Blumenthal urges FTC to intensify antitrust scrutiny of dominant dialysis providers -
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal is pressing the FTC to step up enforcement against concentration in the dialysis market, where DaVita and...more
2/20/2026
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Competition ,
Congressional Oversight ,
Dialysis ,
Dialysis Providers ,
Disparate Impact ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Medicare Advantage ,
Non-Compete Agreements
A systematic review and meta-analysis of 27 observational studies involving over 1,000,000 incident dialysis patients found that peritoneal dialysis (PD) and in-center hemodialysis provide equivalent overall survival for...more
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”), through the CMS Innovation Center (“CMMI”), has announced the ACCESS Model—Advancing Clinical Care, Equity and System Sustainability, a national demonstration model...more
On October 31, 2025, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized the Ambulatory Specialty Model (ASM) in the CY 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) final rule. ...more
12/4/2025
/ Ambulatory Surgery Centers ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Final Rules ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part B ,
MIPS ,
Physician Fee Schedule ,
Physicians ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Value-Based Care
The final rule for the 2026 Medicare Fee Schedule was released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on October 31, and it appears to have been finalized almost exactly as it was proposed. ...more
11/14/2025
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Dialysis ,
Dialysis Providers ,
FDA Approval ,
Final Rules ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
GlaxoSmithKline ,
Medical Research ,
Medicare ,
Organ Transplant Centers ,
Physician Fee Schedule ,
Proposed Rules
Hemodialysis Catheter Market expected to reach $1.9 billion by 2034 -
The global hemodialysis catheter market is projected to reach $1.9 billion by 2034, driven by the rising prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and...more
On July 1, 2025, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”), through its Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (“CMMI”), launched the Increasing Organ Transplant Access (“IOTA”) Model. ...more
Federal oversight of Remote Patient Monitoring (“RPM”) is increasing, as agencies like the OIG, CMS and DOJ shift from issuing warnings to actively enforcing regulations. This includes standardized audit metrics and the first...more
10/13/2025
/ Audits ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Medical Devices ,
Medicare ,
OIG ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Telehealth
The Trump administration is withholding funding for multiple CDC programs, including initiatives on diabetes, chronic kidney disease, youth violence prevention, gun injury research, and tobacco use, according to a Wall Street...more
9/19/2025
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Denial of Insurance Coverage ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Dialysis Providers ,
Federal Budget ,
Federal Funding ,
Health Care Providers ,
OIG ,
Public Health ,
Ransomware ,
Trump Administration
On July 14, 2025, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) issued the CY 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (“PFS”) Proposed Rule. Published in the Federal Register on July 16, 2025, the rule outlines...more
8/26/2025
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Comment Period ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Health ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part B ,
Physician Fee Schedule ,
Proposed Rules ,
Telemedicine ,
Value-Based Care
An investigation highlighted concerns about for-profit dialysis clinics in the U.S., which are linked to worse patient outcomes and reduced transplant access. DaVita and Fresenius, controlling over 60% of dialysis centers,...more
8/15/2025
/ Acquisitions ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
CMMI ,
Competition ,
Dialysis ,
Dialysis Providers ,
For-Profit Corporations ,
Fresenius ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Mergers ,
Nurses ,
Organ Transplant Centers ,
Patient Access ,
Patient Safety ,
Public Health
On July 14, 2025, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) released the proposed rule for the Calendar Year (“CY”) 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (“PFS”), formally titled CMS-1832-P....more
7/18/2025
/ ACOs ,
Alternative Payment Models (APM) ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part B ,
Medicare Shared Savings Program ,
Physician Fee Schedule ,
Physicians ,
Proposed Rules ,
Quality Payment Program (QPP) ,
Regulatory Requirements
CMS Releases Proposed Rule for 2026 ESRD PPS -
As the nephrology organization representing the specialty on socioeconomic and physician practice issues, the Renal Physicians Association analyzes and disseminates...more
