Weekly Spotlight
No Surprises Act Arbitration Overhaul: Relief, Reservations, and Unresolved Gaming
After more than two years of stakeholder pressure and regulatory delay, the Trump administration finalized a comprehensive overhaul of the No Surprises Act’s independent dispute resolution (IDR) process on May 28. The rule — jointly issued by HHS, Labor, Treasury, and the Office of Personnel Management — was broadly welcomed by providers and payers alike, though critics on both sides say it leaves the system’s most fundamental problem untouched.
The headline change is a dramatic reduction in administrative fees: the per-party filing fee drops from $115 to $15. The rule also caps batched dispute submissions at 50 line items, standardizes communication requirements between payers and providers during open negotiation, and lays out plans for a new centralized IDR Gateway platform launching in phases beginning in 2026. The gateway will allow users to initiate disputes, track case status, and eventually conduct in-portal negotiation. The rule also requires payers to register in a central registry, making it easier for providers to identify the correct payer and reduce misfiled disputes. Since launching in April 2022, the federal IDR process has received more than 5 million disputes — roughly 14 times the volume agencies originally projected.
Provider and payer groups generally welcomed the operational reforms while calling for further steps. Payer groups were more pointed: AHIP and the ERISA Industry Committee described the rule as a “missed opportunity” to restore the balance Congress intended. Their concern centers on a pattern in which a small subset of out-of-network providers — often represented by revenue-cycle management firms — use the IDR process as a profit engine. Providers currently win roughly 88 percent of arbitration decisions, with typical award amounts running nearly nine times the payer benchmark value, according to industry data cited by Healthcare Dive. Payers argue that by lowering the cost to file, the rule may actually worsen the volume problem — a point amplified by STAT’s Tara Bannow, who reported that the fee reduction could make it cheaper and easier for high-volume filers to flood the system.
A separate commentary in MedPage Today pushed back on what author Matt Dallmann — a healthcare billing consultant — called the “payer-as-victim” narrative. Dallmann argues that only about 6 percent of NSA-eligible claims actually reach IDR, and that payers’ complaints about inflated awards fail to account for the savings they capture on the 94 percent of claims resolved at or near the qualifying payment amount — a figure not publicly reported. Within the context of UnitedHealthcare’s $447.6 billion in 2025 revenue and $12.1 billion in net earnings, he writes, the insurer-as-victim framing “falls flat.” He calls on regulators to require public reporting of how many NSA-eligible claims are paid at the QPA, how many unpaid awards exist, and how many notice-and-consent waivers are accepted — data that would allow a fair accounting of whether provider-favorable IDR awards are representative or outliers.
On the legislative front, GOP lawmakers and provider groups are separately pushing an NSA enforcement bill aimed at compelling payment of unpaid IDR awards — a problem the O’Neill Institute at Georgetown Law documented in April, finding hundreds of lawsuits seeking payment of awards sometimes involving millions of dollars.
Tags: #HOSPITAL #PROVIDER #PAYER #PATIENT
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
Medicaid Roundup
CMS Proposed Rule Would Cut Up to $775 Billion in Medicaid State-Directed Payments
CMS released a proposed rule (CMS-2449-P) implementing H.R. 1’s cuts to Medicaid state-directed payments (SDPs), which states use to supplement base Medicaid rates for hospitals, nursing facilities, clinics, and other providers. The rule would cap SDPs at 100 percent of Medicare rates in expansion states and 110 percent in non-expansion states, phasing out four types of supplemental payments. Georgetown’s Center for Children and Families argues the rule’s actual impact is three times the cuts projected when H.R. 1 passed, with total projected savings of $775 billion over a decade — $510 billion federal and $265 billion in reduced state matching. The cuts reach well beyond hospitals to include community health centers, behavioral health providers, and rural facilities.
