Policy & Regulations

This channel includes news coverage of healthcare policy and regulations set by Congress, the states, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and medical associations and societies. 

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106 ACOs join Medicare Shared Savings Program

The Department of Health and Human Services announced that an additional 106 accountable care organizations are participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program, bringing the total to more than 250.

In their infancy, ACOs come in all shapes and sizes

As healthcare reform takes root and accountable care organizations (ACOs) make their mark on the map, the healthcare landscape grows more complex, according to a January report from CSC.

CMS calls for comments on reporting programs

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a request for information regarding the collection and reporting of clinical quality measures.

ONC issues IT safety plan

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) has published a health IT patient safety plan that builds off of the Institute of Medicine's recommendations to more fully describe the role of health IT in terms of patient safety and to identify ways multiple stakeholders can work to use health IT to strengthen patient safety efforts.

GAO reveals pay-for-performance lessons from private initiatives

With several pay-for-performance initiatives set to expand in the near future, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) examined private sector initiatives that base or adjust physician payment rates on care quality and efficiency, and assessed their applicability to the Medicare program.

ICD-10 planning is not a sprint, but 'get started'

“Get planning,” said Sira Cormier, MBA, principal of CSC, which operates the New England Healthcare Exchange Network. “ICD-10 is not just an IT problem. Everybody needs to be involved in the planning.” Cormier and her coworker spoke during the Massachusetts Health Data Consortium’s forum on ICD-10 on Dec. 13.

Study: Shorter hospital stays don't increase readmission rates

On the surface, efforts to simultaneously improve healthcare quality and efficiency may appear at odds, but research published Dec. 18 in the Annals of Internal Medicine suggest that reduced hospital lengths of stay correlate with lower readmission rates.

ICD-10 causing "shock, awe, fear'

The healthcare industry is in a “state of shock and awe and fear” over ICD-10, said Annie Boynton, director of provider regulatory compliance (ICD-10) communication, adoption and training for UnitedHealth Group, speaking at the Massachusetts Health Data Consortium’s Dec. 13 program on the topic.

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