Government
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National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. (2020). "Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2" [Micrograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
NIH licenses COVID-19 technologies to WHO-backed program
The agreement, which covers three experimental vaccines as well as several key patents, makes products sold in 49 low-income countries royalty-free.
By Jonathan Gardner • May 16, 2022 -
Insurers seek steep marketplace premium hikes in Vermont
Proposed 2023 plan year average increases on individual and family plans of 17% for MVP Health Care and 12% for Blue Cross Blue Shield in the state buck the national trend of declining ACA exchange premiums.
By Susan Kelly • May 16, 2022 -
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Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, hospitals need nurses so desparetly they're offering massive sign-on bonuses and staffing firms say open positions for both temporary and permanent nursing roles are at all-time highs
By Healthcare Dive staff -
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Efforts to protect health workers from violence on the job ramp up
Renewed efforts to pass federal requirements for healthcare employers come as some systems are implementing their own policies to keep workers safe.
By Hailey Mensik • May 13, 2022 -
VA EHR implementation facing patient data, access concerns, audit finds
The multibillion-dollar Cerner implementation hasn't improved data exchange as well as some had hoped, as the departments "did not take all actions needed to achieve interoperability," the audit found.
By Rebecca Pifer • May 12, 2022 -
Courtesy of Advocate Aurora Health, Atrium Health
FTC likely to examine insurer overlap in Advocate Aurora, Atrium merger
Mergers with geographic overlap often face challenges. This deal doesn't "raise the same red flags, but it doesn't mean that it gets waved through," said Leemore Dafny, former deputy director of healthcare and antitrust at the FTC.
By Samantha Liss • May 12, 2022 -
Megan Quinn/Healthcare Dive
Hospital, payer, IT groups urge Congress to overturn ban on unique patient identifier
Industry groups are ratcheting up the pressure on Congress to nix a decadesold ban on using federal funding to create a UPI. Subcommittees, meanwhile, are continuing hearings for 2023 appropriations bills.
By Rebecca Pifer • May 5, 2022 -
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ER providers push for federal protection against rising health worker violence
Nurses have been bitten, punched and strangled with stethoscopes, "all while just trying to provide basic care to patients," Todd Haines, a member of the Emergency Nurses Association, said Wednesday on Capitol Hill.
By Hailey Mensik • May 5, 2022 -
Telemedicine reached disadvantaged communities during pandemic, study finds
The results surprised Johns Hopkins University researchers, who said it contrasted with earlier findings showing an inverse link between socioeconomic status and use of telemedicine in the pandemic.
By Susan Kelly • May 4, 2022 -
Air ambulance provider latest to sue over surprise billing ban
The central issue of the new lawsuit is the guidance the federal government has provided to third-party arbiters.
By Samantha Liss • May 2, 2022 -
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Biden admin suspends Georgia plan to let private sector run ACA marketplace
CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure said the controversial plan would provide coverage to fewer people and no longer complies with federal law and other policies.
By Rebecca Pifer • May 2, 2022 -
Permission granted by Bristol-Myers Squibb
Bristol Myers wins FDA approval for first drug to treat inherited heart condition
Bristol Myers paid $13 billion to acquire the drug's maker, MyoKardia, and expects it to become a blockbuster. But a tricky dosing regimen, as well as safety concerns, could challenge the pharmaceutical giant's lofty forecast.
By Jonathan Gardner • April 29, 2022 -
CMS
Medicare Advantage plans denied some members needed care, OIG finds
The report calls for improved oversight of MA and urges the CMS to update audit protocols and issue new guidance on medical necessity reviews performed by the plans.
By Samantha Liss • April 29, 2022 -
Stefani Reynolds / Stringer via Getty Images
'Very false and misleading' criticisms over direct contracting stoked model controversy, stakeholders say
Political ire around direct contracting that came to a head earlier this year was rooted in a "real lack of understanding," one CEO of a physician group said at NAACOS' spring conference.
By Rebecca Pifer • April 29, 2022 -
Sergio Flores via Getty Images
Moderna seeks FDA clearance for COVID-19 vaccine in young children
The biotech's shot would become the first available to children under 6, the last remaining age group currently ineligible for vaccination.
By Kristin Jensen • April 28, 2022 -
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DOJ appeals surprise billing ruling in Texas
The Department of Justice intends to appeal a ruling siding with the Texas Medical Association, saying arbiters should not weigh any factor more heavily than others when resolving payment disputes between payers and providers.
By Samantha Liss • April 25, 2022 -
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Biden admin drops challenge to Texas Medicaid waiver
The state's main hospital lobby called the waiver's survival, which was also praised by Republicans late last week, a relief.
By Rebecca Pifer • April 25, 2022 -
bpperry via Getty Images
DOJ cracks down on 'largest and most wide-ranging' COVID-19 fraud
Defendants — including doctors, medical business executives and fake vaccination card manufacturers — caused nearly $150 million in false billings to federal programs, the DOJ alleged.
By Rebecca Pifer • April 21, 2022 -
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CMS underestimated hospital labor spending in payment adjustments, Premier says
Inpatient payment rates for fiscal 2023 released earlier this week also wouldn't adequately cover rising costs, according to the group purchasing organization.
By Hailey Mensik • April 21, 2022 -
Stefan Zaklin via Getty Images
House Democrats urge Biden admin to curtail short-term plan access
The HHS is facing increasing pressure to limit enrollment in the cheap yet skimpy plans, which aren't required to comply with consumer protections under the Affordable Care Act.
By Rebecca Pifer • April 20, 2022 -
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Larger, less profitable hospitals more likely to have ownership change
In data released for the first time Wednesday, HHS also found changes in ownership over the past six years have been much more common in nursing homes than hospitals, with wide variations in ownership by state.
By Hailey Mensik • April 20, 2022 -
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Hospitals blast 'unacceptable' inpatient payment bump
Despite the 3.2% overall hike, the AHA argued that net payments to hospitals may decrease due to cuts in other areas, including uncompensated care.
By Shannon Muchmore • April 19, 2022 -
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End of Medicaid continuous coverage may leave millions of children uninsured, analysis finds
Children are at highest risk in Texas, Florida and Georgia when states resume checking Medicaid eligibility after the public health emergency expires, Georgetown University researchers found.
By Susan Kelly • April 19, 2022 -
Supreme Court throws out Medicaid work requirement cases
The high court said the requirements were now moot given the Biden administration's dismissal of the policies, and sent them back to the trial court with instructions to dismiss prior judgments.
By Rebecca Pifer • April 19, 2022 -
ACA marketplace premiums decline for third consecutive year, Urban Institute finds
The marketplace is bucking the trend of sustained premium increases for job-based coverage, which provides insurance to a majority of nonelderly Americans.
By Samantha Liss • April 13, 2022 -
bpperry via Getty Images
Providence Health to pay $22M to settle claims of unnecessary neurosurgeries
Two neurosurgeons in Washington state were accused of operating on patients who were not appropriate candidates for surgery, causing excessive complications and negative outcomes.
By Susan Kelly • April 13, 2022
