The Biden administration recently announced that 28 healthcare payors and providers intend to implement and adhere to voluntary commitments for the safe, secure and trustworthy development and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare. The signatory companies aligned around the FAVES principle—namely, that AI should lead to healthcare outcomes that are fair, appropriate, valid, effective and safe.
California Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed Assembly Bill 352 and Assembly Bill 254 into law, effective January 1, 2024. Through these new laws, California seeks to mitigate the risk of out-of-state prosecution of individuals seeking abortions or gender-affirming care. These bills include significant changes to California privacy and health information interoperability laws that will impact healthcare providers, health plans, employers, electronic health record developers and certain digital health companies handling medical information related to gender-affirming care, abortion, and abortion-related services, sexual health, fertility or contraception.
While California healthcare workers will see their pay increase over the next several years thanks to a new state law, industry analysts say more must be done to address healthcare workforce shortages. In this Bloomberg Law article, Michelle Strowhiro offers insight into the pressures facing healthcare providers.
What is the primary force that will act on healthcare in 2023? What topics, trends and opportunities are hot this year? And how does the public feel about healthcare provider organizations today?
In this special report produced by Jarrad Inc., McDermott Partner Kerrin B. Slattery and other industry professionals provide insight into the themes that will shape the healthcare industry this year.
CMS is soliciting feedback on the creation of the first national directory of healthcare providers and services (NDH), which would contain information on healthcare providers and services across the country. CMS states that the NDH would improve and support interoperability throughout the healthcare sector for payers and providers while making it easier for patients to identify, compare and locate providers who meet their specific needs and preferences, such as those related to office accessibility, languages spoken or other data. CMS proposes that consolidating provider data into a single source would ultimately reduce the unnecessary burden placed on providers to maintain dozens of separate directories while improving access to care. The new system would be used in place of commercial payor directories and allow payers to update their own directories seamlessly from a single directory. CMS is proposing integrating the NDH with current CMS-maintained systems (i.e., NPPES, PECOS and Care Compare).
In the aftermath of the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, legal experts say health systems and providers must immediately review their operations and prepare for potential enforcement by state prosecutors. According to this article published in Fierce Healthcare, McDermott Partner Stacey Callaghan said organizations should consult with counsel “as soon as possible” to ensure they understand the new post-Roe landscape.
Telehealth’s state-by-state regulatory patchwork means that healthcare providers must navigate a variety of regulations that govern which types of care can be provided by virtual means, and even what modalities can be used in different care settings. McDermott’s recent 50-state survey explores the standard and requirements that physicians and nurse practitioners must follow when prescribing non-controlled substances or ordering tests via a telemedicine encounter. Key issues addressed in the survey include:
Healthcare employers are immediately impacted by two recent developments in federal and California COVID-19 paid leave laws: a Department of Labor revision to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and a new California supplemental paid sick leave legislation. For both changes in the law, quick action is required for compliance.
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