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The Biden administration has decreed via a CMS rule that nursing homes will come under staffing rules. They are attempting to prevent the measure from being gutted by Congress but without the full support of the Democrats who are split on this issue. It looks like the rule reversal may be able to make it through the Senate and the House. Of course Biden would veto it.
The administration is pushing to prevent medical debt from being considered in financial credit reporting. The three reporting exchanges are voluntarily removing all medical debt from reports that are under $500.
The administration has put out a blast that tells all physicians that EMTALA rules prevail over local rules. This comes on the heels of a US Supreme Court ruling that stated the Idaho law preventing abortions even if the life of the woman is in peril is illegal. The court did not reach the matter at hand but the Administration has gone ahead with the declaration anyway.
The administration has put out an election year order to CMS to instruct hospitals to put out billions of dollars for women's health or drop out of Medicare. They would have to have basic resuscitation equipment in LD rooms, document maternal health training for staff and have written policies for transferring patients to other hospitals. If a hospital offers emergency services they would have to have protocols for emergency deliveries and other needs even if they do not have an obstetrics unit. Malpractice waiting to happen. Watch for the law suit to challenge the impending rule.
The Senate passed unanimously a bill to to limit the amount of patents a pharmaceutical company can have on any one drug. There is no companion bill in the House.
California's Governor has started to come to his senses. He has postponed the ridiculous $25 an hour legislative wage minimum for healthcare workers. However, he is still a democrat and so he only delayed the increase by one month. This is to get it into the next fiscal year, a gimmick for budgeting purposes.
The California legislature is considering a bill that would allow the AG to oversee more tightly the purchase of hospitals and/or physician groups by private equity players.
Illinois Governor Pritzker signed two bills. The first bans prior authorization for admission for inpatient psychiatric services. The second requires insurers to publicize all services that require prior authorization on their website along with requiring better management of their provider networks. Top
The DEA has fined Palomar Health $250,000 for allowing a theft of fentanyl from its Pyxis machines.
Sanford Health and Marshfield Clinic Health are exploring the combining of their hospitals. Watch for FTC auction here. Top
Federal officials have announced a 3% decrease in physician pay on standard RVS payments. This will have to offset by Congress in the short term because they lack the guts to do it long term. Top
DISCLAIMER: Although this article is updated periodically, it reflects the author's point of view at the
time of publication. Nothing in this article constitutes legal advice. Readers
should consult with their own legal counsel before acting on any of the
information presented.