On August 7, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS” or the “Agency”) issued a final procedural notice (“Notice”) outlining a new Medicare coverage pathway, aimed at achieving timelier and predictable access...more
Below is Alston & Bird’s Health Care Week in Review, which provides a synopsis of the latest news in health care regulations, notices, and guidance; federal legislation and congressional committee action; reports, studies,...more
Last year, both Congress and the Biden-Harris administration noticeably increased their attention on Artificial Intelligence (AI). Key congressional committees explored AI implications for health care & life sciences, and the...more
The Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) is continuing its focus on women’s health, this time through its research arm, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (“AHRQ”). If the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us...more
The Trump Administration on Feb. 12 released its Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 budget request, titled "An American Budget." Unlike last year's budget, which was released in late May, the release of this budget conforms to the typical...more
Eric Zimmerman, along with McDermott+Consulting Vice Presidents Adaeze Enekwechi and Piper Su, wrote this +Insights publication detailing the possible effects of the Trump Administration's 2018 budget on health programs and...more
On March 16, 2017, President Trump Administration released his first budget outline for the 2018 fiscal year (FY 2018). In an effort to “shrink the role of government,” the $1.1 trillion budget proposal calls for a $54...more
I. REGULATIONS, NOTICES, & GUIDANCE - On April 15, 2016, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a proposed rule entitled, “Applications for Approval and Combinations of Active Ingredients Under Consideration for...more
I. REGULATIONS, NOTICES, & GUIDANCE - On March 29, 2016, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule entitled, “Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs: Mental Health Parity and...more
On February 25, 2016, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report detailing the findings of a review of information on the implementation of patient safety practices in hospitals, focusing on hand hygiene and...more
HHS Extends Comment Deadline for NPRM on Protection of Human Subjects – In response to requests from stakeholders, HHS extended the comment period for its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to revise the Federal Policy for...more
Congress Slowly Works on Budget Reconciliation; ACA Reform Proposals Still Up in the Air - The FY 2016 budget resolution, which was agreed to by Congress this past April, included broad reconciliation instructions...more
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has issued a comprehensive guide with an interactive toolkit for providers to target reductions in Medicaid hospital readmissions. While numerous CMS initiatives have...more
On April 16, 2014, the OIG released a report concluding that between CYs 2007 through 2011, Medicare has saved nearly $7 billion by covering surgical procedures in ASCs. In addition to the savings that would continue to...more
Hospitals with 50 or more beds will not be able to provide services through qualified health plans working with state insurance exchanges under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) unless the hospital has a patient safety evaluation...more
On March 21, 2013, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s (AHRQ) Technology Assessment Program released a draft technology assessment report regarding implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) and the evidence...more