💼Medicare SNF Payment System Updates for FY 2026
This final rule finalizes changes and updates to the policies and payment rates used under the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Prospective Payment System (PPS) for fiscal year 2026. This final rule also updates the requirements for the SNF Quality Reporting Program and the SNF Value-Based Purchasing Program.
Learn More🏥Expanded Eligibility for WTC Health Program Responders Announced
On September 11, 2024, CDC published in the Federal Register an interim final rule with request for comment to update existing regulations governing the WTC Health Program to align with statutory changes. The interim final rule expanded eligibility criteria for enrollment of new Pentagon and Shanksville responders, capped at 500 new members, and made various conforming amendments to the WTC Health Program regulations. In this final rule, CDC responds to public comment and finalizes the revisions to the regulation.
Learn More🧪NRC Meeting on Medical Uses of Isotopes - Key Business Implications
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission announces a meeting of the Advisory Committee on the Medical Uses of Isotopes. Agenda topics include discussions on recent medical events, recommendations on safety in emerging technologies, and strategic licensing updates, reflecting ongoing changes in the medical regulatory landscape.
Learn More🚫DEA Revocation of Registration
The decision by the Drug Enforcement Administration to revoke Robert L. Carter, D.D.S.'s DEA registration for falsifying applications raises critical compliance issues for healthcare providers. The ruling highlights the stringent standards regulating controlled substance handling and underscores the importance of maintaining integrity in application processes to ensure safeguarding public interest.
Learn More💊New Telemedicine Rules for Buprenorphine Prescribing
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services are amending their regulations to expand the circumstances under which practitioners registered by the Drug Enforcement Administration are authorized to prescribe schedule III-V controlled substances approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of opioid use disorder via a telemedicine encounter, including an audio-only telemedicine encounter. Under these new regulations, after a practitioner reviews the patient's prescription drug monitoring program data for the state in which the patient is located during the telemedicine encounter, the practitioner may prescribe an initial six-month supply of such medications (split amongst several prescriptions totaling six calendar months) through audio-only means. Additional prescriptions can be issued under other forms of telemedicine as authorized under the Controlled Substances Act, or after an in-person medical evaluation is conducted. This regulation also requires the pharmacist to verify the identity of the patient prior to filling a prescription. The Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act of 2008 generally requires an in- person medical evaluation prior to issuance of a controlled substance prescription. However, this regulation falls under one of the exceptions found within the Ryan Haight Act. Additionally, this regulation does not affect practitioner-patient relationships in cases where an in-person medical evaluation has previously occurred. The purpose of this regulation is to prevent lapses of care by continuing some of the telemedicine flexibilities that currently exist for those patients seeking treatment for opioid use disorder.
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