on Wednesday cleared […]

August 29, 2022

The Biden administration has made bolstering the ACA, especially in improving coverage for historically underserved populations, the foundation of its healthcare agenda. Spurred by subsidies and special enrollment periods, a record 14.5 million Americans signed up for health insurance through […]

August 29, 2022

Labor unions hoping for permanent workplace safety standards to protect healthcare staff from COVID-19 infections in the workplace were dealt a blow Friday when an appeals court denied an emergency petition they filed. Unions pushed heavily for the Occupational Safety […]

August 26, 2022

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra sent a letter Friday to state governors, warning that the agency would “not hesitate” to tap the Department of Justice for legal action if a state prohibited providers from offering emergency abortion care under federal law. […]

August 26, 2022

In its passage of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, Congress has taken the long overdue step of eliminating out of pocket, or OOP, costs for vaccines under Medicare Part D. The OOP prohibition aligns with policies under Medicare Part […]

August 18, 2022

Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is planning to reorganize the agency amid rising criticism of the its response to the coronavirus pandemic, rising monkeypox cases and other public health crises. The shakeup includes the […]

August 17, 2022

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden signed a $740 billion package into law enacting some of the biggest changes to U.S. healthcare since the passage of the Affordable Care Act over a decade ago. The Inflation Reduction Act allows Medicare to […]

August 16, 2022

The pharmaceutical industry is gearing up to minimize the effect of major drug legislation passed by Congress on Friday, the first time in many years lawmakers have overcome the drug lobby’s opposition to limits on their pricing power. On Friday, […]

August 15, 2022

Despite extensive research into the problem, disparities in access to healthcare and quality of care persist. The issue is a priority for the Biden administration, which has directed federal agencies including the HHS to advance racial equity initiatives. The CMS […]

August 10, 2022

As we commemorate the 32nd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) (@HHSGov) and the U.S. Department of Justice are partnering together to publish guidance on the protections in federal […]

August 8, 2022

The Senate on Sunday passed a nearly $700 billion bill which extends boosted Affordable Care Act subsidies and allows Medicare to negotiate some prescription drug pricing. The Inflation Reduction Act, a slimmed-down version of President Joe Biden’s multitrillion-dollar Build Back […]

August 8, 2022

This week, The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) responded to a Request for Information (RFI) from the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health on the HHS Initiative to Strengthen Primary Healthcare. The letter submitted on 8/1 calls […]