Regulatory/Legislative News

The Omnibus Appropriations Act, which Congress approved in late December 2015, included a number of provisions that will positively affect optometry, according to the American Optometric Association.

The Senate Health Committee passed the “Advancing Research for Neurological Diseases Act of 2015” (S. 849)” on Tuesday, which will establish a national surveillance system for neurological diseases. The full Senate will now consider the bill.

The Senate health committee passed the Next Generation Researchers Act (S. 2014) with bipartisan support on Tuesday, which aims to increase opportunities for young researchers and attract them to the NIH. The full Senate will now consider the bill.

The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions unanimously recommended a measure designed to improve health care information technology.

Thousands of physicians from American safety-net hospitals signed a letter sent to Congress highlighting the importance of the 340B Drug Pricing Program.

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions today favorably reported a bill requiring manufacturers of reusable medical devices like duodenoscopes to submit cleaning instructions and validation data to the FDA before bringing these devices to market. The bill also seeks to clarify FDA guidance on when manufacturers should seek clearance from the agency before marketing their products.

The Senate health committee today recommended the establishment of a national surveillance system for neurological diseases.

The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions unanimously recommended a measure today that would improve the use of electronic health records for the benefit of health care providers and patients.

The Senate health committee recommended a bill today that would improve opportunities for new researchers in the United States.

The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions favorably reported a measure today that would reduce regulatory hurdles for the approval of medical devices.