News Briefs
State AGs Urge Congress to Reform Pharmacy Benefit Managers
A bipartisan group of 39 state attorneys general sent a letter to Congress urging lawmakers to take "decisive action" to reform pharmacy benefit managers. The letter, sent by nonprofit National Association of Attorneys General to minority and majority leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives, accuses PBMs of raising the cost of drug prices and contributing to opaque pharmaceutical pricing.
(Source: Healthcare Dive, 2024-02-23)
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Congress Urged to Take Action on Telehealth Flexibilities Early
More than 200 virtual care stakeholders have signed a letter to Congress urging action on telehealth regulations early in the year, asking for more time to implement new policies before pandemic-era waivers expire on December 31, 2024. The Alliance for Connected Care convened the organizations that sent the letter to congressional leaders, arguing that taking action on telehealth flexibilities earlier in the year "will provide much needed certainty, and safeguard against this important policy getting left behind among competing priorities at the end of the year."
(Source: mHealthIntelligence, 2024-02-26)
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DOJ Focusing on Private Equity's Role in Causing Healthcare Fraud
The Justice Department is focusing on private equity's role in causing healthcare fraud, the head of the Civil Division said. "We have already had a few cases involving private equity firms, and given the significant role that private equity is increasingly playing in the healthcare field, we anticipate that their impact on healthcare billings will continue to grow as well," said Brian Boynton, the Civil Division's top official, in remarks prepared for delivery at a legal conference in Washington.
(Source: Bloomberg Law, 2024-02-22)
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Healthcare False Claims Act Settlements Hit Record $2.7 Billion
Healthcare providers were forced to pay a historic $2.7 billion to resolve federal False Claims Act allegations last year, an escalation that will likely allow the government to support even more investigations in years to come. The government and whistleblowers were party to 543 settlements and judgments, which also notched an annual record for federal involvement in those types of cases.
(Source: McKnight's Long-Term Care News, 2024-02-26)
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Collaborative Aims to Boost Adoption of Digital Health Solutions
A group of 14 healthcare and consumer trade associations has come together to form a collaborative to accelerate digital health research and adoption. The Digital Health Collaborative will support evidence-based research and programs to raise awareness and confidence in adopting digital health technologies.
(Source: mHealthIntelligence, 2024-02-22)
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Bill to Restrict Chinese Biotech Firms May Be 'Narrowly Tailored'
A bill in the U.S. Congress targeting Chinese biotech companies may end up being more "narrowly tailored", the U.S. lawmaker who proposed it said, adding that he was cautiously optimistic something could be passed this year. A congressional committee focused on China introduced a bill that would restrict federally funded medical providers from allowing China's BGI Group, WuXi Apptec, and other biotech firms from accessing genetic information about Americans.
(Source: Reuters, 2024-02-22)
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Hospice Operators Navigating New Environment in 2024
Hospice operators in 2024 are navigating a rapidly transforming environment. The prior three years have laid the groundwork for change, particularly in the regulatory space, as well as gradual migration towards value-based reimbursement and in tandem, the proliferation of business lines beyond hospice.
(Source: Hospice News, 2024-02-26)
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Despite No ROI Yet, Health Execs Believe in Digital Health Tech
According to Ernst and Young's inaugural Health Pulse Survey, 71 percent of healthcare executives say the implementation of new technology has not decreased overall hospital expenses, which means, essentially, that the ROI isn't there yet. Yet nearly all executives within the sector (96 percent) believe that the initial financial investment of new technology is worth the cost.
(Source: Healthcare Finance News, 2024-02-20)
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Hospital Sector Rebounding, But Many Still Face Challenges
Broadly speaking, the hospital sector is in a much stronger state financially than it was in 2022 or even early 2023 amid industry reports of higher medians and margin improvements being shared by several larger systems. On a hospital-by-hospital basis, however, there's a fair chance that any given facility is still losing money going into the new year, according to an analysis from Kaufman Hall.
(Source: FierceHealthcare, 2024-02-26)
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Hospices Using Various Means to Boost Recruitment, Retention
As hospices zero in on their investments in staff engagement and operational efficiencies, organizational culture is becoming a higher priority. Hospices nationwide are taking varied approaches around how they fuel staffing investments with sustainable growth in mind.
(Source: Hospice News, 2024-02-20)
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More Women Becoming Doctors, But Still Greatly Outnumbered
More women than ever are studying and practicing medicine across the United States -- but a considerable majority of the country's working doctors are still men. In recent years, female medical students have begun outnumbering their male peers.
(Source: The Hill, 2024-02-22)
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