Author's posts
DOJ joins whistle-blower lawsuit against Sutter Health
The U.S. Department of Justice has intervened in a whistle-blower lawsuit against Sutter Health that accuses the health system of submitting unsupported diagnosis codes to inflate its Medicare Advantage payments.
FDA says new rules should increase competition for insulin, but others aren’t as sure
The Food and Drug Administration’s new guidance should create a clear path for generic makers of insulin to enter the market. But some say it will do little to reverse its rising costs.
House Republicans introduce Medicare deregulation bills
House Ways and Means Committee Republicans released a packet of bills to roll back Medicare regulations on hospitals. But the GOP won’t steer the committee’s legislative priorities next year.
Congress likely to revive earmarks, signaling a boon for hospitals
Congress is likely to open a potentially major funding stream by reviving earmarks next year, which could spark a windfall for individual not-for-profit hospitals and university medical centers.
Gilfillan to leave Trinity Health in 2019
Trinity Health CEO Dr. Richard Gilfillan plans to step down from the helm of the Livonia, Mich.-based system in June 2019. He will be succeeded by Michael Slubowski, who currently serves as Trinity’s president and chief operating officer.
Johns Hopkins removes All Children’s Hospital leaders after patient surgery deaths
John Hopkins Medicine has removed four top leaders at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla., following dramatic increases in the hospital’s death rates for pediatric heart surgeries.
Target to pay $3M to resolve Massachusetts Medicaid claim
Federal and Massachusetts authorities allege Minneapolis-based Target violated federal and state False Claims Acts by automatically refilling Medicaid recipients’ prescriptions and seeking payment from Medicaid.
UnitedHealthcare, Envision renew contract after ED billing dispute
UnitedHealthcare and physician staffing company Envision Healthcare have renewed their contract for 2019, resolving a dispute over Envision’s ED billing practices that threatened to leave patients on the hook for surprise out-of-network medical…
How can we lower healthcare costs? Key GOP senator seeks ideas
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) will focus the Senate health committee’s 2019 agenda around healthcare costs. He has asked for specific proposals from high-profile think tanks and industry groups.
Rucker: New rules will promote patient access to health data
ONC head Dr. Don Rucker did not tell lawmakers when the information-blocking rule will be released, but he suggested that it would expand interoperability.
