Senate HELP Committee Releases HIPAA Modernization White Paper: Sen. Cassidy (R-LA), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee, released a white paper entitled “Strengthening Health...more
2/26/2024
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Data Privacy ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
GAO ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
HELP Act ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Senate Committees ,
U.S. House
On January 31, 2024, the US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Advance Notice of Methodological Changes for Calendar Year (CY) 2025 for Medicare Advantage (MA) Capitation Rates and Part C and D...more
House Passes Legislation to Prohibit Use of QALYs in All Federal Health Programs. The House passed H.R. 485, the Protecting Health Care for All Patients Act of 2023, a bill designed to prohibit the use of QALYs and similar...more
2/9/2024
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Congressional Committees ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
HELP ,
HRSA ,
Information Technology ,
OCR ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
SAMHSA ,
U.S. House
A few weeks ago, Regs & Eggs highlighted the major issues that McDermott+Consulting is monitoring this year – and the implementation of the president’s executive order (EO) on artificial intelligence (AI) was definitely part...more
2/1/2024
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Biden Administration ,
Deadlines ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Executive Orders ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Information Technologies ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Machine Learning ,
New Legislation ,
ONC ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures ,
Technology
Senate Finance Chair Continues Inquiry into MA Marketing Techniques. Chairman Wyden (D-OR) sent letters to five third-party marketing organizations that participate in the MA enrollment period. The letters seek information on...more
1/29/2024
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Long-Term Care ,
Medicare Advantage ,
New Legislation ,
New Regulations ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Senate Committees ,
U.S. House
The public comments are in! The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) are now reviewing the 136 comments they received on a proposed...more
Congress Returns Next Week to Face Imminent Funding Deadlines. The Senate will return to session on January 8, and the House will return on January 9. Lawmakers face an immediate time crunch on FY 2024 appropriations, as the...more
1/8/2024
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Congressional Committees ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Enrollment ,
GAO ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Medical Devices ,
Medicare ,
OMB ,
Physician Fee Schedule
On December 13, 2023, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) issued the Health Data, Technology, and Interoperability: Certification...more
CONGRESS -
House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee Examines AI. The hearing explored the transformative potential of AI in healthcare, acknowledging its promise in enhancing efficiency, improving patient care and...more
12/4/2023
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Senate Committees ,
U.S. House
On October 30, 2023, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a...more
CONGRESS -
Senate Finance Committee Holds Markup on Better Mental Health Care, Lower-Cost Drugs, and Extenders Act. The bipartisan package includes Medicare and Medicaid extenders, provisions to expand the mental health...more
11/10/2023
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Hospitals ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicare ,
Mental Health ,
National Institute of Health (NIH) ,
Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Physician Fee Schedule ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Senate Committees ,
Telehealth ,
U.S. House
On November 2, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the calendar year (CY) 2024 Revisions to Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) and Other Revisions to Medicare Part B...more
On November 2, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the calendar year (CY) 2024 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment Systems Final Rule [CMS-1786-FC]. The...more
On October 27, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Prospective Payment System (PPS) Calendar Year (CY) 2024 final rule (CMS-1782-F). The rule finalizes minimal...more
CONGRESS -
House Republicans Elect New Speaker. After weeks of turmoil, the House elected Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) as the new Speaker of the House on Wednesday with 220 votes secured on the floor. The House is now able to...more
10/30/2023
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
HELP Act ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
Legislative Agendas ,
National Institute of Health (NIH) ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Senate Committees ,
U.S. House
The bumpy road toward implementing the No Surprises Act took another turn last Friday, October 6, 2023. The US Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor and the Treasury (collectively, the Departments) provided...more
10/12/2023
/ Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Dispute Resolution ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
No Surprises Act (NSA) ,
Out-of-Pocket Expenses ,
Payment Systems ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
U.S. Treasury
CONGRESS -
Senators Sanders and Marshall Release Bipartisan Primary Care and Health Workforce Act. Released on September 14, the legislation would reauthorize funding for a number of healthcare workforce programs that are...more
9/20/2023
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
DEA ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
GAO ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicare ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Proposed Legislation ,
U.S. House
Time’s up and pencils down! Comments on the calendar year (CY) 2024 physician fee schedule (PFS) proposed reg were due earlier this week. Now, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will have to review them and...more
9/15/2023
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Comment Period ,
Health Care Providers ,
Medicaid ,
Medical Monitoring ,
Medicare ,
Physician Fee Schedule ,
Physicians ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Quality Payment Program (QPP) ,
Telehealth
The No Surprises Act (NSA) has been in effect since January 2022, and has faced litigation ever since from healthcare providers. States and federal agencies are also examining surprise billing and consumer protection laws...more
Congress is officially in recess for the month of August and will return after Labor Day. On the regulatory front, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the final fiscal year (FY) 2024 Inpatient...more
8/4/2023
/ Acute Facilities ,
Billing ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Final Rules ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Hospitals ,
Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) ,
Long Term Care Facilities ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part D ,
No Surprises Act (NSA) ,
Patient Prospective Payment System ,
Payment Systems
On August 1, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the fiscal year (FY) 2024 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) final rule. The rule updates Medicare payment policies and quality reporting...more
The House and Senate were both in session this week, with healthcare activity at the committee level. The House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on innovation and a markup of 15 healthcare bills. The Senate...more
7/24/2023
/ Billing ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
HELP Act ,
Legislative Agendas ,
MCOs ,
Medicare ,
Proposed Legislation ,
SAMHSA ,
Senate Committees ,
Technology ,
Telehealth ,
U.S. House ,
Vaccinations
On July 13, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Calendar Year (CY) 2024 Revisions to Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) and Other Revisions to Medicare Part B...more
Following the May 1 White House announcement that the federal government would wind down certain remaining COVID-19 vaccination requirements, on May 31, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final...more
6/2/2023
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Essential Workers ,
Health and Safety ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
The House was in session this week, while the Senate was in recess. The House Energy & Commerce Committee continued its work on healthcare by advancing six bills that address competition, transparency and access to care. The...more
5/30/2023
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Medicaid ,
New Legislation ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Transparency