Healthcare Policy News

TX Physicians Win No Surprises Act Court Case, PHE to End

The Department of Health and Human Services is ending the coronavirus public health emergency after three years, and a Texas judge ruled against HHS in a case concerning the No Surprises Act.

Healthcare Policy News, News, Legislation, HHS, Cybersecurity, Court Ruling

Source: Getty Images

By Hayden Schmidt

- In the news this week, HHS officials are bringing an end to the COVID-19 public health emergency, which will have wide-ranging implications for politicians and patients across the United States. Meanwhile, a Texas physician’s group won a recent court case that may take parts of the No Surprises Act back to the drawing board.

North Korean State-Sponsored Cyber Threat Targets Healthcare

State-sponsored actors from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) were accused of targeting healthcare groups with ransomware attacks in a joint cyber security advisory (CSA) shared by the National Security Agency, HHS, and other federal agencies.

“The authoring agencies assess that an unspecified amount of revenue from these cryptocurrency operations supports DPRK national-level priorities and objectives, including cyber operations targeting the United States and South Korea governments—specific targets include Department of Defense Information Networks and Defense Industrial Base member networks,” the latest CSA stated. READ MORE.

Senator Aims to Mitigate Healthcare Cybersecurity Risks

Senator Mark R. Warner of Virginia is planning to tackle healthcare cybersecurity with new policies and legislation in his post as the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee. In an interview with HealthITSecurity, Warner shared that he hopes to introduce a new cybersecurity bill by the end of this quarter that will address what he sees as massive vulnerabilities in the healthcare industry and the leadership void within the cybersecurity community. READ MORE.

Only 25% of Hospitals Comply with Price Transparency

The majority of hospitals are still not complying with the hospital price transparency rule years after it was finalized. A semi-annual report published recently found that most facilities in the US were not publishing their negotiated prices nor posting machine-readable files, instead opting for price estimator tools that were often non-compliant because of their lacking information.

“This blatant obfuscation of prices and flouting of the rule demonstrates that implementation and enforcement efforts must be rigorously examined and markedly strengthened to improve compliance, enable technology innovators to parse the pricing data, and empower American consumers with upfront prices,” the report stated. READ MORE.

Texas Physicians Win No Surprises Act Court Case

The US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas granted the Texas Medical Association (TMA) a motion of summary judgment in its lawsuit against HHS, dealing a blow to the No Surprises Act and the independent dispute resolution (IDR) process. Presiding Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle said that the rule unfairly prioritized the qualifying payment amount and concluded that the IDR process must be reviewed. TMA called the decision a “major victory for patients and physicians” and an important reminder that Congress should maintain a strong voice in crafting agency regulations. READ MORE.

HHS to End the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency

After three years, HHS announced that the coronavirus public health emergency will end on May 11, 2023, posing questions about how state governments will adjust to the post-pandemic era.

“We have come to this point in our fight against the virus because of our historic investments and efforts to mitigate its worst impacts,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a letter to US governors. “Addressing COVID-19 remains a significant public health priority for the Administration, and over the next few months, we will transition our COVID-19 policies, as well as the current flexibilities enabled by the COVID-19 emergency declarations, into improving standards of care for patients.” READ MORE.

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