In the News

Bipartisan legislation that would make it a federal crime to knowingly assault hospital workers was introduced in the U.S. Senate on Sept. 12. The Safety from Violence for Healthcare Employees Act, S.2768, was introduced to the chamber of Congress by U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.  Nearly 40 states have enacted laws to increase penalties for… Read more »

VIGO COUNTY, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — An exciting day for Vigo County and the state of Indiana – that was the collective message spoken by numerous state, local, and company officials as ENTEK held a groundbreaking for its upcoming $1.5B lithium battery separator manufacturing facility. The investment is ENTEK’s largest investment to date. The groundbreaking began at 10 a.m. Wednesday with… Read more »

What’s the news: The AMA is pressing Congress to make key legislative changes that will help facilitate greater physician participation in alternative payment models (APMs), which are intended to accelerate the delivery of high-quality care and generate savings for the Medicare program. Now a bipartisan group of legislators has introduced H.R. 5013, the Value in Health Care… Read more »

There was a time when constructive bipartisanship in U.S. Congress was routine business practice. Not so today. Hyperpartisanship among lawmakers has produced a bitterness and intransigence that make even the most mundane of matters subject to political warfare. Amid that backdrop, it is worthy of note that the U.S. House of Representatives last week passed an important and… Read more »

Seventeen of the nation’s leading stakeholders in healthcare are backing a bipartisan House bill recently introduced to Congress that would reinforce Medicare’s move to value-based care. The support of the Value in Health Care Act of 2023, a bipartisan legislation that would make several important reforms to ensure alternative payment models (APMs) continue to produce high quality care… Read more »

President Joe Biden’s expected signature will provide the final action needed to give the federal government the authority to break up the monopoly contract used to manage the nation’s troubled organ donation system since 1986. The Senate on Thursday night used a fast-track agreement to pass H.R. 2544, which would allow—for the first time—competitive bidding on multiple… Read more »

The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) celebrates the unanimous passage of the Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement Transplantation Network (OPTN) Act (H.R. 2544) by the United States House of Representatives. This bipartisan legislation will increase transparency, accountability, and competition in the U.S. transplant system. The Securing the U.S. OPTN Act directly supports the Health… Read more »

What’s the news: A bipartisan majority from both chambers of Congress is pressing the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to finalize a pending federal regulation that would overhaul prior-authorization requirements within Medicare Advantage. “We urge CMS to promptly finalize and implement these changes to increase transparency and improve the prior-authorization… Read more »

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — U.S. Rep. Larry Bucshon says Congress can help harden the nation’s power grid against future storms, though cyberattacks pose a greater threat overall. Bucshon’s comments came after utility companies completed a roughly five-day effort to turn the power back on following last week’s derecho in the Midwest. In an interview for Sunday’s… Read more »

What’s the news: As part of its campaign to fix the unsustainable Medicare physician payment system, the AMA is outlining in a quick, easily navigable fashion why doctors’ Medicare payments must be tied to  an inflation index called the Medicare Economic Index (MEI). The AMA’s two-page explainer on the Medicare Economic Index (PDF) outlines how it incorporates these… Read more »