Policy & Regulations

This channel includes news coverage of healthcare policy and regulations set by Congress, the states, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and medical associations and societies.

Advocacy group asks Congress for $377M increase in funds for the FDA
The Alliance for a Stronger FDA said the increase is necessary to pay salaries and cover the organization's ballooning operational expenses.
FDA clears advanced AI model for predicting heart failure risk
The new algorithm from Implicity evaluates implantable device data and monitors patients for changes that suggest they could experience severe heart failure symptoms in the near future. It was designed to alert clinicians up to weeks in advance.
Maryland enacts sweeping ban on noncompetes for all healthcare professionals
The new law will ban noncompetes in the state for all healthcare workers who provide care, including veterinarians and veterinary technicians.
About that bipartisan $32B ‘roadmap’ for AI policy: What’s in it for healthcare?
This week Washington took a major step toward nailing down a solid game plan on federal AI spending for everything outside of defense.
FDA set to evaluate use of ‘ecstasy’ for treating PTSD
The party drug could soon be prescribed, in conjunction with psychological interventions, as a treatment for mental health disorders.

Private equity continues to snap up physician groups

Private equity firms are continuing their investments in physician practices, scooping up 355 acquisitions from 2013 to 2016, according to a new study published in JAMA.

February 19, 2020

Hedge funds distance themselves from Purdue Pharma

The troubles of Purdue Pharma, the maker of the opioid OxyContin, have led two hedge funds to cut ties with the company as legal consequences from the national opioid abuse and overdose epidemic continue to play out.

February 19, 2020

HHS teams up with Janssen to treat coronavirus

HHS is extending its existing partnership with pharmaceutical company Janssen Research & Development, which is part of Johnson & Johnson, to develop treatments for the 2019 novel coronavirus, the agency announced.

February 18, 2020

Unregulated Craiglist drug market rising due to sky-high prices

More Americans afflicted with chronic disease are turning to unregulated markets such as Craigslist to find insulin and other necessary medications because they can’t afford to purchase them at the pharmacy.

February 18, 2020

Study: Universal healthcare system would save lives, improve healthcare

A Medicare for all healthcare system has the potential to improve the availability of services and efficiency of care in the United States, according to a recent study published in The Lancet.

February 18, 2020

Healthcare spending closes in on $6K per privately insured person

HCCI analyzed more than 2.5 billion de-identified claims, including those for prescription drugs as well as medical visits, filed from 2014 to 2018 with Aetna, Humana, Kaiser Permanente and UnitedHealthcare.

February 14, 2020

Fewer struggling to pay medical bills—surprise or not—but millions still set back

Citing data previously published from the National Health Interview Survey, authors Amy Cha, PhD, MPH, and Robin Cohen, PhD, point out that major medical bills piling up for one member of a family tend to weaken the entire household.

February 12, 2020

China ramps up AI surveillance in face of coronavirus outbreak

Big-name Chinese technology vendors have responded to the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak by using more AI surveillance on the general public than ever before.

February 11, 2020

Around the web

AI in Healthcare

About that bipartisan $32B ‘roadmap’ for AI policy: What’s in it for healthcare?

This week Washington took a major step toward nailing down a solid game plan on federal AI spending for everything outside of defense.

Cardiovascular Business

FDA announces new recall of delivery catheters after patient’s death

The recall includes specific lots of five different medical devices used to treat stroke and other neurovascular diseases.

Cardiovascular Business

FDA warns against use of troubled heart devices, citing ‘continued concerns’ after multiple recalls

The agency is urging healthcare providers to transition away from these devices and seek out alternatives. It is even working with other manufacturers to try and get similar products on the market as quickly as possible.