Source(s):
CMS proposes rule aimed at limiting Medicaid state-directed payments — Fierce Healthcare
CMS Releases Proposed Rule on State Directed Payments — NASHP
CMS Triples Harmful Impact of HR 1 Medicaid Provider Cuts in State Directed Payment Proposed Rule — Georgetown CCF
Republicans’ Tax Law Targets $775 Billion in Supplemental Medicaid Funds That Prop Up Hospitals — STAT
Tags: #HOSPITAL #PROVIDER #PAYER
States Confront High Costs of Medicaid Work Requirement Implementation
States dealing with budget shortfalls are facing tens of millions of dollars in new costs to implement H.R. 1’s Medicaid work requirements ahead of the January 1, 2027 deadline. Politico surveyed 21 expansion states and found upfront implementation costs ranging from $4 million to more than $30 million per state — far exceeding the $200 million in federal funds Congress allocated to be divided among all expansion states. North Carolina received $1.9 million in federal funding but expects to spend $31.2 million annually to enforce the requirements and conduct biannual eligibility checks. Pennsylvania expects to hire nearly 400 people and spend $7.8 million on IT system updates; Ohio estimates $28 million over two years. A RAND study projects states’ Medicaid budgets will decline by a collective $664 billion through 2034 from multiple H.R. 1 provisions. KFF analysis found 92 percent of working-age Medicaid enrollees already work, attend school, care for a relative, or have an illness or disability.
Source(s):
States balk at the high price of Medicaid work requirements amid budget crunch — Politico
Families USA Sounds Alarm Over Rumored IFR Work Req Restrictions — Inside Health Policy
The Medical Frailty Exemption from Medicaid Work Requirements: Key Issues to Watch For in Upcoming CMS Guidance — KFF
How States Will Implement H.R. 1’s Medicaid Policies — Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Tags: #PATIENT #PAYER #POLICY
Nearly Two Million Children Have Lost Medicaid Coverage Since January 2025
Georgetown’s Center for Children and Families tracker shows approximately 2 million fewer children enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP since the start of the administration. State-level data reported by Becker’s confirms hundreds of thousands of children have lost coverage as H.R. 1 eligibility changes and administrative requirements took effect. Axios cites Georgetown data showing 1.75 million fewer child enrollees as of January 2026, driven by new eligibility requirements and documentation burdens. A KFF Health News podcast noted the coverage losses are appearing before the midterm elections — earlier than Republicans anticipated when the law passed.
Source(s):
Two Million Fewer Children are Enrolled in Medicaid Since Trump Took Office — Georgetown CCF
Hundreds of thousands of children lose Medicaid coverage — Becker’s Hospital Review
Why More Kids Are Dropping Off Medicaid — Axios
More Kids Without Coverage — KFF Health News
Tags: #PATIENT #POLICY
Democratic AGs Decline Medicaid Fraud Roundtable Invitation
A group of Democratic attorneys general declined a last-minute invitation from VP Vance’s Task Force on Fraud to participate in a May 26 Medicaid fraud roundtable, citing short notice and concerns that the event politicizes anti-fraud work. The AGs issued a statement criticizing what they characterized as an effort to use fraud rhetoric to justify coverage cuts.
Source(s):
Dem AGs Decline Invite To Medicaid Fraud Roundtable, Blast Politicization Of Fraud-Fighting — Inside Health Policy
Tags: #PAYER #POLICY
Health Insurance and Coverage Roundup
Three converging coverage stories this week alongside the UnitedHealthcare prior authorization announcement. CDC released 2025 uninsured rate data showing roughly 8 percent of Americans lacked coverage last year, largely flat from 2024 — but analysts and the AHA warn the stability will not hold as ACA and Medicaid gains unwind. Vox projects the uninsured rate will rise significantly in coming years as H.R. 1 implementation accelerates enrollment losses. A new CMS rule gives insurers more flexibility to offer higher-deductible marketplace plans starting in 2027 and expands catastrophic plan access, which CBPP argues will push enrollees toward lower-quality, more expensive coverage. On Medicare Advantage, CMS finalized its proposal to eliminate unlinked chart reviews from MA risk adjustment in the 2027 rate notice — described by a former MedPAC executive director as the most consequential MA payment change in years — and KFF published an analysis of out-of-pocket limit variation across MA plans. UnitedHealthcare separately announced it will eliminate approximately two-thirds of its prior authorization requirements for patients under 18 by end of 2026, covering diagnostic services, routine care, and surgical procedures.
