Health Care

On May 17, 2017 the American Bar Association convened its 27th National Institute on Health Care Fraud.  I have attended many of the past annual meetings, and always enjoy the presentations and the opportunity to network with colleagues from all sides of the aisle.  And I always come away with a few nuggets to share with those who did not attend.

Last week, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) concluded that a key piece of telehealth legislation, the CHRONIC Care Act of 2017, would not, overall, increase or decrease Medicare spending.

On May 23, the White House released its 2018 budget proposal, outlining its priorities for the upcoming fiscal year. In health care, the President has proposed cuts to several agencies and programs. The Administration’s annual budget is seen as a statement of policy, not necessarily a legislative proposal certain to become law.

Last week, the Department of Justice (DOJ) entered into a $34 million settlement with Mercy Hospital Springfield ("Hospital") of Springfield, Missouri, and its affiliate Mercy Clinic ("Clinic").

Our ML Strategies colleagues have published a preview for another big week in health care. The American Health Care Act (AHCA) continues to be a big story as the Senate works on its version. This week we watch for updates on these items and how they might impact AHCA discussions.

A bipartisan congressional effort is underway to convince CMS to reverse its biosimilar reimbursement policy implemented under the Obama administration. We discussed the current reimbursement policy in a March 2016 blog post when CMS initially released the guidance.  CMS implemented the controversial guidance as a final rule in October 2016.

Yesterday, CMS released the Proposed Part D DIR (Direct and Indirect Remuneration) Reporting Requirements for 2016 and postponed the 2016 DIR Reporting deadline.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced another large HIPAA-related settlement last week with Memorial Hermann Health System (Memorial Hermann), the largest not-for-profit health system in southeast Texas.

Our ML Strategies colleagues, Eli Greenspan, Katie Weider, and Rodney Whitlock, have published a new edition of the Health Care Weekly Preview. This edition covers upcoming hearings in the House, including one before the House Ways & Means Committee regarding expiring Medicare programs, as well as changes to Medicare’s payment system.

On May 11, 2017, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension (HELP) Committee voted in support of the FDA Reauthorization Act of 2017, or FDARA, now formally moving through the legislative process as S. 934.

By now, you may have heard about the global ransomware attacks affecting health care and other organizations throughout the world, in particular the United Kingdom, but also in the United States. The ransomware variant, called “Wanna Decryption” or “WannaCry” works like any other ransomware: once it is inadvertently installed, it locks up the organization’s data until ransom is paid.

In my last post, I introduced a series of posts that will explore FDA’s historical approach to off-label drug and device communications, how that position has evolved (or not) to the modern day, and predict where that policy might end up a few years from now.

In a recent post we noted that the Maternal, Infant, Early Childhood, Home Visiting (MIECHV) program is one of the many potential riders on the health care minibus. In contrast to an omnibus bill, the “minibus” refers to a handful of policy provisions tied together in one piece of legislation. 

Just as the public comment period for the bicameral, bipartisan discussion draft of the “FDA Reauthorization Act of 2017” ended on Friday, what we have been calling the User Fee Games got even more interesting and engaging.

The Trump administration is considering releasing a rule to ease the burden that small practices are facing in trying to comply with the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), according to a recent report in The Hill.

Regular readers of our blog know that we’ve been following developments related to biosimilar products for some time (see our past coverage here).  On April 26, 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in its first case involving the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (“BPCIA”), Amgen v. Sandoz. 

Patient assistance programs have been a staple within the health care industry for over a decade. These programs, operated by 503(c)(3) charities, may receive funding from pharmaceutical manufacturers or other providers to offer assistance to low-income patients in affording their medications, co-payments, deductibles, premiums, or other related services.

RAlthough telehealth has the potential to improve or maintain quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries, payment and coverage restrictions create barriers that prevent providers from fully utilizing telehealth technologies.

Last week, the California Assembly Committee on Business and Professions voted in favor of Assembly Bill 315.

ML Strategies has provided a Spring Cheat Sheet previewing the coming months in health care policy in the 115th Congress. The Cheat Sheet addresses attempts to amend the American Health Care Act, funding for the federal government, the heath insurance marketplace, FDA user fee acts, and the health care minibus.