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. 

More of PPACA enacted: No discrimination against pre-existing, chronic conditions

As expected, the Obama administration moved forward to implement provisions in the healthcare reform law that would make it illegal for insurance companies to discriminate against those with pre-existing conditions. The provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) also would make it easier for consumers to compare health plans and employers to promote and encourage employee wellness.

Congressional hearing on MU highlights usability, costs, standards (Part 2 of 2)

Witnesses attending the Congressional Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation’s hearing on Meaningful Use on Nov. 14 overwhelmingly testified in favor of the program and called for ongoing support from the government. This article is the second installment in a two-part series about this week's hearing on Capitol Hill.

Professional societies should address conflicts of interest with social media

Existing professional medical guidelines mistakenly fail to address the disclosure of conflicts of interest on social media, according to commentary published online Nov. 6 by the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Will ACOs succeed? There's cause for concern

The performance of accountable care organizations in terms of costs and of care delivered should be monitored closely by policymakers to help them avoid the failures of earlier integrated delivery networks, according to an opinion piece published in the November issue of Health Affairs.

ONC establishes database to build workgroup membership

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT has established an online database to recruit participants for and publicize its health IT advisory committee workgroup.

ONC publishes wave six of 2014 draft test procedures

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) has released wave six of the draft test procedures for the 2014 edition of EHR certification criteria and is inviting the public to comment.

FDA seeks to speed up 510(k) process

The FDA has issued guidance regarding the Medical Device User Fee Amendment of 2012 and the agency’s intention to use additional revenues from fees to reduce turnaround time for 510(k) submissions.

Connected Health: Preventive health in the workplace

BOSTON—As healthcare costs rise for employees and employers alike, businesses are finding new ways to engage patients in the workplace, according to the panelists of an Oct. 26 presentation at the ninth annual Connected Health Symposium.

Around the web

U.S. health systems are increasingly leveraging digital health to conduct their operations, but how health systems are using digital health in their strategies can vary widely.

When human counselors are unavailable to provide work-based wellness coaching, robots can substitute—as long as the workers are comfortable with emerging technologies and the machines aren’t overly humanlike.

A vendor that supplies EHR software to public health agencies is partnering with a health-tech startup in the cloud-communications space to equip state and local governments for managing their response to the COVID-19 crisis.