Government: Page 33

  • Nurse sees elder patient in nursing home
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    Unionized nursing homes more likely to report workplace injuries and accidents

    Only 40% of nursing homes nationwide complied with reporting requirements between 2016 and 2021, despite nursing homes being among the most dangerous workplaces in America, according to the Health Affairs study.

    By • Sept. 7, 2023
  • Astellas' U.S. headquarters in Northbrook, IL.
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    Permission granted by Astellas
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    Astellas withdraws lawsuit challenging Medicare drug price program

    Contrary to the drugmaker’s expectations, its top-selling cancer medicine Xtandi wasn’t picked as one of the first 10 drugs to face price negotiations.

    By Ned Pagliarulo • Sept. 7, 2023
  • A picture of the exterior of the US Department of Health and Human Services. In front of the building is a black sign designating the building's name.
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    Alex Wong via Getty Images
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    ‘Revolving door’ between HHS and industry could influence regulation, study says

    Thirty-two percent of people appointed to positions at the HHS between 2004 and 2020 exited to the private sector, raising concerns about objectivity, according to new research.

    By • Sept. 7, 2023
  • Exterior of FDA headquarters
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    Courtesy of U.S. Food and Drug Administration
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    FDA proposes 3 guidances to improve 510(k) clearance process

    The agency has made recommendations for selecting predicate devices, using clinical data and conducting performance testing for implants.

    By Nick Paul Taylor • Sept. 7, 2023
  • A doctor talking to a patient and a family member.
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    MA plans were overpaid $9.3B annually from 2017 to 2020, study finds

    Favorable selection of healthier beneficiaries led to overpayments in counties with high Medicare Advantage penetration, but benchmark changes could mitigate the impact.

    By • Sept. 6, 2023
  • A picture of the exterior of the US Department of Health and Human Services. In front of the building is a black sign designating the building's name.
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    Alex Wong via Getty Images
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    CMS creates all-payer funding opportunity for states

    Regulators' latest effort to nudge the U.S. away from fee-for-service takes a page from how Maryland pays its hospitals.

    By • Sept. 6, 2023
  • The exterior of the Department Health and Human Services headquarters.
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    Alex Wong via Getty Images
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    Humana sues HHS over Medicare Advantage audits

    The payer, which brings in the bulk of its revenue from Medicare, is fighting a rule finalized earlier this year to claw back overpayments in the increasingly popular MA program.

    By • Sept. 5, 2023
  • Shot of a young male nurse helping an elderly patient stand.
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    Biden administration proposes landmark nursing home staffing minimums

    The controversial proposal would require nursing homes to have a registered nurse on site 24/7 and have three hours of care per resident per day. 

    By • Sept. 1, 2023
  • Vital sign monitor in tablet PC.
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    ONC taps Sequoia Project as TEFCA overseer, again

    The nonprofit will receive $2 million in funding from the government in the first year of its new five-year contract for managing the interoperability network.

    By • Aug. 31, 2023
  • UnitedHealth Group office
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    Courtesy of UnitedHealth Group
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    Prisma Health files suit against UnitedHealthcare, alleging ‘bad faith’ contract negotiation tactics

    The South Carolina-based health system alleges that the insurer broke its contract and gave "false and misleading" statements to the press about Prisma’s proposed rates for 2024.

    By • Aug. 31, 2023
  • a medicaid insurance card on top of a small American flag
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    Medicaid cracks down on states over children wrongly losing coverage during redeterminations

    The Biden administration is threatening state Medicaid agencies with sanctions after finding an automation glitch that could cause eligible children to lose coverage.

    By • Aug. 31, 2023
  • The front of the department of health and human services building with a sign in front of the exterior building
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    Mark Wilson via Getty Images
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    Medicare names first 10 drugs for price negotiations

    The list includes the top-selling blood thinners Eliquis and Xarelto, as well as the arthritis drug Enbrel and heart failure medicine Entresto.