Source(s):
CDC: About 8 percent of US was uninsured in 2025 — The Hill
Uninsurance rate holds flat in 2025: CDC — Healthcare Dive
Millions of Americans are losing their health insurance — Vox
New Final Rule Pushes Marketplace Enrollees Toward Lower-Quality, More Expensive Coverage — Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
CDC data signal potential coverage losses as policy decisions threaten access to care — AHA
CMS moves to curb MA plans’ unfair payment advantage — HFMA
Medicare Advantage Out-of-Pocket Limits: Variation and Trends — KFF
UnitedHealthcare to scale back pediatric prior auth requirements — Becker’s Hospital Review
UnitedHealthcare removing prior approval for most pediatric services — The Hill
Tags: #PATIENT #PAYER #PROVIDER
Alternative Payment Model Roundup
Three CMS alternative payment model developments this week. The ACCESS payment model — launching mid-2026 — will pay technology providers fixed per-beneficiary amounts of $90 to $420 annually for achieving chronic disease management outcomes; HFMA notes the model holds promise but raises questions about measurement standards and equitable implementation. KFF examines the GENEROUS model, a voluntary CMS initiative allowing states to lower Medicaid drug costs by negotiating against international reference prices, and the factors that could expand or limit its impact. A final rule updates the Increasing Organ Transplant Access (IOTA) Model for Performance Year 2 and includes a technical correction to regulatory text.
Source(s):
CMS’s new health tech initiatives hold promise but raise questions — HFMA
The GENEROUS Model and Factors That Could Impact Medicaid Drug Costs — KFF
Medicare Program; Alternative Payment Model Updates and the Increasing Organ Transplant Access (IOTA) Model — Federal Register
Tags: #PAYER #PROVIDER #HOSPITAL
Medicare GLP-1 Bridge Program Launches in July — But Taxpayer Cost Remains Undisclosed
Medicare’s GLP-1 Bridge program will provide eligible Part D beneficiaries access to Wegovy, Zepbound KwikPen, and Foundayo at a $50 monthly copay beginning July 1, 2026, through December 31, 2027. The program was extended from its original six-month design after insurers declined to participate in cost-sharing, leaving taxpayers to cover most of the cost. CMS has not disclosed a projected cost estimate despite advertising the benefit publicly. KFF projects the 18-month extension could cost Medicare billions of dollars; Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk stand to receive significant revenue from the program over its duration.
Source(s):
STAT+: Medicare still won’t say how much covering obesity drugs will cost — STAT
Tags: #PAYER #DRUG #PATIENT
Concomitant EP Procedures Expanding Under New Coverage Policies
Advances in catheter technology and evolving CMS coverage policies are enabling more cardiologists to combine left atrial appendage occlusion with other electrophysiology procedures — such as ablation — in a single setting, improving efficiency and potentially reducing patient risk from staged procedures.
Source(s):
Tech breakthroughs, new policies help cardiologists perform more concomitant EP procedures — Cardiovascular Business
Tags: #DEVICE #PROVIDER
Imaging Societies Clash Over Appropriate-Use Criteria Bill
The American College of Radiology is backing legislation to revive the MACRA-mandated appropriate-use criteria (AUC) consulting program for advanced imaging, which was repeatedly delayed and never implemented. Nuclear cardiology and other specialty imaging groups oppose it as administratively burdensome. The bill would require physicians to consult AUC decision-support tools before ordering certain imaging services covered by Medicare.
Source(s):
Imaging societies clash over bill to require that docs consult appropriate-use criteria — Radiology Business
Tags: #PROVIDER #PAYER
340B Roundup: CVS Lawsuits and HRSA’s Rebate Pilot RFI
Hospitals have filed lawsuits alleging CVS Caremark underpaid 340B drug reimbursements by approximately $250 million, claiming the pharmacy benefit manager paid below contractually required rates for covered entity patients. Separately, hospital groups are pushing back against HRSA’s second attempt at a 340B rebate model pilot RFI, arguing the agency designed the request to avoid litigation risk rather than address substantive industry concerns.
