Legal & Regulatory Issues

The U.S. Senate has passed a measure that would be the first step in eliminating yearly Medicare reimbursement cuts for physicians, according to a release from the American Gastroenterological Association.

Attorney General Eric Holder said federal prosecutors charged a record number of people with medical fraud in 2009, but there is still a lot more work to be done, according to a release from the Justice Department.

New laws in Idaho and Illinois give patients the right to independent review of health insurance benefit denials, accordant to a report by American Medical News.

The California Senate passed a bill to create a single-payor health system, less than a week after a special election in Massachusetts cost Senate Democrats' the 60-vote majority they needed to pass federal health reform legislation.

Four employees at Three Rivers Infusion and Pharmacy Specialists in Coshocton, Ohio, were arrested in connection with an ongoing investigation into suspected healthcare fraud at the facility, according to a news release from the Ohio Attorney General's office.

Leaders from the American Dental Association, American Medical Association, American Osteopathic Association and American Veterinary Medical Association have written a letter to the Federal Trade Commission asking the agency to exclude healthcare professionals from the Red Flags Rule, which aims…

President Obama's health reform is failing because the U.S. healthcare system is too big and complex to be changed through New Deal-style legislation, according to an opinion piece by Daniel Henninger in the Wall Street Journal.

Fifteen states have opted out of the physician supervision requirement for certified registered nurse anesthetists. Note: States listed in alphabetical order.

The American Medical Association offered recommendations on immediate actions the Obama administration can take to curb fraud in the healthcare system at a day-long summit sponsored by the federal government, according to an AMA news release.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a Class I recall of Exel/Exelint Huber needles, Exel/Exelint Huber Infusion Sets and Exel/Exelint "Securetouch+" Safety Huber Infusion Sets, manufactured by Nipro Medical Corporation for Exelint International Corporation, according to an FDA…