Thursday, December 15, 2022: D.C. News

The White House and the U.S. Postal Service relaunched a website that allows people to order free COVID-19 tests and have the tests mailed to their homes. The move is part of the Biden administration’s larger winter preparedness plan to manage another potential...

Thursday, December 15, 2022: Payers

New data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) show that national health care spending grew by 2.7 percent to $4.3 trillion in 2021. Annual spending growth slowed last year compared with a 10.3 percent increase in 2020 when the federal government...

Thursday, December 15, 2022: Payers

CMS released a proposed rule to improve prior authorization processes for Medicare Advantage (MA) and implement the Inflation Reduction Act’s drug price provisions. The rule clarifies when and how MA plans can use prior authorization and that once approved, the prior...

Thursday, December 15, 2022: Providers

A new Fitch Ratings report found that the unemployment rate in hospitals decreased from 1.8 percent in October to 1.3 percent in November. The report cites Bureau of Labor Statistics data showing hospital and ambulatory health services payrolls increased by 11,000 and...

Wednesday, December 14, 2022: Health IT

A joint investigation of 50 direct-to-consumer telehealth companies, conducted by STAT and The Markup, revealed that many were leaking sensitive medical information they collect to the world’s largest advertising platforms. Thirteen of the 50 websites had at least one...