    By Ned Pagliarulo • Updated Aug. 29, 2023
  • a gavel resting on a blue hospital face mask
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    Surprise Billing

    Texas judge rules to vacate more No Surprises Act regulations

    The ruling, which targets guidance related to the independent dispute resolution process, prompted the CMS to again pause all federal disputes.

    By • Aug. 28, 2023
  • Colorized scanning electron micrograph of a cell heavily infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus particles, isolated from a patient sample
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    National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. (2020). "Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2" [Micrograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
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    ‘Project NextGen’ to spend $1.4B in search for better COVID drugs, vaccines

    Inspired by Operation Warp Speed, the new federal program aims to fund development and testing of new therapies that can stay ahead of an evolving virus.

    By Ben Fidler • Aug. 25, 2023
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    KFF report explores cost, antitrust implications for cross-market hospital mergers

    Regulating cross-market mergers will be “on the radar” of policymakers and regulators as they become increasingly common, the report noted.

    By • Aug. 25, 2023
  • Senior woman visiting her doctor
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    Shared Savings ACOs saved Medicare $1.8B in 2022

    Nearly two-thirds of participating accountable care organizations earned payments for their performance last year, according to the CMS.

    By • Aug. 25, 2023
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    HHS agency launches project to boost healthcare cybersecurity

    The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health is soliciting proposals for a project that would repurpose national security tech to protect the healthcare industry from cyberattacks.

    By • Aug. 24, 2023
  • Hospice care man and son
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    CMS threatens to cut hospices from Medicare if they can’t prove legitimacy

    The crackdown comes after media reports found fraudulent activity in hospice facilities, including those that certified patients for care who were not terminally ill and those that ran “churn and burn” billing schemes.

    By • Aug. 24, 2023
  • A doctor talking to a patient and a family member.
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    MA beneficiaries like their plans, but few say it’s easy to find care

    Trust and the ability to resolve problems or complaints were factors most highly correlated with members’ likelihood of renewing their plans, according to a new J.D. Power study.

    By • Aug. 23, 2023
  • Covid relief funding announcement
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    Pandemic relief funds bolstered operating margins at vulnerable hospitals, Health Affairs finds

    The funds have come under scrutiny, with some reports suggesting that high-performing hospitals capitalized on them to post record operating margins.

    By • Aug. 23, 2023
  • A view of the historic Old Florida State Capitol building, which sits in front of the current New Capitol, on November 10, 2018 in Tallahassee, Florida.
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    Mark Wallheiser via Getty Images
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    Florida sued over Medicaid redeterminations

    Three Floridians, including two children, filed a lawsuit against the state on Tuesday alleging it illegally cut their Medicaid coverage without proper notice.

    By • Aug. 23, 2023
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    Boehringer Ingelheim
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    Boehringer sues to block US drug price program

    The pharma’s suit, which claims Medicare’s new power to negotiate certain drug prices is unconstitutional, comes days before the agency will reveal the first 10 medicines to be included under the plan.

    By Ned Pagliarulo • Aug. 22, 2023
  • Keith Ellison AG
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    Minnesota AG launches investigation into Allina Health’s billing practices

    Allina Health will "formally transition away” from its policy of interrupting non-emergency, outpatient care for patients with debt, a spokesperson said. The announcement will not affect the Minnesota investigation.

    By • Updated Aug. 23, 2023
  • An ambulance speeding through traffic at night.
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    Ground ambulance billing committee skeptical of IDR process

    A key congressional advisory group met last week to deliberate preventing unexpected bills after medical transport, but said the status quo dispute resolution process isn’t the solution.

    By • Aug. 17, 2023
  • Orange packages of mifepristone tablets rest against each other on a table.
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    Overturning of Roe v. Wade

    Appeals court rules to limit abortion pill access

    Federal judges disagreed with a lower court decision suspending the pill’s approval, but said recent changes that loosened prescribing rules should be rolled back.

    By • Aug. 16, 2023