House passes Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (PCHETA)
The amendment to the Public Health Service Act (H.R. 1676) to increase the number of permanent faculty in palliative care at accredited allopathic and...
CMS reinstates risk adjustment payments
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule that the agency says clarifies its methodology for calculating the Affordable Care...
Suicide prevention hotline one step closer to 3-digit phone number
The House this week voted 379-1 to pass H.R. 2345 (115), a bill that aims to overhaul the National Suicide Prevention Hotline.
The legislation would...
House passes bill to eliminate medical device tax
On a vote of 283-132, the House passed H.R. 184 (115), a bill which will permanently eliminate the 2.3 percent tax on medical devices....
Senate confirms Wilkie as VA secretary
In a 86-9 vote, the Senate confirmed Robert Wilkie as secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Wilkie is viewed as being...
Key points provided for proposed rule for physician fee schedule
Last week the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the proposed rule on the calendar year (CY) 2019 physician fee schedule. The...
CMS proposes change in office visit codes
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma sent a letter to doctors proposing changes to the documentation requirements for office...
Hospitals can expect more oversight on 340B Drug Pricing Program
Comments made by Health & Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar during the 340B Coalition Summer Meeting last week put hospitals on alert to...
Measure to cap drug prices in SD removed from ballot
Initiated Measure (IM) 26, which would have capped drug prices in South Dakota, was removed from the November 2018 ballot by Circuit Judge Patricia...
House expected to vote on farm bill today
House agriculture leaders said they expect the House to vote this afternoon to move the farm bill, H.R. 2 (115), to a conference committee....
