The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted 10-1 to advance three bipartisan cybersecurity bills, paving the way for full Senate consideration. The first bill, the Streamlining Federal Cybersecurity Regulations Act (S.4630), co-sponsored by Chair Gary Peters (D-MI), and Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), aims to harmonize conflicting federal cyber regulations for the private sector. This bill proposes the establishment… (Colocho, August 2, 2024) #Health Information Technology, #Hospitals, #Privacy, #Transparency

The Senate Commerce, Science, and Technology Committee advanced a series of bipartisan artificial intelligence (AI) focused bills, despite some emerging partisan tensions. Chairwoman Maria Cantwell (D-WA) detailed the significant economic potential of AI, with estimates suggesting it could boost U.S. GDP growth by $1.2 trillion to $3.8 trillion per decade. She emphasized the need for strong public-private partnerships to drive… (Colocho, August 1, 2024) #Health Information Technology, #Privacy, #Transparency

Today, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the fiscal year (FY) 2025 inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) and long-term care hospital prospective payment system (LTCH PPS) final rule (press release, fact sheet), which applies to acute care hospital and LTCH payments beginning Oct. 1, 2024. The rule finalizes a 2.9 percent increase (+$2.9 billion including the payment… (Testa, August 1, 2024) #Demonstration Programs, #Disproportionate Share Hospitals (DSH), #Graduate Medical Education (GME), #Health Equity, #Hospitals, #Long-Term Care Hospitals, #Quality

Today, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the fiscal year (FY) 2025 skilled nursing facility (SNF) prospective payment system (PPS) final rule (fact sheet). What it is. The final rule addresses payment rates and parity adjustment for SNFs for FY 2025, along with updates to the SNF Quality Reporting Program (QRP) and the SNF Value-Based Purchasing (VBP)… (Marceno, July 31, 2024) #Coverage Decisions, #Quality, #Skilled Nursing Facilities

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the fiscal year (FY) 2025 inpatient psychiatric facility (IPF) prospective payment system (PPS) final rule (fact sheet).   What it is. The wide-ranging final rule updates the prospective payment rates, the outlier threshold, and the wage index for Medicare inpatient hospital services provided by Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities (IPFs) for discharges occurring… (Llamas, July 31, 2024) #Mental and Behavioral Health

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the fiscal year (FY) 2025 hospice payment rate update final rule (fact sheet). What it is. The final rule addresses the hospice wage index, payment rates, and aggregate cap amount for FY 2025, along with updates from the hospice quality reporting program. Why it’s important for you. CMS finalizes a 2.9… (Colocho, July 30, 2024) #End of Life and Palliative Care, #Health Equity, #Hospice

In light of the recent Supreme Court decision in Loper Bright overturning the Chevron doctrine, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) issued a report listing appellate decisions since October 2021 that upheld agency actions under Chevron, noting those affected by Loper Bright and highlighting the doctrine’s wide-ranging impact across various federal agencies. Per CRS, ongoing lawsuits might now see appeals or… (Colocho, July 30, 2024) #Coverage Decisions, #Hospice, #Long-Term Care, #Public Health, #Women’s Health

Kids Online Health and Safety Task Force Releases Best Practices and Recommendations for Youth Online Safety The Biden-Harris Administration’s Kids Online Health and Safety Task Force released a new report containing recommendations and best practices for the safe use of social media and online platforms for youth. The Task Force is co-led by multiple federal agencies including the U.S. Department… (Marceno, July 23, 2024) #Coverage Decisions, #Insurance Coverage, #Mental and Behavioral Health, #Public Health

The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability convened its third hearing on the role of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) in prescription drugs markets, with executives from Evernorth Care Management & Express Scripts, CVS Caremark, and OptumRx testifying before the Committee. Our summaries for parts one and two can be found here and here. The three PBM executives highlighted the pivotal… (Slifer, July 23, 2024) #Drug Pricing, #Pharmacy Benefit Managers, #Prescription Drugs

The Coalition for Health AI (CHAI), a nonprofit comprising various health systems and technology vendors, published a draft framework to ensure the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care (executive summary). This draft, created by tech companies such as Microsoft, Google, and Amazon, seeks to establish a consensus among stakeholders on the best ways to regulate AI. The… (Colocho, July 18, 2024) #Health Information Technology, #Transparency