GRASSLEY URGES ACTION ON SUNSHINE ACT
In a January 22 letter to the White House, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) bemoaned the administration’s continued delay in implementing the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). The Sunshine Act requires that physicians report to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) their ownership and investment interests in, and payments or gifts that they receive from, manufacturers of drugs, devices and supplies.
Read More Healthcare Update: Grassley Urges Action on Sunshine Act; HHS Awards New Exchange Grants

On January 17, 2013, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released final regulations implementing changes to HIPAA mandated by the HITECH Act, as well as updated regulations under the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act. This major rulemaking package includes changes to the HIPAA privacy rule, information security rule, data breach notification rule and enforcement rule. …
Read More New HIPAA Regulations Released

NEW ACOs APPROVED
On January 10, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) announced that it had approved 106 new accountable care organizations (ACOs), bringing the total approved to 259 thus far. An HHS official had predicted in November that the number of ACOs might double in January. …
Read More Healthcare Update: New ACOs Approved; More States Receive Approval for Exchanges

As all are aware, on New Year’s Day, the Senate and the House of Representatives approved a bill to avert the so-called fiscal cliff. The “American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012” includes the latest in a series of one-year patches to prevent major cuts in physician Medicare fees. …
Read More Healthcare Update: Fiscal Cliff Deal Includes Temporary “Doc Fix” for 2013

“SAVE AND STRENGTHEN MEDICARE ACT” INTRODUCED
On December 11, the outgoing chairman of the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee introduced a bill (the “Save and Strengthen Medicare Act,” H.R. 6645) that proposes major changes to the Medicare program. Rep. Wally Herger (R-CA), who is retiring from Congress at the end of this year, said that the bill “embrace[s] the best ideas that have been put on the table to date, from any political or ideological quarter.” …
Read More Healthcare Update: “Save and Strengthen Medicare Act” Introduced; CMS Issues Nine Conditional Approvals for Exchanges; HHS Rejects “Partial” Medicaid Expansions

HHS RELEASES PROPOSED RULES TO IMPLEMENT PPACA REFORMS
On November 20, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued three proposed rules to implement core provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). All of the proposed rules were published in the Federal Register on November 26. …
Read More Healthcare Update: HHS Releases Proposed Rules to Implement PPACA Reforms; Number of Medicare ACOs Expected to Double