Regulatory/Legislative News

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has informed providers of methods that will be used to handle payment claims until the U.S. Senate votes on a bill to repeal the Sustainable Growth Rate, a key factor in annual Medicare physician payment updates.

The U.S. Senate failed to vote today on a bipartisan bill that would repeal the Sustainable Growth Rate, a key factor in annual Medicare physician payment updates.

The FDA has introduced its Expedited Access Pathway Program, a voluntary program designed to reduce the time from development to marketing decision for certain lifesaving medical devices, the agency said on its website.

The U.S. Senate left for its 2-week spring break without voting on a bill that repeals the sustainable growth rate, leaving physicians to face a 21% payment cut if further action is not taken by March 31.

By a vote of 392 to 37, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bipartisan bill today that repeals the sustainable growth rate, a key factor in annual Medicare physician payment updates, and replaces it with a merit-based payment system.

InSite Vision and other plaintiffs have entered into a settlement agreement to dismiss a patent infringement lawsuit against Mylan Pharmaceuticals, according to a press release.

Lessons learned since the launch of the National Physician Payment Transparency Program are the impetus for government, industry and physician collaboration to improve the reporting system going forward.

In this commentary, I will try to shine a little light on the federal Sunshine Act and the whole area of ophthalmologist compensation, including practice, consulting, teaching and royalty revenue. I may ramble a little, but this is an important area and deserves some thought, constructive debate and discussion.

Nightstar has received orphan drug designation from the FDA and the European Medicines Agency for a gene therapy to treat choroideremia, according to a press release.

Amid concerns about study data and labeling, a joint panel of the FDA’s Dermatologic and Ophthalmic Drugs Advisory Committee and Ophthalmic Devices Panel recommended approval of Avedro’s combined riboflavin ophthalmic solutions and ultraviolet light irradiation for corneal collagen cross-linking.