Texas Medical Board Doesn’t Specify Abortion Ban Exceptions in Proposed Rules
The Texas Medical Board has issued proposed rules for when emergency abortions can legally be performed under the state’s 6-week abortion ban — but it won’t specifically enumerate those exceptions. The proposed rules come in response to a law that took effect in September 2021, which banned abortions after 6 weeks’ gestation except to save […]
U.S. to Cover PrEP for Older Americans to Stem the Spread of HIV
A proposed federal policy aims to protect older Americans from contracting HIV by offering free preventive medication, the latest effort to catch up to much of Europe and Africa in stemming the spread of the virus. Under the plan from the Biden administration, Medicare would cover patients’ full cost of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) drugs, which […]
Lab Tests That Escape FDA Oversight May Come Under Agency Review
The FDA issued its long-awaited proposal for regulating laboratory developed tests (LDTs) on Friday. The proposed rule would amend FDA regulations to make explicit that in vitro diagnostic products (IVDs) are medical devices under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, including when the manufacturer of the IVD is a laboratory. The agency also wants […]
Temp Nurses Cost Hospitals Big During Pandemic. Lawmakers Are Now Mulling Limits.
To crack down on price gouging, proposed legislation in Missouri calls for allowing felony charges against healthcare staffing agencies that substantially raise their prices during a declared emergency. A New York bill includes a cap on the amount staffing agencies can charge healthcare facilities. And a Texas measure would allow civil penalties against such agencies. […]
Healthcare Closely Watching FTC’s Proposed Ban on Non-Competes
A newly proposed rule from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that would ban non-compete clauses is being watched closely by the healthcare industry, already strained by staffing shortages and affected by changes in ownership structure even before the pandemic. The rule, if finalized after public comments are received for the next 2 months, would prevent […]
Researchers Propose List of Core Symptoms to Better Define Long COVID
Researchers proposed a list of core symptoms that could offer a better working definition of long COVID, based on an observational cohort study from the Netherlands. Among over 1,700 COVID patients, 21.4% had at least one core symptom — including chest pain, breathing difficulties, painful muscles, ageusia or anosmia, tingling or heavy extremities, lump in […]
Medicare’s Proposed Physician Fee Schedule a Mixed Bag, Doc Groups Say
WASHINGTON — Physician group responses to the proposed 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule ranged from disappointment over the proposed 4.4% overall payment cut to praise for many of the provisions related to accountable care organizations (ACOs). “The scary part for most of us is we’re getting these reductions despite the fact that we’re still fighting […]
Maternal Health, Equity Key Factors in Proposed CMS Rule for Hospitals
In a new proposed payment rule for inpatient and long-term hospitals, CMS suggested the establishment of a “birthing-friendly” hospital designation in an effort to promote better health outcomes among mothers. In addition to addressing the nation’s maternal health crisis, the proposed rule includes three equity-focused measures as a way to improve care among underserved and […]
New DNA-based chip can be programmed to solve complex math problems
The field of DNA computing has evolved by leaps and bounds since it was first proposed nearly 30 years ago. But most DNA computing processes are still performed manually, with reactants being added step-by-step to the reaction by hand. Now, finally, scientists at Incheon National University, Korea have found a way to automate DNA calculations […]