Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Report: Many Hospitals Fail To Identify 'Harm Events' For Medicare Patients
Hospitals are falling short of federal and state harm reporting requirements, according to a report federal investigators published Tuesday. Nearly half of hospitals surveyed failed to identify “harm events” among hospitalized Medicare patients in October 2018, according to the Health and Human Services Department Office of Inspector General. Even fewer of those occurrences were investigated, the OIG found. (Early, 7/29)
Medical device lobbyists and lawmakers have united in recent months over legislation that would make it easier to bill Medicare for artificial intelligence-based devices used in health care. They want to grease the squeaky wheels of reimbursement for “algorithm-based health services,” many of which have seen limited adoption despite getting cleared by the Food and Drug Administration. (Palmer, 7/30)
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is set to reveal fiscal 2026 Medicare reimbursements for inpatient providers within days. Final rules detailing payment rates and new policies for inpatient hospitals, inpatient psychiatric hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, hospice providers and inpatient rehabilitation facilities are expected to be published as soon as Friday. (Early, 7/29)
On this day 60 years ago, the Medicaid and Medicare programs were signed into law by former President Lyndon B. Johnson. It was July 30, 1965, and both programs were established within the Social Security Act. In light of the programs' landmark anniversary, Newsweek has spoken to experts about what is in store for the programs in the coming years during the term of President Donald Trump. (Laws, 7/30)
