In This Issue:

- Top News

..Tavenner Wins Senate Confirmation to Head CMS

..US Charges 89 in Nationwide Medicare Fraud Crackdown

- State News

..Vermont Becomes Fourth State to Allow Physician-Assisted Suicide

..Colorado Signs Medicaid Expansion into Law

- Regulatory News

..OIG Issues Updated Special Advisory Bulletin on Effect of Exclusion from Federal Health Care Programs

..Senate Finance Committee Seeks Input on Reforming Physician Payment Formula

..Congress Considers Drug Supply Chain Legislation

..Senate Committee Considers Compounding Bill

..DOL Publishes Guidance on Notifying Employees of Health Insurance Exchanges

..CMS Issues Proposed Rule on Reduced Medicaid Payments to Disproportionate Share Hospitals

- Additional Reading

- Federal Register

- For More Information

- Excerpt from Top News:

On May 15, 2013, as reported in Medscape, the Senate confirmed Marilyn Tavenner to become the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), a position she has held in an acting role since November 2011. The 91-7 vote for Tavenner gives CMS its first confirmed Administrator since Mark McClellan resigned from that post in October 2006. The lack of a confirmed CMS appointee has been viewed as a roadblock for the Obama administration as it attempts to implement the Affordable Care Act (ACA).