by Kim Riley The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday approved 10 healthcare bills, including several aimed at tackling the nation’s ongoing opioid crisis, which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. “The measures advanced today aim to address some of the many challenges Americans are facing during this public health emergency, and we hope these bills are quickly passed by the Senate and signed into law,” said U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR), ranking member of the U.S. House Energy and... Read more

by Jason Laday The American College of Rheumatology and 60 other health care groups have signed a letter in support of legislation that would ensure evaluation and management rate increases under Medicare without payment cuts to providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill, H.R. 8505, would implement the CMS Calendar Year 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule final rule as written, allowing for “long overdue” rate increases for E/M services provided by rheumatologists, neurologists and other ... Read more

On this week’s episode, we discuss the hard issue of maternal mortality. In the US, approximately 700 women die each year from pregnancy-related deaths which is the highest rate in the developed world. Representative Michael Burgess joins to help us understand why mothers are dying in pregnancy and childbirth and what can be done to prevent it. Rep Michael Burgess has served the constituents of the 26th District of North Texas since 2003. He is the most senior medical doctor in the house and has... Read more

by Lois A. Bowers As the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic on senior living is on track to reach $17 billion annually, providers need more funds to cover additional expenses and lost revenue, and they need new tax credits to pay for certain expenses incurred as employers, the American Seniors Housing Association told leaders in Congress on Wednesday. In a letter, ASHA urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Senate Minority Leader Chuck S... Read more

by Ripon Advance News Service Republican members of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce (E&C) Committee this week expressed “significant concerns” that certain lawsuit marketing and advertising practices by trial lawyers pose a serious threat to Americans’ public health and safety. “Plaintiff lawyers intentionally continue to target and deceive vulnerable Americans into mistakenly believing that medications are unsafe,” the committee members wrote in a Nov. 2 letter sent to Federal Trade Commissi... Read more

by Marty Stempniak Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle introduced legislation Friday aimed at averting reimbursement reductions to radiologists and other specialists, drawing praise from the physician community. The “Holding Providers Harmless from Medicare Cuts During COVID-19 Act” would do so by providing docs with temporary additional payments, covering the difference between 2020 and 2021 for two years. Reps. Ami Bera, MD, D-Calif., and Larry Bucshon, MD, R-Ind., sponsored the bill, and a... Read more

In response to the Empowering Olympic, Paralympic, and Amateur Athletes Act of 2020 being signed into law, Ju’Riese Colón, Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Center for SafeSport, released the following statement: “The Empowering Olympic, Paralympic, and Amateur Athletes Act substantially strengthens the U.S. Center for SafeSport’s independence and ability to pursue our mission of ending abuse in sport. This law ensures the millions of athletes in the Olympic and Paralympic Movement can continu... Read more

by Sean Lyngaas A day after U.S. federal agencies warned of an “imminent” ransomware threat to hospitals, it’s an all-hands-on deck mentality for a health sector already strained by the coronavirus pandemic. Private threat briefings are being held for hospital executives, federal officials are appealing for more data on the cybercriminals and hospitals are hardening their computer networks. The defensive measures follow an advisory Wednesday from the FBI and departments of Homeland Security and ... Read more

by Ripon Advance News Service U.S. Reps. Greg Walden (R-OR) and Michael Burgess (R-TX) joined other members of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee to request a briefing from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on its management of the nation’s opioid supply. “This request is in support of a reactivated investigation from committee Republicans, started by the House Energy and Commerce Committee on August 2, 2018, that examined potential breakdowns in the controlled substances suppl... Read more

by Ripon Advance News Service U.S. Reps. Greg Walden (R-OR) and Michael Burgess (R-TX) recently called on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a technology assessment of COVID-19 contact tracing applications. The lawmakers’ request would provide additional information to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce (E&C) Committee Republicans’ work in contact tracing and overall oversight of response efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Rep. Walden, ranking member of the E&C... Read more