Government: Page 67
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FDA puts Class I label on Boston Scientific recall estimated to affect one-third of pacemaker line
The medtech giant took the action after discovering devices, once hailed as a growth driver, can incorrectly enter safety mode, putting patients at risk of serious injury.
By Nick Paul Taylor • Aug. 9, 2021 -
Lance Cheung. (2018). "20180927-RD-LSC-0093" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
Telehealth has promising future if obstacles can be overcome, poll finds
A new survey by the Bipartisan Policy Center concludes that telehealth could continue to be used on a large scale after the COVID-19 pandemic winds down, and could help prevent unnecessary emergency room visits.
By Ron Shinkman • Aug. 6, 2021 -
OIG audit targets Aetna’s Medicare Advantage plans as government cracks down on fraud
CVS contends the reviews are a regular part of doing business in federal programs, and it "expects CMS and the OIG to continue these types of audits."
By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Aug. 5, 2021 -
DOJ reportedly considering suit to block UnitedHealth-Change tie-up
The deal was first announced in January and immediately drew opposition, including from competing payers, the American Hospital Association and the American Antitrust Institute, over anticompetitive concerns.
By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Aug. 5, 2021 -
Lance Cheung. (2018). "20180927-RD-LSC-0093" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
Telehealth waivers wind down, restricting some providers from delivering care across state lines
A number of states allowed medical professionals licensed elsewhere to hold virtual visits with their residents during the pandemic. While some are making those rollbacks permanent, others are going back to pre-pandemic rules.
By Hailey Mensik • Aug. 4, 2021 -
Permission granted by Biogen
After controversial approval, doctors are still debating how to use Biogen's Alzheimer's drug
Nearly two months since Aduhelm became available, many physicians have yet to use the first treatment approved in the U.S. to slow Alzheimer's disease.
By Jacob Bell • Updated Aug. 3, 2021 -
Carol Highsmith. (2005). "Apex Bldg." [Photo]. Retrieved from Wikimedia Commons.
FTC warns it may challenge deals later as it's hit by 'tidal wave' of merger filings
"Companies that choose to proceed with transactions that have not been fully investigated are doing so at their own risk," the regulator said Tuesday.
By Samantha Liss • Aug. 4, 2021 -
Permission granted by The Boldt. Co.
Medicare-reliant hospitals perform worse financially, more likely to face closure or acquisition: Health Affairs
But researchers cautioned policymakers not to view the results as a reason to avoid reducing Medicare reimbursement.
By Samantha Liss • Aug. 3, 2021 -
Alex Wong via Getty Images
CMS axes hospital price transparency mandate from 2022 inpatient payment rule
Hospitals will also receive a 2.5% pay bump for inpatient stays in 2022 under the new rule. That's lower than the 2.8% proposed in the initial draft, but "largely within the range of market expectations," one analyst wrote.
By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Aug. 3, 2021 -
Retrieved from Gustavo Fring from Pexels.
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 Parduhn • Aug. 2, 2021 -
Getty Images
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 -
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
A separate Missouri judge on Tuesday ordered the state to begin enrolling people newly eligible for Medicaid without imposing any further restrictions on eligibility.
By Samantha Liss • Updated Aug. 11, 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 Parduhn • July 22, 2021 -
Jeff J Mitchell via Getty Images
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 -
Alex Wong via Getty Images
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 -
Permission granted by ProviderTrust
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.
July 19, 2021 -
Getty Images
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 -
Alex Wong via Getty Images
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 Parduhn • 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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