Telehealth May Discourage Low-Value Testing
A new study suggests that greater adoption of telehealth may be accompanied by reduced utilization of low-value medical testing – diagnostic tests, screenings, or procedures that seem to provide little to no clinical benefit to the patient and are increasingly [...]
Federal Health Policy Update for March 19
The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for March 13-19. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House President Trump has issued an executive order creating a Task [...]
Health Care Workers May Get Relief From New H-1B Visa Fee
A bill newly introduced in the House would provide relief to non-U.S. born health care workers from the $100,000 fee for H-1B visas that was introduced by executive order last year. Under the Physicians and Healthcare Workforce Act, health care [...]
CMS Plans IDR Changes
The Independent Dispute Resolution process that is the central implementation mechanism of the No Surprises Act will soon undergo reengineering. Working with the Labor Department and the Department of the Treasury, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services plans to [...]
MACPAC Submits March Report to Congress
The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission has submitted its mandated March report to Congress. The report consists of four chapters: Chapter 1 offers a recommendation to support the home- and community-based services (HCBS) workforce by requiring states to report [...]
MedPAC Submits March Report to Congress
As required by law, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission has submitted its March report to Congress. In this year’s report, MedPAC: evaluates the adequacy of Medicare’s fee-for-service payments and offers its recommendation for changes in the coming year; offers its [...]
MACPAC Meets
Members of the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission met recently in Washington, D.C. The following is MACPAC’s own summary of its two days of public meetings. MACPAC’s March meeting began with a discussion on the role of automation [...]
Federal Health Policy Update for March 12
The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for March 6-12. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress While the House was in recess this week, the Republican caucus held [...]
“Rural Emergency Hospital” Designation Making a Difference for Some Communities
The new (since 2023) classification of some hospitals as “Rural Emergency Hospitals” is proving to be an effective tool for preserving access to care in some rural communities. The program, introduced to help stem the closure of rural hospitals, which [...]
CMS Lays Out Medicaid Eligibility Redeterminations
More than eight months after passage of HR 1, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has provided formal guidance to the states on how to redetermine Medicaid eligibility for certain Medicaid beneficiaries – [...]