On June 27, 2025, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”), through its Innovation Center (“CMMI”), released the Request for Applications (“RFA”) for a new payment and service delivery initiative: the Wasteful and...more
7/2/2025
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
CMMI ,
Fee-for-Service ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Hospitals ,
Innovative Technology ,
Machine Learning ,
Medicare
On May 28, 2025, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) Innovation Center formally announced the early termination of the Kidney Care First (“KCF”) model effective December 31, 2025, and issued a suite of...more
On June 20, 2025, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed into law Senate Bill 1318 (SB 1318), enacting sweeping new restrictions on non-compete agreements applicable to physicians and, for the first time, extending similar...more
6/26/2025
/ Dentists ,
Employment Contract ,
Former Employee ,
Governor Abbott ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
New Legislation ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Nurses ,
Physician Assistants ,
Physicians
Byonyks, a medical device company focused on advancing dialysis care, today announced that it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance for the Byonyks X1 APD Cycler, an automated peritoneal...more
6/16/2025
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Class Action ,
Dialysis ,
FDA Approval ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Health Technology ,
Healthcare ,
Life Sciences ,
Manufacturers ,
Medicaid ,
Medical Devices ,
Medical Research ,
Medicare ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Tariffs
DOJ scores first victory in criminal antitrust labor market trial -
A federal jury convicted a former home healthcare staffing executive in Las Vegas for orchestrating a three-year wage-fixing conspiracy targeting...more
5/12/2025
/ Antitrust Investigations ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Criminal Conspiracy ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Dialysis ,
Dialysis Providers ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Failure To Disclose ,
Health Care Providers ,
Medical Research ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Advantage ,
Nurses ,
Sherman Act ,
Staffing Agencies ,
Wage-Fixing
ESRD ETC among value-based care models being ended early by CMS -
This decision to end the ESRD ETC payment model and several others on Dec. 31 aligns with CMS’ goal to focus on models that demonstrate potential for...more
On March 12, 2025, the CMS announced its intent to terminate the ESRD Treatment Choices (“ETC”) Model as of December 31, 2025, two years ahead of its original end date....more
As Medicare physician reimbursement continues in 2025 to suffer from damaging shortfalls due to budget neutrality and lack of an inflation adjuster, steps are being taken in Congress to address the issue. On January 31, the...more
3/14/2025
/ Data Breach ,
Dialysis ,
Dialysis Providers ,
Federal Budget ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Medicare ,
Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) ,
Patient Access ,
Physicians ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Trump Administration
A New Hope in Kidney Transplants: The Promise of Xenotransplantation -
Joe’s struggle for a kidney transplant highlights a dire reality: donor shortages are leaving countless patients in limbo. Enter Dr. PK, a pioneering...more
2/14/2025
/ Animal Health ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Clinical Trials ,
Dialysis ,
Dialysis Providers ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Technology ,
Healthcare ,
Innovative Technology ,
Life Sciences ,
Medical Devices ,
Medical Research ,
Organ Transplant Centers ,
Professional Conferences ,
Public Health
Happy New Year and welcome to our 2024 Trade Secret and Restrictive Covenant Year in Review. 2024 was less stressful and dramatic than most people feared at the start of the year, but there still were some significant rulings...more
1/22/2025
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Contract Terms ,
Dialysis ,
Dialysis Providers ,
Final Rules ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Physician Fee Schedule ,
Private Equity ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Trade Secrets
Senators not giving up on reversing CMS physician payment cuts during lame duck session -
Forty-one U.S. Senators from both sides of the aisle are urging the upper chamber’s leadership to allow a bill to be introduced...more
RPA Perspective: 2025 Medicare Fee Schedule and ESRD PPS Final Rules—Highlights for Nephrology -
The final rule for the 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule was released on November 1, and the highlights from the rule...more
11/18/2024
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Dialysis ,
Dialysis Providers ,
ESRD ,
Fresenius ,
Health Care Providers ,
Medical Research ,
Medicare ,
OIG ,
Organ Transplant Centers ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Physician Fee Schedule ,
Physicians ,
Telehealth