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Health plans are feeling the pressure in a complex policy environment, with most executives polled in a new survey saying it's impacting costs and margins. HealthEdge released the results from its annual survey of health insurance executives, and 85% of the 550 polled leaders said that the policy pressures are making themselves felt financially. This year's survey marks a "seismic" shift in the top concerns for payer execs, as while cost management remains the No. 1 issue, fears about the regulatory environment have risen.
A national survey of internal medicine physicians across the U.S. shows that those working in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) system report fewer burdens tied to insurance paperwork, electronic health record (EHR) problems, and work-life balance compared to their peers in non-VA hospitals. The study, published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine and led by Dr. Sarah Gualano of VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, provides a comparative look at the environments in which internists practice and the challenges that shape their daily work.
The Senate bill covers certain devices that are cleared or approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Eligible devices deliver services using artificial intelligence, machine learning or other similarly designed software. The services yield clinical outputs or generate clinical conclusions that physicians can use to screen, detect, diagnose or treat health conditions.
Hospital groups file lawsuit to enjoin pharma-supported 340B rebate pilot
The hospital lobby has filed a lawsuit seeking to block the federal government’s 340B Rebate Model Pilot Program, which is set to swap out safety-net providers’ longstanding upfront drug discounts for after-the-fact rebates beginning Jan. 1. The complaint and an accompanying motion for a temporary restraining order was filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine by the American Hospital Association (AHA), the Maine Hospital Association and four individual safety-net health systems.
Senators urge DEA to extend controlled substance telehealth flexibilities
Senators are urging the Drug Enforcement Administration to extend federal telemedicine flexibilities for prescribing controlled substances before they expire Dec. 31. In a Dec. 2 letter to DEA Administrator Terrance Cole, the senators said the policies, created during the COVID-19 public health emergency, have been life-saving for patients who depend on virtual visits to access treatment for substance use disorders, mental health conditions and chronic illnesses. Under the current extension, federal agencies have waived the in-person visit requirement for prescribing controlled substances via telehealth.
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