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Health researchers and lawmakers are mulling how to overhaul medical privacy rules in a world where health data is increasingly shared. The House this month may consider a bill from the Energy and Commerce Committee that includes language intended to clarify the boundaries set by the main federal medical privacy law, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA. A provision in the so-called 21st Century Cures package passed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee addresses misunderstandings about HIPAA that now sometimes impede the flow of information among medical practices caring for the same patient. (Young, 6/3)

The Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday advanced a bipartisan bill to reform the Medicare appeals process with the hopes of reducing the ever-growing backlog of requests. Legislation from chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and ranking member Ron Wyden (R-Ore.) would create new layers of oversight while also creating new ways for patients to expedite their cases through the system. (Ferris, 6/3)

When seven senators on the Judiciary Committee announced proposed legislation in April to rewrite the rules of patent litigation, they promised prompt enactment of the changes they prescribed. One of the sponsors, Republican Whip John Cornyn of Texas, called the bipartisan sponsorship the legislative equivalent of "shock and awe" and said he was confident that President Barack Obama would sign it into law this year. (Zeller, 6/3)

On the heels of a first-ever White House forum on antibiotic resistance, two House members have introduced bipartisan legislation to speed approvals of new antibiotics. Reps. John Shimkus, R-Ill., and Gene Green, D-Texas, members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, introduced on Wednesday the Antibiotic Development to Advance Patient Treatment Act, which would allow approval of antibiotics for life-threatening illnesses based on smaller clinical trials. (Gustin, 6/3)

Senate legislation is looking to empower nurse practitioners across the Veterans Affairs Department to practice independently of physicians, regardless of laws in individual states. The goal is to mitigate physician shortages and reduce patient wait times that have been plaguing the VA. The provision would allow nurse practitioners—including midwives and mental healthcare clinical nurse specialists—to prescribe some drugs and treat patients without a supervising physician. (Robeznieks, 6/3)

Rep. Donna F. Edwards' campaign for Senate criticized Rep. Chris Van Hollen on Wednesday for not signing a letter opposed to Medicare cuts included in a trade bill pending in Congress, her latest effort to draw a distinction with him in the state's high-profile contest. At issue is a letter crafted by House liberals that calls on congressional leaders to reconsider how the trade bill pays for an expanded Trade Adjustment Assistance program. The program is used to help workers displaced by trade agreements such as the one the Obama administration is negotiating with Pacific Rim nations. (Fritze, 6/3)