Policy and Legislation
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) is urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the pharmaceutical industry to address the growing shortage of prescription medications, especially those meant for treating cancer.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has launched the first phase of its Physician Compare website, which provides online tools aimed at helping Medicare beneficiaries and other consumers choose doctors in their communities.
CMS has posted an "emergency update" to the 2011 Medicare physician fee schedule (MPFS) files, reflecting recent statutory changes and certain technical corrections.
The Senate and House have passed a bill that provides $4.2 billion to treat workers' injuries and illnesses resulting from exposure to toxic dust and debris at Ground Zero following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
HHS has now released its final set of draft regulations for provisions of the Affordable Care Act scheduled to go into effect early in 2011. This last regulatory publication - actually a "notice of proposed rulemaking" inviting comments prior to implementation - provides proposed rules for disclosure and justification of "unreasonable" premium increases.
In a move that dramatically changes how it pays end-stage renal disease facilities, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Wednesday issued a final rule that will allow payment adjustments based on how well facilities meet dialysis performance standards.
Citing low reimbursement rates that could threaten its ability to provide medical care to all patients, Appalachian Regional Healthcare on Monday filed a lawsuit against the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources and its Bureau for Medical Services for inadequate Medicaid reimbursement rates.
A new OIG report, “Questionable Billing for Medicare Outpatient Therapy Services,” reviews 20 counties with the highest Medicare outpatient therapy payments per beneficiary and overall high outpatient utilization levels in 2009.
State policy experts have named healthcare reform as one of the top issues that state lawmakers should expect to face in 2011.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has awarded $206 million in bonus payments to 15 sates that have made significant progress in increasing the number of children enrolled in Medicaid.