Government: Page 64
-
CMS pitches extra year of add-on payments for Boston Scientific, Stryker, other devices
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency is proposing the payments to hospitals be extended beyond the typical timeframe for 14 products.
By Nick Paul Taylor • April 28, 2021 -
Jon Cherry via Getty Images
FDA, CDC support resuming use of J&J vaccine after advisory panel vote
While health officials have documented more cases of a rare blood clotting syndrome associated with J&J's vaccine, a CDC committee supported use of the shot with an added warning.
By Ned Pagliarulo , Ben Fidler • Updated April 23, 2021 -
Trendline
Labor
Hospitals are navigating persistent labor shortages with the need to cut costs — a source of contention that could leave patients caught in the middle.
By Healthcare Dive staff -
Senate panel split on Brooks-LaSure nomination after Biden pulls Texas Medicaid waiver
Lawmakers voted along party lines on Biden's pick to lead CMS, with Republicans saying their dissent wasn't due to the nominee's qualifications but the administration's nixing a Trump-era waiver approval in Texas.
By Rebecca Pifer • April 23, 2021 -
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. (2020). "Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2" [Image]. Retrieved from Flickr.
Science groups urge providers not to use certain COVID-19 test data for care decisions
The Association for Molecular Pathology and the Infectious Diseases Society of America say some results run the risk of being misinterpreted due to a lack of standardization across test methods.
By Susan Kelly • April 23, 2021 -
Courtesy of Amazon
Survey casts doubt on utility of wearable devices in healthcare
Forrester's report, based on interviews with doctors, patients and vendors, suggests data gaps and physician skepticism of the popular products is too high for widespread adoption, although design changes could remedy that.
By Ron Shinkman • April 22, 2021 -
Drew Angerer via Getty Images
ACA navigator funds get massive boost to record level
The agency also said about 12 million people enrolled in an Affordable Care Act plan during the 2021 open enrollment period, a 5% increase from the year prior.
By Shannon Muchmore • April 22, 2021 -
Alex Wong via Getty Images
Value-based care at 'critical juncture,' new CMMI chief says
Even though some testing payment models have been delayed or discarded, CMMI's new leader said the agency remains committed to finding models that reward value not volume.
By Rebecca Pifer • April 20, 2021 -
Jon Cherry via Getty Images
J&J to resume vaccine rollout in Europe after regulator says benefits outweigh risks
The EMA, however, recommended a warning be added to highlight a rare but serious side effect. Regulators in the U.S. are expected to soon make a similar decision.
By Ben Fidler , Jonathan Gardner • Updated April 20, 2021 -
Courtesy of Humana
Humana nets nearly $200M in overpayments, OIG audit finds
The watchdog said the payer submitted documentation that inaccurately showed some of its Medicare Advantage members were sicker than they actually were.
By Samantha Liss • April 20, 2021 -
Permission granted by IQVIA
Healthcare employment steadily rebounding though hospitals left out
Hospital employment has sunk for three consecutive months, according to data from the Altarum Institute, and is down 37,000 jobs since the end of last year.
By Ron Shinkman • April 19, 2021 -
Advocate Aurora Health's new investment unit is on the hunt for deals
The Midwestern giant joins other nonprofits in launching a for-profit unit to diversify its revenue streams. Some critics question whether the strategy fits with the mission and perks enjoyed by not-for-profit entities.
By Samantha Liss • April 19, 2021 -
E.A. Crunden/Healthcare Dive
HHS nominees get smooth confirmation hearing
The scene was a contrast to the sometimes heated questioning of HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, who was eventually confirmed by a narrow margin.
By Shannon Muchmore • April 16, 2021 -
Phill Magakoe via Getty Images
The US paused use of J&J's vaccine. What happens next?
A call by regulators to stop J&J vaccinations won't dramatically disrupt supply in the U.S. But changes in labeling are possible, as is a renewed debate over vaccine hesitancy.
By Ned Pagliarulo , Ben Fidler , Jonathan Gardner • April 14, 2021 -
Jon Cherry via Getty Images
CDC panel delays decision on J&J vaccine, extending pause over rare side effect
Advisers to the agency agreed to wait for more data before recommending new guidance, but aim to reconvene quickly to decide whether J&J vaccinations should be resumed, and for whom.
By Jonathan Gardner • April 14, 2021 -
Retrieved from Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz.
Medicare sequester cut pause extended through 2021
The 2% cuts were first put on hold more than a year ago through federal coronavirus relief legislation. To pay for the extension, the new bill states the cuts will increase in 2030.
By Hailey Mensik • April 14, 2021 -
Adeline Kon/Healthcare Dive
Lawmakers urge HHS to conduct 'vigorous oversight' of hospital price posts after reports of noncompliance
Hospitals are now required to publicly post the prices they negotiate with insurers online, but noncompliance is common. A bipartisan group from the House voiced their discontent in a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra.
By Samantha Liss • April 14, 2021 -
Surprise Billing
Patients hit with surprise medical bills paid ER docs 10 times more than others
The findings published in Health Affairs suggest why some ER groups resist coming in-network with insurers: They stand to collect more in revenue if they stay outside a network, posing a financial risk to patients.
By Samantha Liss • April 13, 2021 -
Permission granted by Johnson & Johnson
US calls for pause in J&J coronavirus vaccine rollout after rare blood clotting cases
The FDA and CDC recommended halting vaccinations while they investigate six cases of unusual blood clots in women given the company's shot.
By Ben Fidler , Ned Pagliarulo • Updated April 13, 2021 -
Courtesy of AstraZeneca
Researchers lay out hypothesis for rare side effect linked to AstraZeneca vaccine
EU regulators have reiterated the benefits of the shot outweigh the risks, but the safety concerns are another hurdle to the vaccine's rollout in Europe.
By Ned Pagliarulo , Ben Fidler • April 9, 2021 -
Medtech industry, surgeons push Medicare to pull back prior authorization rules
The medtech lobby joined 39 stakeholders in warning CMS that including cervical fusion with disc removal and implanted spinal neurostimulators as new service categories will delay patient access to medically necessary procedures.
By Greg Slabodkin • April 8, 2021 -
Courtesy of AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine possibly linked to rare blood clots, EMA says
Europe's drug regulator affirmed the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks, but recommended the shot's label be updated to warn of the newly established side effect.
By Ben Fidler • Updated April 7, 2021 -
Urgent care centers draw some ER visits but associated with higher spending overall
The findings published in Health Affairs may suggest patients are going to the centers instead of more appropriate and lower cost settings like a primary care office or virtual visit.
By Shannon Muchmore • April 7, 2021 -
Nonprofit hospitals spent less on charity care than for-profit, government facilities: Health Affairs
The research is likely to garner attention as skeptics have questioned whether nonprofit organizations dole out enough charity care to justify the tax breaks they receive.
By Samantha Liss • April 6, 2021 -
Black patients far more likely to experience discrimination when seeking care: study
Reports of discrimination based on race, ethnicity, disability, gender, sexual orientation or health condition were even higher for low-income Black adults and Black women, according to a new study by the Urban Institute.
By Ron Shinkman • April 5, 2021 -
Jacob Bell/Healthcare Dive
FDA warns of patient deaths tied to reusable urological endoscopes
The agency is sounding the alarm after receiving more than 450 adverse event reports in four years tying patient infections to the devices, as it continues to track contamination issues in duodenoscopes.
By Susan Kelly • Updated April 5, 2021
Previous