Source(s):
340B lawsuits against CVS allege $250M in underpaid hospital reimbursement — HFMA
Hospitals Worry HRSA’s Latest 340B RFI Aims To Avoid Legal Risks, Not Address Concerns — Inside Health Policy
Tags: #HOSPITAL #PAYER
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
FDA Leadership Transition: Diamantas Consolidates, CBER and CDER Still Vacant
Acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas has earned stronger-than-expected reviews from food, drug, and device stakeholders in the weeks since Marty Makary’s departure. FDA observers expect Diamantas to remain through at least the midterm elections, given the difficulty of finding a permanent nominee and his familiarity with the agency’s food and supplement agenda. The departures of acting CDER chief Jennifer Hoeg and CBER’s Szarama create ongoing uncertainty for drug and biologics sponsors: multiple Inside Health Policy reports note that industry confidence in the agency may hinge on who fills those center director roles, as the reform directives Makary initiated — on clinical trial modernization, decentralization, and AI — continue under the new acting leadership.
Source(s):
Acting FDA Head Kyle Diamantas Is Defying Expectations — STAT
Makary’s FDA reforms ‘continue to move forward’ despite leadership turmoil — Fierce Biotech
After Makary departure, acting CDER chief Hoeg and CBER’s Szarama exit — Fierce Biotech
FDA Watchers Forecast Long Tenure For Acting Commissioner — Inside Health Policy
Industry Confidence In FDA May Hinge On CBER, CDER Leadership — Inside Health Policy
Diamantas’ FDA Tenure Could Stretch As Food, Supplement Decisions Loom — Inside Health Policy
Tags: #DRUG #DEVICE
FDA Staff Blindsided by E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Authorization Decision
Senior officials in the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products were not consulted before a recent administration decision opened the door to authorizing a broad range of previously unauthorized electronic cigarettes and nicotine pouches. The move caught career staff off guard and has raised questions about the agency’s internal decision-making process under the current leadership transition.
Source(s):
FDA Staff Blindsided by Move Allowing More E-Cigs, Nicotine Pouches Onto Market — MedPage Today
Tags: #PATIENT #PROVIDER
FDA Extends Comment Period on AI Clinical Trials Pilot RFI
FDA extended the comment period for its Request for Information on a proposed pilot program to apply artificial intelligence to early-phase clinical trial design, including dose selection, eligibility criteria optimization, and adaptive trial structures.
Source(s):
AI-Enabled Optimization of Early-Phase Clinical Trials Pilot Program; Request for Information — Federal Register
Tags: #DRUG #DEVICE
FDA Finalizes Human Factors Guidance for Device Sponsors
FDA finalized guidance on human factors information requirements for medical device premarket submissions, published May 29. The guidance — which updates a 2022 draft — adds risk-based factors for determining submission category, expands practical examples covering special user populations and novel interfaces, and clarifies scope for 510(k), De Novo, and PMA submissions. Submissions currently under review or received before August 1, 2026 are not expected to include the new requirements, though FDA says it will review any voluntarily submitted information.
Source(s):
Content of Human Factors Information in Medical Device Marketing Submissions — Federal Register
Tags: #DEVICE
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
White House Proposes Federal Grantmaking Overhaul, Alarming Research Community
The White House Office of Management and Budget released a sweeping proposal to revise the Uniform Guidance — the bedrock regulation governing all federal grants. The proposed changes would tighten political appointee control at HHS research-funding agencies, deprioritize peer review in grant award decisions, and give program officers more discretion to override scientific merit panels. Behavioral health advocates warned the changes could allow political appointees to redirect funding away from evidence-based programs. STAT reported the proposal has alarmed researchers who see it as a mechanism to further politicize NIH and other grant programs already disrupted by funding cuts and grant terminations.
