News

The House and Senate conference committee yesterday approved legislation that would provide $178.1 billion in discretionary funding for the departments of Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education in fiscal year 2019 and extend current funding levels for other federal programs until Dec. 7.

Hurricane Florence made landfall this morning along the North Carolina coast, where hospitals were anticipating additional traffic to emergency departments and potential admissions of injured and medically fragile individuals.

The House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee yesterday held a hearing examining legal and regulatory barriers to innovation and value-based care in Medicare.

The number of U.S. residents using heroin for the first time fell by more than 50 percent in 2017, according to the latest National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh yesterday filed a federal lawsuit seeking a declaratory judgment that the Affordable Care Act is constitutional and the federal government must stop taking actions to dismantle it.

More than 40 groups, led by the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine, yesterday launched a campaign to improve the quality of medical diagnoses.

The National Association of Health Services Executives’ Washington Metropolitan Area Chapter Sept. 13 recognized 14 health care leaders for their contributions to the field.

Hospital and health care leaders from more than 40 countries will assemble in Brisbane, Australia Oct. 10-12 for the International Hospital Federation’s 42nd World Hospital Congress.

Our thoughts are with the women and men of the hospitals in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Georgia now, and in the days to come, as they deal with this massive storm and its aftermath.

The House of Representatives yesterday approved legislation (H.R. 6690) that would establish a three-year pilot program to test using smart card technology to combat Medicare fraud and protect beneficiary identity.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar yesterday declared a public health emergency in Virginia as Hurricane Florence approaches, and waived or modified certain Medicare, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program requirements to give health care providers and suppliers greater flexibility to meet emergency health needs.

A coalition of health care providers, insurers, seniors and others is pushing back on some of the latest claims by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America that incorrectly blame hospitals for the rising price of drugs.

The Provider Reimbursement Review Board, which hears Medicare Part A provider appeals, recently updated its rules for appeal proceedings.

An estimated 8.8 percent (28.5 million) of U.S. residents lacked health insurance for the entire year in 2017, not statistically different from 2016, the Census Bureau reported today.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar yesterday declared public health emergencies in North and South Carolina as Hurricane Florence approaches, and waived or modified certain Medicare, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program requirements to give health care providers and suppliers greater flexibility to meet emergency health needs.

Consumers may claim a hardship exemption from the Affordable Care Act’s individual health insurance mandate on their federal income tax return for 2018 without presenting the documentary evidence or written explanation generally required for hardship exemptions, according to guidance issued today by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General yesterday recommended the Food and Drug Administration take additional steps to integrate cybersecurity into its premarket review process for medical devices

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today awarded 39 organizations grants to help consumers shop for and enroll in health coverage in 2019 as navigators in states with federally-facilitated health insurance exchanges.

The Food and Drug Administration will hold a public meeting Nov. 27 to receive stakeholder input on the underlying systemic causes of drug shortages and recommendations to mitigate them.

The AHA, Association of American Medical Colleges, America’s Essential Hospitals, 340B Health and three hospital systems today asked a federal court to order the Department of Health and Human Services to make effective within 30 days a final rule requiring drug companies to disclose the ceiling price for 340B outpatient drugs.