Regulatory/Legislative News

CMS is currently reviewing more than 15,000 comments it received regarding its proposals that would overhaul physician payment policies and reduce clinician burden in 2019, an agency spokesperson told Healio Family Medicine.

The Department of Justice approved the Cigna-Express Scripts merger on Sept. 17, according to Business Insider and The Wall Street Journal reported that the CVS-Aetna merger would likely get the green light by the end of the month.

The Senate Judiciary Committee began hearings this week for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. The former Supreme Court law clerk and presidential staff member received the American Bar Association committee’s highest rating of “well-qualified,” which the association said is not based on philosophy or political ideology.

In August, the FDA approved devices, drugs and dosing regimens to treat a range of ocular indications, including glaucoma, dry eye, age-related macular degeneration, postoperative pain and inflammation, and neurotrophic keratitis.

Physician burnout was associated with about a twofold increase in unsafe patient care, unprofessionalism and low patient satisfaction, according to research published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

The U.S. health care system continues to struggle in its transition from fee-for-service to value-based care.

Tetra Bio-Pharma has submitted multiple orphan drug applications to the FDA for cannabinoid treatment of rare cancers and ocular diseases, the company announced in a release.

President Donald J. Trump’s administration’s plan to lower drug prices — a 44-page document it calls the American Patients First Blueprint to Lower Drug Prices and Reduce Out-of-Pocket Costs — has achieved results since its launch earlier this year, according to an HHS press release.

Here are the top stories for Healio.com/Ophthalmology in the past week:

The American College of Physicians said in a press release there were good things and bad things about the new CMS plan known as Pathways to Success — a plan the federal agency said overhauls rules for Accountable Care Organization in the Medicare Shared Savings Program established by the Affordable Care Act.