State and federal actors are investigating and adding new regulations to organ donation and transplants. On Wednesday, the Biden administration announced that it intends to "put out for bid" the work of the national nonprofit United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), which coordinates organ procurement organizations with transplant...CMS Rules
On Monday, Judge Jeremy Kernodle of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas handed down a decision that would remove major portions of the final rule for the No Surprises Act.
In 2021, the Texas Medical Association (TMA) filed suit against an interim final rule that would instruct independent arbiters to rely on the...Arizona News
The federal government is taking action to challenge restrictions on birth control and abortion this week with a new rule from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on contraceptive coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Also, the Biden administration is reportedly weighing a declaration of a public health emergency...Arizona News
This week, a federal judge ruled that an Arizona abortion restriction will stand, and anti-abortion advocates file a lawsuit that would challenge the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) authority to authorize mifepristone.
Late last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a report that details the...
Last Friday, the Biden administration announced it will immediately increase enforcement for nursing home requirements and tighten quality requirements for poor-performing facilities.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said that it would provide resources for poorly-performing nursing homes but maintains the threat...
The fight for health equity in maternal health continues with the Biden administration announcing plans to reform substance abuse treatment for expecting mothers. Meanwhile, maternal care options are shrinking for women in rural and underserved communities, increasing their risk for poor maternal and infant health outcomes.
Roughly...
Last Friday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published the Roadmap for Behavioral Health Integration, which aims to boost pay parity and support for mental health care and substance abuse prevention services.
The HHS Roadmap was developed by the HHS Behavioral Health Coordinating Council and incorporated...
Last Wednesday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule that would streamline the application and renewal process for enrollees in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
The overhaul aims to "reduce red tape" and simplify the application and verification process for children,...
According to the Biden administration, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 will cap prescription drug costs for Medicare and also reduce health insurance premiums for hundreds of thousands of Arizona ACA beneficiaries by about $830 per year. The legislation is also expected to expand coverage to about 41,000 Arizonans, and cap insulin...
The non-profit healthcare accreditation group for more than 22,000 providers across the country, the Joint Commission, has established new accreditation standards to improve health equity within healthcare organizations. The standards will apply to hospitals, critical access hospitals, primary care providers and ambulatory surgical...
On June 29, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) updated its guidance on requirements for long-term care facilities on staffing levels, arbitration, infection prevention and the administration of certain medications. The agency attributed the guidance to President Joe Biden's efforts to improve nursing home safety and is...National News
Value-based care is now a ubiquitous term across the medical industry, primarily led by Medicare payment models that prioritize quality of care above overall cost. But some are questioning the concept's utility and expanse over the Medicare market.
Legislation proposed in both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate would...
On Monday evening, a draft of an abortion opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court was leaked and published in the national press. The leak concerns the case Dodd v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which challenges the constitutionality of a 15-week abortion ban passed by the Mississippi state legislature in 2015. Written by Supreme...
Under the Biden administration and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the national push to improve community access to health resources has gained steam and policy decisions reflect the public demand for greater resources.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a $105 million grant to strengthen...
March 23 was the 12th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) . The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a report to highlight the ways in which the ACA is "the strongest it has ever been" due to the American Rescue Plan (ARP) and other efforts by the Biden administration to strengthen Americans' access to...
The Biden Administration’s nursing home reform plan was unveiled earlier this month, with emphasis on improving quality of care. The plan includes more than 20 initiatives, with minimum staffing requirements a top priority. The plan was met with discontent from industry stakeholders who assert the implication that nursing home quality...
The White House issued a fact sheet at the end of February announcing a plan to improve safety and quality of care at nursing homes by focusing on staffing. Now, industry leaders are responding to Biden's proposed plan while states attempt to address key components of the staffing shortage, such as the rising cost of staffing...CMS Rules
On February 24, the Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services (CMS) gave a long-awaited announcement regarding the future of the Global and Professional Direct Contracting Model (GPDC). The existing model will phase out by December 31, 2022 and will be redesigned to create the Accountable Care Organization Realizing Equity, Access and...
The Biden Administration announced Friday a set of reforms aimed at improving the safety and quality of nursing home care. The reforms are intended to hold nursing home facilities accountable and promote transparency by implementing staffing requirements and strict quality standards, among other methods. The proposal has been met with...
Despite the national decline in cases of COVID-19, President Joe Biden moved to reauthorize the U.S. national emergency declared in March 2020. The president said that the deaths of more than 900,000 Americans emphasized the need for the federal government's continued response to the pandemic.
According to Reuters, the emergency is...
