Government: Page 74
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CMS kills controversial Medicaid fiscal accountability rule
The rule proposed last year would have increased federal oversight of how states fund their Medicaid programs and potentially resulted in funding cuts for the cash-strapped program. Providers strongly opposed it.
By Rebecca Pifer • Sept. 14, 2020 -
Trump releases long-awaited drug pricing order, but its effects are likely far off
The White House disclosed details of an order to cut Medicare prices to international rates, but the proposed plan will be difficult to carry out and could take months to enact.
By Jonathan Gardner • Sept. 14, 2020 -
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 -
Courtesy of Fitbit
Fitbit receives FDA clearance for ECG app
The wearables giant has trailed rivals in product development and approval in the heart rhythm tracking arena. The nod brings it up to speed with Apple and Samsung.
By Rebecca Pifer • Sept. 14, 2020 -
OIG says $2.6B paid out under MA risk adjustment with scant encounter data
The watchdog's analysis also found health risk assessments were taking place at a patient's home, and were often conducted by providers contracted by the health plan instead of their actual physician.
By Ron Shinkman • Sept. 11, 2020 -
Opinion
Hospice respite flexibility is recipe for more patient protection
The CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization writes in support of a bill that would allow respite care to be provided outside of inpatient settings and hospice patients to receive up to 15 days of respite care.
By Edo Banach • Sept. 9, 2020 -
Hospitals urge HHS to step in on 340B fight with drug manufacturers
On Friday, more than 1,100 hospitals sent another letter to HHS urging it to take action against drug manufacturers limiting drug distribution to 340B facilities.
By Shannon Muchmore • Updated Sept. 11, 2020 -
Brian Tucker/Healthcare Dive
Medicaid enrollment has jumped 4.3M since February, could grow much more
By contrast, between February and August of last year, Medicaid enrollment averaged a decrease of 0.7% among all states, a report from Families USA found.
By Ron Shinkman • Sept. 8, 2020 -
Samantha Liss/Healthcare Dive
MedPAC commissioners hint at telehealth policies that may stick post-COVID-19
"Pandora's box is open," Commissioner Susan Thompson, interim CEO of UnityPoint Health, said Friday, urging the group to embrace the moment.
By Samantha Liss • Sept. 8, 2020 -
Doctors affiliated with health systems have much higher MIPS scores, JAMA study finds
A separate study found that physicians who had the highest proportion of patients dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid also had significantly lower performance scores than other doctors.
By Shannon Muchmore • Sept. 8, 2020 -
HHS issues plan to improve rural health, leaning on telehealth
But the Trump administration's lengthy plan falls short of a complete overhaul, citing relatively small funding increases and a fair amount of initiatives already in place.
By Ron Shinkman • Sept. 4, 2020 -
The White House/Healthcare Dive, data from WhiteHouse.gov
Federal COVID-19 cash saved most hospitals from bleakest forecasts: MedPAC
But any new congressional relief is stalled in Congress, and an HCA official warned cost-cutting initiatives that helped operators aren't sustainable.
By Rebecca Pifer • Sept. 4, 2020 -
CBO finds COVID-19 puts Medicare trust fund insolvency just 4 years away
The pandemic has shaved two years off the expected lifespan of the hospital insurance fund, leading Medicare experts to urge Congress to act as soon as possible to save the program.
By Rebecca Pifer • Sept. 4, 2020 -
Brian Tucker/Healthcare Dive
Final inpatient payment rule confirms price transparency push
CMS is also adding 24 technologies to receive add-on payments and finalizing a diagnosis-related group for CAR-T cancer therapies.
By Hailey Mensik • Updated Sept. 3, 2020 -
CMS pitches coverage of breakthrough devices in tandem with FDA authorization
The proposal follows years of AdvaMed lobbying for products awarded the special FDA designation to gain Medicare reimbursement upon clearance or approval.
By Maria Rachal , Susan Kelly • Sept. 2, 2020 -
Abbott gets emergency authorization for rapid $5 COVID-19 antigen test
As the fourth company to get the FDA emergency nod, the medtech giant's scale makes it a "significant entry [that] could help democratize testing," said former agency head Scott Gottlieb.
By Nick Paul Taylor • Aug. 27, 2020 -
First platform in embattled VA-Cerner EHR project goes live
The $16 billion initiative has been dogged by delays, infrastructure problems and leadership turnover since 2018.
By Rebecca Pifer • Aug. 26, 2020 -
Brian Tucker/Healthcare Dive
Hospitals slam 'disturbing' COVID-19 data reporting requirement threatening Medicare funding
The American Hospital Association quickly bashed the interim final rule, calling it "heavy-handed" and requesting it be reversed immediately.
By Shannon Muchmore • Aug. 26, 2020 -
Alex Wong via Getty Images
Trump admin delays final rule easing anti-kickback regs until next August
The American Hospital Association criticized the delay as "an extremely disappointing setback for hospital and health system efforts to continue to innovate coordinated care arrangements."
By Rebecca Pifer • Updated Aug. 27, 2020 -
Courtesy of Fitbit
Fitbit launches new smartwatch as EKG feature awaits FDA's OK
The device, which includes a skin temperature sensor and a heart rate tracker, comes as wearables are being trialed as early warning devices for COVID-19.
By Rebecca Pifer • Aug. 25, 2020 -
Dufour, Tia. (2020). "White House Press Briefing" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
FDA ends pressure-packed weekend with emergency OK for blood-derived COVID-19 treatment
The emergency clearance for convalescent plasma came a day after public pressure from President Donald Trump to speed up treatments for the novel coronavirus, and without data from a placebo-controlled trial.
By Ben Fidler • Aug. 24, 2020 -
Permission granted by BioNTech SE
Many COVID-19 cost-sharing waivers set to expire by October: study
The Kaiser Family Foundation report raises concerns more privately insured individuals could soon be exposed to steep medical costs at a time of deep economic and public health instability, even as payers report record profits.
By Rebecca Pifer • Aug. 21, 2020 -
Two-fifths of working-age adults lacked reliable insurance in first half of 2020, Commonwealth Fund says
People of color disproportionately lacked comprehensive coverage and were more likely to struggle financially with medical bills, the report found.
By Rebecca Pifer • Aug. 19, 2020 -
Alex Wong via Getty Images
CMS urges resumption of essential procedures, organ transplants for ESRD patients
Medicare end-stage renal disease beneficiaries have 3.5 times heightened risk of COVID-19 infection, according to an HHS analysis of early claims data.
By Maria Rachal • Aug. 18, 2020 -
Jacob Bell/Healthcare Dive
FDA gives nod to COVID-19 saliva test that doesn't need special swab or collection device
While the agency called the method potentially groundbreaking, one public health expert cautioned that the assay must be performed in highly specialized labs and is not considered a rapid test.
By Nick Paul Taylor • Aug. 17, 2020 -
Patient-provider encounter trends have stabilized, but remain significantly lower than before COVID-19
Meanwhile, telemedicine encounters have settled in at rates much higher than pre-pandemic levels. However, they still make up just a fraction of visits, according to an analysis from The Commonwealth Fund.
By Ron Shinkman • Aug. 17, 2020
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