Policy & Regulation
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Primary care docs, facing 'existential' threat, fear for profession's future
A new survey from the Larry A. Green Center and Primary Care Collaborative found that 40% of clinicians worry primary care will be gone in just five years.
By Rebecca Pifer • Aug. 02, 2021 -
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Patient deaths called 'injury,' 'other' in FDA medical device database: study
Mislabeled patient death reports can go missed by FDA, potentially leading to unsafe devices remaining on the market, a researcher noted. The analysis raises questions about the complex and often opaque reporting system.
By Ricky Zipp • UPDATED: July 30, 2021 at 4:07 p.m. -
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TrendlineLabor
While labor strife among healthcare workers is hardly new, the COVID-19 pandemic brought new issues to the table, including re-use of personal protective equipment and other safety measures.
By Healthcare Dive staff -
AstraZeneca still eyes US vaccine filing despite another delay
The company now expects to file for full approval by year's end and has a variant-specific shot in advanced testing. But the long-term prospects for AstraZeneca's new vaccine business are unclear.
By Ben Fidler • July 30, 2021 -
How the pandemic has accelerated digital payments in telehealth
Digitalization can simplify the medical bill payment process and give patients more information earlier on about their financial responsibilities, experts said.
By J. Duncan Moore, Jr. • July 28, 2021 -
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Medicare eligibility erases many healthcare disparities in US
Black and Latino people are far more likely to benefit from becoming Medicare eligible than any other demographic group in the U.S., according to a study published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine.
By Ron Shinkman • July 26, 2021 -
Missouri Supreme Court backs Medicaid expansion in unanimous decision
Thursday's ruling is a decisive victory for Medicaid expansion proponents, the newly eligible and voters who ushered in enhanced coverage via a ballot initiative in 2020.
By Samantha Liss • July 23, 2021 -
VA pauses embattled Cerner EHR rollout for 6 months in major revamp
VA Secretary Donald Remy, who was sworn in just last week, plans to release an updated deployment schedule by the end of this year.
By Rebecca Pifer • July 22, 2021 -
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OSHA standard compliance date arrives amid confusion, industry pushback
Provider groups say the lengthy rule effective Wednesday is tricky to implement in just 30 days, especially with a variety of exemptions for vaccinated employees.
By Hailey Mensik • July 21, 2021 -
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CMS pitches stiffening price transparency fines, halting end of inpatient-only list
Hospitals notched a win with the proposal to reverse the Trump administration's rollback of the inpatient-only list, but took hits with added enforcement of the pricing rule and in other areas.
By Shannon Muchmore • July 20, 2021 -
Photo by Marcus Aurelius from Pexels
HHS earmarks $103M to address burnout among healthcare workers
The sector already had a high rate of stress and burnout, but the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly exacerbated the problem, especially as the delta variant causes hospitalizations to surge in some parts of the country.
By Ron Shinkman • July 19, 2021 -
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Sponsored by ProviderTrustRecent exclusion monitoring primary source updates: what you need to know
Learn more about recent updates to the main primary sources: SAM.gov and the OIG LEIE.
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Biden executive order sparks debate on physician noncompete agreements
The document asks federal agencies to ban or limit noncompete agreements, which physicians regularly sign to restrict them from leaving, taking their patients and setting up their own competing practice nearby.
By Hailey Mensik • July 15, 2021 -
ACA marketplace snags 2M sign-ups during pandemic's special enrollment period
CMS officials said more generous subsidies installed from legislation passed earlier this year helped spur enrollment.
By Samantha Liss • July 15, 2021 -
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Long-awaited interoperability framework TEFCA to go live in 2022, ONC says
The government will use the rest of 2021 to solicit more feedback before finalizing the first iteration of the Common Agreement and the technical framework for information networks to become qualified under the new system.
By Rebecca Pifer • July 14, 2021 -
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CMS proposes extension of Medicare telehealth coverage
Provider groups are not happy with the payment adjustment in the rule — a 3.75% reduction to the conversion factor due to budget neutrality requirements — and will likely seek congressional intervention.
By Shannon Muchmore • July 14, 2021 -
Permission granted by Biogen
Medicare to weigh nationwide coverage rules for Biogen Alzheimer's drug
CMS announced it would begin an official process to determine whether a national policy is necessary for Aduhelm and other drugs in development like it, responding to calls from insurers and patient advocates.
By Ned Pagliarulo • July 13, 2021 -
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Hospital mergers to get added scrutiny under Biden order
The hospital lobby is against the executive order, which calls on regulators to "enforce the antitrust laws vigorously" and reminds them to challenge prior bad mergers.
By Samantha Liss • UPDATED: July 12, 2021 at 11:09 a.m. -
Permission granted by Biogen
FDA revises labeling of Biogen Alzheimer's drug to emphasize early treatment
The drug's already controversial OK was made more so for applying to an exceptionally broad patient group. Critics argued the original label would spur use in those unlikely to benefit and balloon Medicare spending.
By Ned Pagliarulo , Ben Fidler • July 08, 2021 -
Permission granted by Massachusetts Nurses Association
Are recent labor actions getting nursing unions what they want?
While nurses in Cook County, Illinois, struck a deal in recent days, those on a more than three-month strike against a Tenet hospital in Massachusetts protested at the chain's Dallas headquarters Wednesday.
By Hailey Mensik • July 07, 2021 -
Permission granted by Walgreens
Walgreens plans 9 more micro-fulfillment centers for prescription delivery
The facilities will use automation to save pharmacists time and help Walgreens speed its prescription fulfillment process, according to executives.
By Edwin Lopez • July 07, 2021 -
Cleveland Clinic-owned hospital system pays $21M to settle False Claims allegations
Along with an Akron General Health System whistleblower, the Cleveland Clinic Foundation voluntarily disclosed to the federal government its concerns with some compensation arrangements, the DOJ said.
By Rebecca Pifer • July 06, 2021 -
Alex Wong via Getty Images
CMS unveils new ESRD payment model in health equity push
The tweaks to the end-stage renal disease model is the CMS innovation center's first direct effort to address health disparities, a key priority for the Biden administration.
By Rebecca Pifer • July 02, 2021 -
First of surprise billing ban rules mum on arbitration details
The highly anticipated rule bans surprise out-of-network and balance billing beginning in 2022 for people in employer-sponsored or individual marketplace plans.
By Rebecca Pifer • July 01, 2021 -
Oklahoma Medicaid expansion kicks in, making eligible 190K low-income Americans
HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra congratulated the deep red state and urged the 13 remaining states that have yet to expand Medicaid to reconsider.
By Rebecca Pifer • July 01, 2021 -
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OpinionHealthcare workers are part of American infrastructure
Congress should provide grants that allow schools of medicine and nursing in rural, underserved areas to expand and organize, the American Hospital Association's chief nursing officer argues.
By Robyn Begley • June 30, 2021