Source(s):
OMB Rule Would Reshape Grant Award Process, Deprioritize Peer Review — Inside Health Policy
Behavioral Health Advocates Concerned By Proposed OMB Federal Grant Revamp — Inside Health Policy
STAT+: Trump administration seeks to overhaul federal grantmaking process, alarming researchers — STAT
Tags: #POLICY
Trump Executive Order Endorses Fewer Childhood Vaccines
President Trump signed an executive order directing CDC to align its childhood vaccine recommendations with a January 2025 HHS study that calls for reducing the number of vaccines on the recommended schedule. The order gives formal White House backing to a study produced outside the normal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices process and has drawn criticism from pediatric and infectious disease specialists.
Source(s):
Trump backs HHS overhaul of childhood vaccine schedule with new order — The Hill
Trump Order Tells CDC to Align With Study Calling for Fewer Childhood Vaccines — MedPage Today
Tags: #PATIENT #POLICY
NIH Animal Testing Debate Intensifies
RFK Jr. is pushing to accelerate the shift away from animal models in drug and device development, while FDA and NIH scientists warn the transition is moving faster than validated alternative methods can be implemented, creating potential gaps in safety data for new products.
Source(s):
The NIH animal testing debate rages on — Politico Pulse
Tags: #DRUG #DEVICE #POLICY
More Than One-Third of Preschool Children With Congenital Heart Conditions Are Not School-Ready, CDC Study Finds
A CDC-supported study using the 2022–2023 National Survey of Children’s Health found that more than one-third of preschool children with congenital heart conditions were not developmentally on track for school readiness — a significantly higher rate than their peers. The findings strengthen the case for routine developmental screening and early intervention services for young children with CHD, many of whom do not currently receive systematic follow-up for developmental delays outside of cardiac care settings.
Source(s):
CDC Study: More Than One-Third of Preschool Children with Congenital Heart Conditions Not Developmentally On Track for School Readiness — Pediatric Cardiology
Tags: #PATIENT #PROVIDER
HHS ASPE: Low Occupancy and For-Profit Ownership Drive Rural Hospital Closures
HHS ASPE researchers identify low occupancy rates, for-profit ownership, and proximity to urban counties as the strongest predictors of rural hospital closure risk. The report arrives as Congress debates further Medicaid cuts that could pressure rural safety-net facilities.
Source(s):
HHS ASPE Reports on State of Rural Hospitals: Key Determinants of Closure Include Low Occupancy, For-Profit Ownership — HHS ASPE
Tags: #HOSPITAL #PROVIDER
Visa Program Delays Threaten Physician Placements in Underserved Areas
A federal HHS program that provides visa waivers allowing international medical graduates to remain in the U.S. in exchange for service in underserved areas has dramatically slowed its application review process, threatening placements in dozens of states and jeopardizing access to care in areas that rely heavily on J-1 and H-1B waiver physicians.
Source(s):
Delays in Visa Program Threaten Placement of Hundreds of Doctors in Underserved Areas — KFF Health News
Tags: #PROVIDER #PATIENT
Heard on the Hill
Drug Pricing Roundup: MFN Deals, Tariff Transparency, and Congressional Scrutiny
The Trump administration’s pharmaceutical pricing agenda is approaching its first public stress test. STAT reports that new drug launches will soon reveal whether MFN pricing deals with 17 manufacturers are delivering promised savings, as deal terms remain confidential. An AARP analysis found list prices for 25 top brand-name drugs rose an average of 81 percent after U.S. launch while falling 13 percent in other countries. Separately, the political infrastructure around drug pricing is active: bipartisan legislation would require Commerce to publish summaries of its pharmaceutical national security investigations; House E&C leaders are demanding CBO explain its modeling of IRA drug pricing provisions; and the Taxpayers Protection Alliance is lobbying the Senate to block any legislative MFN codification.
