Articles and Blogs

NATIONAL 10 digital health tools driving the biggest ROI for hospitals AMA Reviews Patient Data Access Under HIPAA Regulations Amazon most mentioned among emerging health IT companies, KLAS finds C.D.C. Officials Warn of Coronavirus Outbreaks in the U.S. CMS pitches expanding bundled payments for joint replacements CMS Seeks Extension for Comprehensive Care for Joint... READ MORE

Pharmacogenetic Testing and the FDA’s 2018 Warning The advent of direct-to-consumer genetic testing has yielded an explosion in the development of various types of genetic tests for clinical treatment and diagnostic purposes. These tests include pharmacogenetic tests, which are used to better understand the role genetics play in an individual patient’s reaction to certain... READ MORE

It is no secret why the novel coronavirus (“2019-nCoV”) outbreak in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China quickly raised health concerns on an international scale. The coronavirus family contains member viruses with a similarly sinister and deadly past; viruses that seemingly appeared out of nowhere and rapidly spread. For example, two betacoronaviruses were the culprits... READ MORE

On February 20, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) issued proposed revisions (“Proposed Rule”) to the regulations governing the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (“CJR”) program. Among other things, the Proposed Rule would extend mandatory participation in the CJR program an additional three years for certain current participants, revise the reconciliation... READ MORE

NATIONAL 7 alerts, tools hospitals are adding to their EHRs CMS rule gives Part D plans, PBMs new negotiation tools with drug companies From Data to AI: How these 4 tech trends are reshaping healthcare Medicare spent $41M+ on sepsis in 2018, HHS says Ob-gyns get AMA help to redesign residency application process Private... READ MORE

NATIONAL 2 startups win big at Accenture’s ​Houston-based health tech competition 1 in 5 patients get surprise bill after elective surgery. How costly was it? 3 Ways to Enhance Healthcare Interoperability with Health IT 6 hospitals partnering on drone deliveries 13 hospitals, health systems launching telehealth services 6 hospitals that suspended surgeries due to... READ MORE

Mergers and acquisitions in the health care industry involve unique challenges that are not often present when undertaking similar transactions in other industries. Because of health care’s highly regulated nature, parties may falter if a health care transaction is not reviewed and negotiated carefully with respect to the distinct concerns that health care entails.... READ MORE

NATIONAL How total joints’ outpatient migration could affect value-based pay Federal court says HHS can’t limit fees for 3rd-party access to patient records Private equity pushes into healthcare: 8 latest deals Patient groups push back against Medicaid block grants States ranked by ER visit rate How Social Media Helped an Accountable Care Organization Save... READ MORE

The Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 (“HSR”), as amended, requires all persons contemplating certain mergers or acquisitions that meet or exceed the jurisdictional thresholds (shown below) to file notification with the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) and Department of Justice (“DOJ”) Antitrust Division and to wait a period of time before consummating the transaction.... READ MORE

NATIONAL Pete Stark, congressman who reshaped health care, dies at 88 Hospital group fights drug shortages by making needed meds Epic CEO Judy Faulkner asks hospitals to oppose HHS’ interoperability rule 4 health systems that dropped the dual-CEO model Health Catalyst becomes 1st healthcare member of Partnership on AI Joint replacement bundled payments losing... READ MORE