News Briefs
DOJ National Nursing Home Initiative Aims to Boost Enforcement
The Department of Justice's new report details how the bureau is tackling crimes against older adults and how some providers have found themselves on the wrong side of investigations -- and often of prosecution for resident negligence and abuse. The Annual Report to Congress on Department of Justice Activities to Combat Elder Fraud and Abuse showed that from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024, DOJ leaders doubled down on their elder abuse prevention efforts, mainly through the National Nursing Home Initiative.
(Source: McKnight's Long-Term Care News, 2024-11-04)
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Antitrust Watchdog Investigating Health Conglomerates, PBMs
Huge health conglomerates have another reason to worry that their business model might be disrupted. One of the country's top antitrust watchdogs said her agency is taking a hard look at the businesses and their practices.
(Source: Ohio Capital Journal, 2024-10-31)
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Drugmakers Urge Court to Revive Drug Price Negotiation Lawsuit
Lawyers for AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Johnson & Johnson's Janssen urged a federal appeals court in Philadelphia to revive their lawsuits challenging the first-ever U.S. law requiring pharmaceutical companies to negotiate drug prices with the government's Medicare health insurance program that covers 66 million people. The companies argue that the program -- part of the Inflation Reduction Act, a signature initiative of President Joe Biden -- amounts to a taking of their property without compensation, violating the U.S. Constitution.
(Source: Reuters, 2024-10-30)
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Doctors Protest CMS Move to Cut Medicare Payments by 2.9 Percent
The Biden administration has finalized 2025 Medicare reimbursement rates for physicians and hospital clinics that providers agree aren't large enough in light of rising costs. Physicians will see their Medicare rates drop 2.9 percent next year.
(Source: Healthcare Dive, 2024-11-04)
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Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act Introduced
Lawmakers and numerous health and physician organizations are supporting legislation that would increase, not cut, Medicare reimbursement for doctors in 2025. Physicians in the House of Representatives are among the supporters of the Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act which would avert a planned 2.8 percent cut and increases 1.8 percent to the conversion factor in 2025, relative to the 2024 conversion factor, according to the office of Rep. Greg Murphy, MD (R-North Carolina).
(Source: Medical Economics, 2024-10-30)
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RPM Providers Get Relief From New Reimbursement Rule
A key deterrent to the development of remote patient monitoring programs is being removed, giving healthcare organizations a better opportunity to scale and sustain those services. The American Medical Association's CPT Editorial Panel has removed a requirement that RPM providers collect data on at least 16 of 30 days to qualify for Medicare reimbursement, opening the door to short-term and less frequent programs and coverage for a wider range of patients.
(Source: HealthLeaders Media, 2024-10-30)
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AHA, FBI Team Up to Launch Hospitals Against Violence Initiative
The American Hospital Association partnered with the Federal Bureau of Investigations to offer resources to mitigate violence directed toward healthcare workers. The AHA has launched the Hospitals Against Violence initiative, which is intended to stop both workplace and community violence in healthcare settings.
(Source: Scripps Howard News Service, 2024-11-01)
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Physician Practice Staffing Improves, But Not Enough for Demand
Staffing of physician practices and medical groups has largely returned to pre-pandemic levels, but medical care providers remain busier than ever thanks to a surge of patient visits. Though staffing has improved, it's not enough to meet increasing demand for healthcare services, which is threatening patient access to care.
(Source: Forbes, 2024-11-01)
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Most Cybersecurity Risks Come from Third-Party Vendors
The vast majority of cybersecurity risks and breaches are from third-party vendors and other organizations, said experts John Riggi and Richard Staynings during the closing keynote of the HIMSS Healthcare Cybersecurity Forum. The numbers have grown, from 27 million people affected in 2020 to the 150 million affected by the Change Healthcare ransomware attack in February, according to Riggi, former FBI special agent and national advisor for Cybersecurity and Risk, American Hospital Association.
(Source: Healthcare Finance News, 2024-11-04)
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Drugmakers, Biotechs Look for Alternative to Chinese Partnerships
U.S. drugmakers and biotechs have come to rely on Chinese partners for manufacturing, research, and ingredients. Now, some of them are looking for alternatives as geopolitical tensions rise.
(Source: MSN, 2024-10-31)
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AI Taking on More Prominent Role in Healthcare Settings
At the HLTH 2024 conference in Las Vegas, attendees and exhibitors felt that the air had shifted around artificial intelligence. While in previous years, the conversations about AI at the trendy healthcare conference were mostly theoretical, the 2024 conference showcased AI solutions that have been deployed to clinicians and patients, healthcare executives told Fierce Healthcare on the sidelines of the conference.
(Source: FierceHealthcare, 2024-10-30)
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