Source(s):
Trump’s drug-pricing deals set to be tested by new product launches — STAT
STAT+: Trump’s pharma deals get tested — STAT
Brand-name drug prices climb after launch in US, fall abroad amid MFN push — Fierce Pharma
House GOP Requests CBO Explain Lacking Budget Benefits From Drug Price Controls — Inside Health Policy
Senate Bill Would Compel Release Of Info On Pharma Tariffs — Inside Health Policy
Taxpayer Group Urges Senate To Reject MFN Legislation As TrumpRx Talks Continue — Inside Health Policy
Tags: #DRUG #PAYER
Cardiology Groups Support Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Reform Bill
Cardiology societies are backing HR 8163, which would raise the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule budget-neutrality threshold from $20 million to $54.3 million and index it to the Medicare Economic Index. The current threshold triggers automatic payment cuts to offset new codes or increased valuations — a mechanism cardiologists and other specialties argue compresses reimbursement for existing procedures when new ones are added.
Source(s):
Cardiology groups celebrate bill that could improve Medicare payments — Cardiovascular Business
Tags: #PROVIDER #DEVICE
Sen. Cassidy Faces New Decisions on Bucking Trump
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), chair of the Senate HELP committee and not running for reelection, faces fresh decisions about when to break with the president on health policy. The Hill profiles how Cassidy’s lame-duck status gives him unusual independence on issues including Medicaid, vaccine policy, and HHS leadership.
Source(s):
GOP’s Bill Cassidy faces new decisions on bucking Trump — The Hill
Tags: #POLICY
Providers Rally Against OIG Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Report
Provider groups are pushing back against an HHS OIG report identifying billing errors in inpatient rehabilitation facility payments, arguing the findings should not be used to justify reimbursement policy changes. The groups contend the OIG’s methodology overstates the error rate and that IRF payment structures are appropriate given patient complexity.
Source(s):
Providers Rally Against OIG Report Finding Errors In IRF Payments — Inside Health Policy
Tags: #HOSPITAL #PROVIDER
PBM Lobby Urges Trump Administration to Focus Drug Pricing Scrutiny on Wholesalers
The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association is pressing the administration to direct drug pricing scrutiny at wholesale distributors rather than pharmacy benefit managers, as the White House weighs reinstating antitrust collaboration guidelines withdrawn more than two decades ago.
Source(s):
PBM Lobby Presses Trump Admin To Focus More On Drug Wholesalers — Inside Health Policy
Tags: #DRUG #PAYER
Notable Notes
TAVR Clinical Evidence Roundup
A full week of structural heart data with direct relevance to the Edwards portfolio and TAVR practice. New findings from Cardiovascular Business, JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions, and MedPage Today cover antiplatelet therapy, implant depth, conduction system pacing, outcome prediction, durability, and sex-specific trial data.
- SAPT after TAVR linked to key benefits over DAPT, new data confirm — Single antiplatelet therapy was associated with significantly lower all-cause mortality at 6 months and 24 months post-TAVR compared to dual antiplatelet therapy. (Cardiovascular Business)
- How TAVR valve implant depth impacts clinical outcomes — A 600-patient study found higher implant depth was associated with specific differences in pacemaker implantation rates and hemodynamic outcomes at one year. (Cardiovascular Business)
- Conduction system pacing after TAVR linked to improved outcomes in new meta-analysis — A meta-analysis of 8 studies and approximately 800 patients found conduction system pacing associated with shorter hospital stays and lower pacemaker dependency. (Cardiovascular Business)
- New ways to predict TAVR outcomes for individual heart patients — Researchers are exploring AI-enabled imaging and machine learning for patient-specific TAVR outcome prediction. (Cardiovascular Business)
- Resilia tissue developed by Edwards Lifesciences associated with long-term durability — New 10-year data show surgical valves built with Edwards’ Resilia tissue maintaining strong structural integrity. (Cardiovascular Business)
- Women-Only Trial Supports Self-Expanding TAVR in Low-Risk Patients — A randomized trial found self-expanding valves produced superior hemodynamic outcomes vs. balloon-expandable valves in low-surgical-risk women. (MedPage Today)
- JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions May 26, 2026 — Issue features structural heart research including transcatheter tricuspid edge-to-edge repair outcomes, CAD revascularization data, and NT-proBNP analysis. (JACC CI)
- JACC EuroPCR Simultaneous Publications — EuroPCR publications include CHOICE-MI registry data on transcatheter mitral valve replacement (124 patients) and Optimize PRO TAVR depth findings. (JACC CI)
Tags: #DEVICE #PROVIDER
TAVR Policy and Access: Advocacy Push and Younger-Patient Data
The Alliance for Aging Research is pressing CMS to finalize policy changes that would expand TAVR eligibility criteria and reduce barriers for lower-risk patients, framing current requirements as government interference in physician-patient decision-making. Separately, a real-world analysis finds TAVR increasingly used in patients younger than 65, prompting a “call to action” from experts who argue surgical replacement is more appropriate for most patients in this age group given long-term durability questions. A GBD 2021 analysis in the International Journal of Surgery provides global context: among working-age adults in G20 countries from 1990 to 2021, the structural heart disease burden is shifting from infection-driven causes toward metabolic and behavioral risk factors, with the U.S. carrying a high non-fatal valvular disease burden.
