News Briefs
State Governments Taking Steps to Make Rules on Healthcare AI
In the absence of federal guardrails on artificial intelligence in healthcare, state governments are figuring out their own rules of the road. States can often make policy quicker than the federal health bureaucracy and with specific community needs in mind, but state officials have run into many of the same problems as their D.C. counterparts, like the lack of clear definitions on AI and differing stakeholder opinions.
(Source: Axios, 2024-08-12)
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Appeals Court Rejects Bill to Reform Surprise Billing Arbitration
A federal appeals court has upheld a lower court decision that struck down key parts of legislation aimed at reforming surprise medical billing. The Fifth Circuit Court's ruling confirms a February 2023 decision from the court in the Eastern District of Texas, vacating arbitration methodology set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
(Source: FierceHealthcare, 2024-08-06)
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Few Patients Challenge Unexpected Medical Bills, Survey Finds
Almost half of insured working-age adults in the U.S. say they've received a medical bill or copayment for a service they expected to be covered by insurance. But despite the fact that one in five were denied coverage for a doctor-recommended service, few patients challenge these denied claims.
(Source: Healthcare Finance News, 2024-08-06)
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CMS Notice Aims to Expedite Medicare's Medical Device Coverage
Cutting-edge medical devices will be eligible for Medicare coverage while manufacturers continue to gather data on how they perform under a new plan finalized by the Biden administration. Under the plan, Medicare will temporarily cover select medical devices from the time FDA grants them market authorization, while additional research is conducted on their safety and efficacy.
(Source: Axios, 2024-08-08)
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P.E. Healthcare Dealmaking Down 16.5%, But Turnaround Expected
Private equity dealmaking in healthcare services fell again in the second quarter, but the market is likely poised for a turnaround, according to a report by PitchBook. An estimated 142 deals were announced or closed during the period, down 16.5 percent from the first quarter, the market research firm found.
(Source: Healthcare Dive, 2024-08-09)
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Federal Law Impacting States' Efforts to Lower Drug Costs
In recent years, all 50 states have enacted laws designed to lower prescription drug costs by curbing the power of PBMs, according to the National Academy for State Health Policy, a nonpartisan research group. But thanks to a 50-year-old federal law called the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, better known as ERISA, almost none of those measures applies to the 65 percent of Americans who work for large employers that cover their workers through so-called self-funded healthcare plans.
(Source: Stateline, 2024-08-08)
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Bill to Regulate Medical Devices in Sensitive Areas Introduced
Two U.S. senators have put forward a bill calling for regulation on what medical devices can or can't be used around devices and areas containing sensitive information, demanding action from the U.S. Director of National Intelligence. The bill comes after the U.S. Government Accountability Office published a report finding that some workers were denied access to some of the most secretive and sensitive facilities for handling classified information as a result of their personal medical devices such as pacemakers.
(Source: Medical Device Network, 2024-08-06)
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Report Finds Over 30% of All Rural Hospitals at Risk of Closing
More than 700 rural hospitals, over 30 percent of all such providers in the country, are at risk of closing as they face financial losses on patient care, limited sources of other revenue, and low financial reserves, according to a report by the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform. The outlook is even more dire for some rural facilities: 360 are at immediate risk of closing within two to three years due to their severe financial problems.
(Source: Healthcare Dive, 2024-08-07)
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Clinical Trial Testing At-Home Skilled Nursing Care
A first-of-its-kind clinical trial will investigate the feasibility of providing post-acute skilled nursing facility care to patients in their home as a way to help alleviate the skilled nursing crisis and improve patient outcomes. The Skilled Nursing Facility or SNF at Home trial is a large, randomized clinical trial being conducted by the UMass Chan Medical School and is supported by a $6.5 million grant from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services.
(Source: McKnight's Long-Term Care News, 2024-08-08)
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Healthcare Workers Owe Over $150B for Education, Medical Debt
A new study estimated total educational and medical debt among American healthcare workers. The costs: $134.4 billion a year for school and $19.8 billion a year for healthcare. "U.S. health care workers are more likely than other workers to carry medical and educational debt, collectively owing more than $150 billion," authors Kathryn E.W. Himmelstein, MD, MSEd, and Alexander C. Tsai, MD, said in the study.
(Source: Medical Economics, 2024-08-08)
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