Draft bill gives FDA oversight of sterile compounding manufacturers
A draft bill that aims to address regulatory gaps in oversight of pharmaceutical compounding would give the FDA authority to regulate compounding manufacturers that make sterile products without, or in...
View ArticleSenators push for publicly accessible Medicare claims data
Medicare claims data would be transparent to the public via a free, searchable database if a bill introduced June 18 becomes law. The Medicare Data Access for Transparency and Accountability Act...
View ArticleNABP supports Senate compounding legislation
Testifying before a congressional committee weighing options to strengthen oversight of compounding pharmacies, National Association of Boards of Pharmacy Executive Director Carmen Catizone supported...
View ArticlePCMA’s plan to curb Rx drug abuse, Medicare fraud
The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) has asked Congress to consider policy changes it believes will reduce prescription drug abuse and Medicare fraud. PCMA’s Safe Rx Initiative is...
View ArticleSGR reform proposal calls for 10-year pay freeze, new incentive program
A new proposal to reform the broken Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula has emerged from Congress. It calls for a repeal of the SGR, a 10-year payment freeze and a new performance-based incentive...
View ArticleHouse approves Medicare SGR repeal bill
Washington, DC—Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives approved Medicare payment reform legislation that would eliminate the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) from the Medicare physician fee-setting...
View ArticleICD-10 delayed for 1 year, Medicare fee cut
Washington, DC—Congress has approved legislation delaying for 1 year a massive 24% Medicare fee cut, which had been scheduled to take effect April 1, as well as implementation of the ICD-10-CM coding...
View ArticleCongress delays Medicare fee cut, ICD-10
Washington, DC—Congress has approved legislation delaying for 1 year a massive 24% Medicare fee cut, which had been scheduled to take effect April 1, as well as implementation of the ICD-10-CM coding...
View ArticleWV pharmacist vying for congressional seat
A West Virginia pharmacist has tossed his hat into the ring for the Republican nomination for Congress in the state’s 2nd District. Ken Reed graduated from the West Virginia School of Pharmacy in...
View ArticleAssociation update: AOA advocates on Capitol Hill, AAO launches online...
More than 300 optometrists and students recently visited every U.S. Senator and House member in Washington, DC for the American Optometric Association’s 2014 Congressional Advocacy Conference in an...
View ArticleFDA to issue 2 draft guidance documents on lab-developed tests
Washington, DC—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently notified Congress that it intends to issue drafts of guidance documents on lab-developed tests. The draft guidance is titled...
View ArticlePharmacist one step closer to Congress
With his recent victory in the Republican runoff for Georgia’s 1st Congressional District, State Sen. Buddy Carter, a pharmacist, is now considered the favorite to win the seat in November. Carter...
View ArticleHealth IT stakeholders: Time for Congress to take action
Nearly 60 health information technology (IT) stakeholders want Congress to take action to clear up uncertainty surrounding the regulation and oversight of health IT, according to a letter the group...
View Article'Primary care cliff' threatens community health centers
More than 100 organizations have petitioned Congress to halt cuts to community-based primary care programs before funding expires at the end of 2015. Dubbed the “primary care cliff” in the letter...
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Pharmacist elected to Congress
State Sen. Buddy Carter, R-Pooler, became the only pharmacist in Congress this week when voters from Georgia’s First Congressional District selected him as their representative. Carter received 61% of...
View ArticleONC must decertify closed-platform EHR systems, Congress demands
For months, lawmakers have been calling out the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) for the lack of interoperability between healthcare technology systems. Now Congress is demanding...
View ArticleMU2 flexibility bill gains bipartisan support
Legislators are stepping up in attempts to help physicians avoid impending meaningful use stage 2 (MU2) penalties that could affect the majority of eligible healthcare providers. If passed, the...
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Medical device tax targeted by new GOP Senate
Consensus on the best regulatory framework under which providers, payers, pharmaceutical companies and medical device makers can operate has been elusive on Capitol Hill in the last few election...
View ArticleAmericans want drug pricing reform
Soaring prescription drug prices is quickly becoming a hot-button political topic, as American consumers are saying that pricing is out-of-control. When asked what the next healthcare priority should...
View ArticleHow Congress finally killed SGR
What a difference a year makes. Congress passed the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA)—also known as the “doc fix” in mid-April by overwhelming, bipartisan votes. Contrast...
View ArticleValeant CEO says drug pricing may drop
The CEO of Valeant Pharmaceuticals, which is being investigated by the government for raising drug prices, predicted more modest price increases ahead for the pharmaceutical industry. The prices on...
View ArticleFour legislative issues managed care pharmacists should watch
The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) is currently tracking about 60 bills in this legislative session that could affect managed care pharmacy. That's according to Reginia Grayson Benjamin, BS,...
View ArticleThe last word Congress is final hurdle in removing EHR ‘gag clauses’
Congress will likely move to forbid non-disclosure clauses, also known as “gag clauses,” in electronic health record (EHR) contracts with healthcare providers, but final action won’t occur until 2016...
View ArticleHepatitis C drugs come under fire again
A new US Congressional report about the price of hepatitis C drug Sovaldi, along with a new class action lawsuit against Blue Cross Blue Shield involving Harvoni coverage, are the latest in a series...
View ArticleThe last word: Will 21st Century Cures Act harm patient safety?
The 21st Century Cures Act, which the U.S. House of Representatives passed in July, isn’t likely to emerge from the full Congress in its present form. The Senate will have its say first and so action...
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