Source(s):
Advocacy group wants TAVR changes, urging Trump admin to ‘stop getting in between patients and their doctors’ — Cardiovascular Business
Is TAVR too common among younger patients? New data prompt a ‘call to action’ — Cardiovascular Business
Structural heart disease burden and trends in working-age adults across G20 Countries, 1990–2021 — International Journal of Surgery
Tags: #DEVICE #PROVIDER #PATIENT
BATMAN Technique Reduces LVOT Obstruction Risk in Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement
The BATMAN technique helps interventional cardiologists performing transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) avoid left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction — a potentially life-threatening procedural complication. Cardiovascular Business profiles the approach and its growing adoption at structural heart programs.
Source(s):
BATMAN to the rescue: TMVR technique helps cardiologists reduce risk of LVOT obstruction — Cardiovascular Business
Tags: #DEVICE #PROVIDER
Heart Failure Therapy Shows Benefit in Congenitally Corrected Transposition of the Great Arteries
Standard heart failure therapies are associated with improved right ventricular systolic function and lower mortality risk in adults with congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (ccTGA), a rare form of structural CHD in which the ventricles are inverted. The findings give clinicians managing this population direct evidence supporting therapy protocols historically extrapolated from other heart failure populations.
Source(s):
Heart Failure Therapy Benefits Rare Structural Heart Defect — Medscape
Tags: #PROVIDER #PATIENT
Upfront Costs of Robotic Heart Surgery
Cardiovascular Business weighs the high capital costs of robotic cardiac surgery systems against the operational and financial trade-offs hospitals face when deciding whether to adopt the technology.
Source(s):
The upfront costs of robotic heart surgery — Cardiovascular Business
Tags: #HOSPITAL #PROVIDER
Jeremy Levin: U.S. Biotech Leadership at Risk Despite Scientific Momentum
Biotech veteran Jeremy Levin argues in a STAT interview that scientific breakthroughs are proliferating but U.S. leadership in translating them is endangered by regulatory uncertainty, NIH funding cuts, and rising Chinese competition.
Source(s):
STAT+: Biotech veteran Jeremy Levin on why the industry’s future is secure, but American leadership is at risk — STAT
Tags: #DRUG #DEVICE #POLICY
MIT President Warns on Research Funding Cuts
MIT President Sally Kornbluth warns in a STAT op-ed that federal research funding cuts could eliminate approximately 500 graduate student positions at MIT alone, jeopardizing the U.S. scientific pipeline at a moment when other countries are increasing public investment in research.
Source(s):
Opinion: MIT president: Why so many optimistic scientists are losing heart — STAT
Tags: #POLICY
EHR Commentary: Built for Storage, Not Care Orchestration
A MedCity News commentary argues electronic health records have been optimized for billing and documentation rather than clinical action, and makes the case for a next-generation orchestration layer that activates real-time care workflows rather than serving as a passive data repository.
Source(s):
The EHR Was Built to Store Data — It Wasn’t Built to Orchestrate Care — MedCity News
Tags: #PROVIDER