Healthcare Authority Newsletter - April 2026 #5

W. Jerad Rissler
Arnall Golden Gregory LLP
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News Briefs
CMS, FDA Announce RAPID Pathway for Breakthrough Medical Devices
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has introduced a new coverage pathway for Medicare beneficiaries to get expedited coverage for breakthrough medical devices. CMS and the Food and Drug Administration released the Regulatory Alignment for Predictable and Immediate Device (RAPID) coverage pathway to accelerate patient access to what the agencies called life-changing medical devices.
(Source: Healthcare Finance News, 2026-04-24) READ MORE >
$50B Rural Health Program May Not Reach Smaller Providers
When Congress approved the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last summer, it cut nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid over the next decade, so the hope is that the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program, which was part of the same bill, will help keep patients covered. Yet, small community healthcare providers may find they are sharing the billions with an army of corporate giants before it reaches their patients.
(Source: CBS News, 2026-04-27) READ MORE >
Research Finds Prices Up Under No Surprises Act Arbitration
Prices for some healthcare services after arbitration under the No Surprises Act were much higher than the same in-network commercial prices before the law was passed, according to new research. The No Surprises Act went into effect in 2022, in an attempt to protect patients from unexpected -- and often high -- medical bills if they received out-of-network care at in-network facilities.
(Source: Healthcare Dive, 2026-04-22) READ MORE >
Major Health Insurers Moving to Standardize Prior Authorizations
Major health insurers are advancing efforts to standardize prior authorization requirements as part of an effort to simplify paperwork for providers and reduce delays in medical care. Two of the industry's leading organizations, AHIP and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, said that leading health plans are making significant progress in their efforts to adopt a standardized approach for providers submitting electronic prior authorization requests for the majority of medical services.
(Source: FierceHealthcare, 2026-04-24) READ MORE >
Delays Plague Brand-Name Drugs Requiring Prior Authorization
A new study analyzing prior authorization rejections and subsequent actions reveals a burgeoning access to care issue for patients with prescriptions for brand-name drugs. The study, published in JAMA Health Forum, analyzed nearly 206,000 medication dispensations rejected due to prior authorization, representing three percent of total branded drug transactions.
(Source: TechTarget, 2026-04-22) READ MORE >
OpenAI Unveils Free ChatGPT AI Tool for Clinicians
OpenAI announced the release of ChatGPT for Clinicians, which the company says can help providers obtain cited answers from medical sources and help with research and documentation in an environment where conversations are not used to train AI models. "ChatGPT for Clinicians is designed for individual clinicians whose hospitals or clinics don't yet offer a centralized AI tool," the company said in a statement.
(Source: mobihealthnews, 2026-04-24) READ MORE >
Doctors Divided as Hospitals Increasingly Using AI Chatbots
Healthcare systems across the U.S. are launching new artificial intelligence chatbots to help patients ask medical questions and access appointments faster amid growing demand for quick health guidance, even as doctors remain divided over the rollout. Some see the positives of patients having access to clinically focused AI platforms to ask questions, while others caution that strict standards must be maintained to limit potential risks.
(Source: Newsweek, 2026-04-26) READ MORE >
AI Reducing Administrative Burden, But It May Also Increase Costs
AI is reducing administrative burden for hospitals and providers but it is not always leading to lower costs. This is because AI is accelerating the volume of transactions without increasing efficiency.
(Source: Healthcare Finance News, 2026-04-27) READ MORE >
Senior Living Construction Wanes as Occupancy Rates Hit Records
While senior living operators are enjoying record occupancy rates across the continuum, prospective residents are facing limited options as senior living community construction and development remains stalled, the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care said. During the first quarter, the number of occupied senior living units increased by more than 3,000 to a total of 637,000, according to the first-quarter 2026 senior housing market fundamentals report from NIC MAP, while construction on new senior living units fell to its lowest level since 2012, and year-over-year inventory growth hit a record low of 0.4 percent in the first quarter, down from 0.5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2025.
(Source: McKnight's Senior Living, 2026-04-24) READ MORE >
REITs Accused of Impacting Nursing Home Resident Care
Over the past decade, real estate investment trusts have bought thousands of buildings that house nursing homes, hospitals, assisted living facilities, and medical offices. A KFF Health News examination of court filings and corporate records shows that these landlords have more influence than the healthcare facilities publicly acknowledge.
(Source: KFF Health News, 2026-04-21) READ MORE >
Fewer Physicians Reporting Burnout, But 42% Still Have Symptoms
Physician burnout rates continue to decline nationwide, but wide variation across specialties highlights persistent operational and workforce challenges, according to a survey from the American Medical Association. In 2025, 42 percent of physicians reported at least one symptom of burnout, down from 43 percent in 2024 and 48 percent in 2023, suggesting there has been a gradual improvement in clinician well-being.
(Source: Healthcare IT News, 2026-04-27) READ MORE >
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DISCLAIMER: Because of the generality of this update, the information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations. Attorney Advertising.

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