SURPRISING SWINGS IN MOMENTUM FOR LEGISLATION ON SURPRISE MEDICAL BILLS
By Rachel Bluth After months of hearings and negotiations, millions of dollars in attack ads, full-court press lobbying efforts and countless rounds of negotiations, Congress appeared to be moving toward a solution to the nation’s surprise medical bill problem. Sort of. Surprise bills, the often-exorbitant medical bills that come
ANALYSIS: IN MEDICAL BILLING, FRAUDULENT CHARGES WEIRDLY PASS AS LEGAL
By Elisabeth Rosenthal Much of what we accept as legal in medical billing would be regarded as fraud in any other sector. I have been circling around this conclusion for the past five years, as I’ve listened to patients’ stories while covering health care as a journalist and author. Now, after
Ra Medical Systems Receives NYSE Failure to Satisfy a Continued Listing Rule Notification
Ra Medical Systems Inc., a medical device company focusing on commercializing excimer laser systems to treat vascular and dermatological diseases, announced that on Dec. 4 it received a notice from the New York Stock Exchange that it is not in compliance with a NYSE continued listing requirement for maintaining an

IAC CONDUCTS ACCREDITATION PERCEPTIONS SURVEY
Authentic Testing has been engaged by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) to understand perceptions related to the value of imaging and procedural accreditation across multiple medical specialties. The results of the survey will help guide future quality initiatives to meet the needs of the medical community and to improve the

CMS VERMA ATTACKS CRITICS OF MEDICAID WORK REQUIREMENT, PUSHES FOR TIGHTER ELIGIBILITY
By Phil Galewitz Seema Verma, the Trump administration’s top Medicaid official, Nov. 12 sharply attacked critics of her plan to force some Medicaid enrollees to work, a policy that led to thousands of people losing coverage in Arkansas. “We cannot allow those who prefer the status quo to weaponize the legal
TRUMP PROPOSES HISTORIC STEPS TO STRENGTHEN OVERSIGHT AND FISCAL INTEGRITY OF THE MEDICAID PROGRAM
The Trump Administration and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking Nov. 12 to strengthen the fiscal integrity of the Medicaid program and help ensure that state supplemental payments and financing arrangements are transparent and consistent with all applicable statutory requirements. The
SOME ACADEMICS QUIETLY TAKE SIDE JOBS HELPING TOBACCO COMPANIES IN COURT
By Blake Farmer Nashville Public Radio In 1998, major reached a historic legal settlement with states that had sued them over the health care costs of smoking-related illnesses. But individual smokers have continued to sue, and to this day the tobacco industry remains tied up in hundreds of court
NOTHING BUT NET: MARK CUBAN LOOKING FOR NEW WAY TO PAY FOR HEALTHCARE
Dallas Maverick basketball owner Mark Cuban surprised attendees at the HLTH conference in Las Vegas in October with a thoughtful approach to a new business model to pay for healthcare. Serial investor, TV personality and Dallas Mavericks’ owner Cuban wants to use his own efforts to replace many of the core

BREAKING NEWS: Purdue Pharma reaches $12B settlement for OxyContin role in opioid epidemic
BREAKING NEWS: OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma has tentatively reached a settlement with more than 2,000 cities and counties, as well as with 23 state attorneys general who sued the company over its alleged role in the U.S. opioid epidemic. Under the proposed deal, the Sackler family — which owns

TRUMP’S‘PHENOMENAL’ HEALTH PLAN: WHAT MIGHT THAT LOOK LIKE?
By Julia Appleby While many Capitol Hill Republicans want to avoid a repeat of the Affordable Care Act repeal debate, President Donald Trump keeps promising a health plan that will be “phenomenal” and make the GOP “the party of health care.” Last month, Medicare chief Seema Verma said, “We’re actively