Certificate-of-need laws—originally designed to prevent the duplication of healthcare services in a specific geographic region—may be on the chopping block for many states as a condition of the federal Rural Health Transformation program. Every state submitted applications seeking a share…
Legal & Regulatory Issues
The Trump administration appears to have abandoned its legal push to limit funding for universities and academic medical centers that cover administrative and operational costs associated with research projects. In February 2025, the National Institutes of Health shared plans to…
AbbVie has filed a lawsuit challenging federal guidance on how “patient” is defined under the 340B program, according to an April 8 press release. The company said the current definition, based on guidance issued in 1996, allows covered entities to…
A Florida woman who treated more than 4,000 hospital patients without an advanced nurse tech license license was sentenced April 7 to five years probation. In January 2025, Flagler County Sheriff’s Office and AdventHealth Palm Coast (Fla.) Parkway began an…
A federal judge in Rhode Island denied the U.S. government’s request to dismiss a lawsuit regarding its termination of thousands of HHS employees in spring 2025, according to an April 7 decision. The lawsuit, filed by 19 states and the…
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CMS has issued operational guidance to states regarding how to implement H.R. 1’s Medicaid coverage restrictions for noncitizens, which take effect Oct. 1. On April 8, the agency outlined how states must update eligibility systems, applications, verification processes and claims…
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche is launching the National Fraud Enforcement Division for taxpayer-funded programs, according to an April 7 memo. The White House announced plans for the division in January as Medicaid fraud concerns in Minnesota intensified. In…
Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health filed a lawsuit against Aetna over its “level of severity inpatient payment policy” for Medicare Advantage beneficiaries, according to an April 6 filing in a Pennsylvania federal court. The policy took effect in 2026 after Aetna bumped…
A former leader within Pittsburgh-based UPMC has filed a lawsuit against the system and UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute, alleging retaliation after raising concerns about a conflict of interest involving the system’s CEO. Here are seven things to know: 1.…
Minneapolis-based Children’s Minnesota has resumed all services in its Gender Health program after a temporary pause that began Feb. 27, according to a health system statement shared with Becker’s. The decision follows a March court ruling that vacated a federal…