1. Physician dies following attack by patient at Dallas hospital
A patient at 144-bed Timberlawn Mental Health System in Dallas was charged with manslaughter in the death of a physician he assaulted, according to The Dallas Morning News.
2. CMS releases OPPS proposed rule for 2017
CMS released its 2017 Medicare Outpatient Prospective Payment System proposed rule, which implements site-neutral payment provisions of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 and removes questions about pain management from Medicare’s Value-Based Purchasing Program.
3. Blood banks hit by Zika donor rules, leaving some regions in critical shortage
The Food and Drug Administration is urging blood banks to turn away potential donors at risk for Zika. While the new protocol protects the nation’s blood supply from infection, it’s also contributing to pressing blood shortages in certain regions, according to Kaiser Health News.
4. 6 proposed changes to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule in 2017
CMS issued its proposed updates Thursday to the 2017 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. This year’s changes include a number of new policies that reflect a broader agency-wide strategy to enhance quality, spend smarter and improve Americans’ health.
5. NIH awards $55 million to build landmark million-person precision medicine study: 7 things to know
In one of the most ambitious research projects in history, the National Institutes of Health is giving select healthcare organizations $55 million in awards in fiscal year 2016 to launch the Cohort Program of President Barack Obama’s Precision Medicine Initiative.
6. Insider: DOJ has concerns about Aetna-Humana acquisition
Hartford, Conn.-based Aetna’s proposed $37 billion acquisition of Louisville, Ky.-based Humana faces major pushback from the U.S. Department of Justice, which reportedly voiced significant concerns about the deal.
7. Physician who falsely diagnosed 387 patients gets 4-year prison term
Isaac Kojo Anakwah Thompson, MD, of Delray Beach, Fla., was sentenced to 46 months in prison after pleading guilty in March to one count of healthcare fraud for engaging in a scheme to defraud the Medicare Advantage program, according to the Department of Justice.
8. Providence Health & Services, St. Joseph Health officially merge
Effective July 6, Renton, Wash.-based Providence Health & Services and Irvine, Calif.-based St. Joseph Health officially joined forces to create Providence St. Joseph Health, a nonprofit health and social services system that will serve as the parent organization for more than 100,000 caregivers across seven states.
9. Puerto Rico experiences physician exodus
Puerto Rico’s crippling debt crisis and population decline is having a domino effect on the healthcare system — and causing many physicians to leave the island.
10. DOJ nearly doubles False Claims Act penalties
Penalties under the False Claims Act presently range from $5,500 to $11,000 per claim. However, those amounts will nearly double Aug. 1.
11. Tennessee hospital forced to close after negotiations fall through
Magee, Miss.-based Pioneer Health Services closed Pioneer Community Hospital of Scott in Oneida, Tenn., Friday evening.
