FCC chairman proposes significant funding increase for Rural Health Care Program
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai announced the circulation of a draft order that would increase the annual funding cap for the Rural...
Senate urged to support CREATES Act
More than 45 organizations, including the American Hospital Association, last week sent a letter to members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to support the...
CMS releases Medicaid scorecard
This week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a Medicaid scorecard intended to show how the nation’s largest health program is...
Farm bill faces another round of action
With the current farm bill scheduled to end in September, both House and Senate members are trying to find common ground. After a failed...
Tribal organizations eligible for HHS opioid treatment grants
Although all tribes and tribal associations nationwide are eligible, South Dakota recently learned that it was not selected as one of 35 states to...
MIPS exceeds first year participation goal
In 2015, Congress passed the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), which changed the way that Medicare pays clinicians by establishing two new...
EHR hardship exception applications due July 1
Eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals may be exempt from Medicare penalties if they can demonstrate that use of certified electronic health record (EHR)...
Right to Try legislation signed into law
President Trump recently signed the Right to Try bill, S. 204 (115), allowing terminally ill patients to bypass the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)...
Congress continues work on opioid legislation
Last week, House and Senate committees continued working to advance legislation to address the opioid and substance abuse epidemic in the country. The House...
Senate passes Veterans Affairs legislation, Trump set to sign
By a vote of 92-5, the Senate passed bipartisan legislation, S.2372, to streamline and modernize the Veterans Administration (VA) health system. The Maintaining Internal...
