FDA authorizes third coronavirus vaccine dose for immunocompromised people

A CDC advisory panel is expected to vote on Friday to recommend the additional dose, after which certain people with weakened immune systems can receive a third shot of Pfizer's or Moderna's vaccine.

By Shoshana Dubnow • Aug. 13, 2021

UnitedHealth settles for $15.6M after Labor Department finds mental health cuts, denials

"You should expect to see more investigation," of those not abiding by the federal mental health parity law, a top DOL official said. "I predict this will be a very active issue for us for years to come."

By Shannon Muchmore • Aug. 12, 2021

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Surprise Billing

Federal legislation banning surprise bills has hit a barrage of roadblocks, complicating efforts to protect consumers from unexpected out-of-network charges.

By Healthcare Dive staff

Biden embraces Medicare drug price negotiation as Democrats seek to widen health coverage

But the proposal, which features several familiar and long-debated policy ideas, could face an uphill battle in Congress as the drug industry lines up against it.

By Jonathan Gardner • Updated Aug. 12, 2021

HCA accused of hospital monopoly in North Carolina

After acquiring Mission Health System in 2019, the hospital operator has continued tactics of all-or-nothing arrangements with payers and gag clauses, driving up prices and insurance premiums, the class action complaint alleges.

By Shannon Muchmore • Aug. 11, 2021

HHS 'making progress' on disincentives for providers found info blocking, ONC head says: HIMSS21

The fact that HHS has yet to codify appropriate disincentives for providers found guilty of information blocking is probably the "biggest gap to be filled on the enforcement side," Micky Tripathi said.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Aug. 10, 2021

Digital therapeutics — a double-edged sword?

Aloha McBride, EY's global health leader, argues that algorithms need to be regularly audited and screened for bias and discrepancies, while clinicians play a vital role in explaining the key features of apps and patient privacy risks.

By Aloha McBride • Aug. 10, 2021

Delaware caps hospital price growth to fund more primary care

Gov. John Carney signed the multi-pronged healthcare bill on Friday. "As I think about the things, particularly in healthcare that we focus on, there's not much that's more important than this," he said.

By Samantha Liss • Updated Oct. 5, 2021

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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