States are no longer required to report on the immunization status of children and pregnant people, according to a Dec. 30 letter from CMS to state health officials.  For 2026, CMS removed four measures related to these reporting requirements for…

A wave of federal and state healthcare policies is set to take effect in 2026, bringing major changes to hospital operations, reimbursement, insurance markets and patient access.  From the expiration of enhanced ACA subsidies to CMS’ expansion of site-neutral payments,…

More than 500 patients have filed a lawsuit against Chesapeake (Va.) Regional Medical Center and several of its current and former senior executives, alleging the hospital failed to stop a physician from performing medically unnecessary procedures for nearly a decade,…

The federal government agreed to reassess grants the National Institutes of Health terminated, according to court documents filed Dec. 29 in a case concerning hundreds of canceled research projects. The American Public Health Association and other plaintiffs filed the lawsuit…

The American Academy of Pediatrics has filed a lawsuit against HHS, aiming to reverse nearly $12 million in grants the federal agency abruptly pulled from the group earlier this month. On Dec. 17, The Washington Post broke news that HHS…

A coalition of 19 states and Washington, D.C., have filed a lawsuit challenging a declaration from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that threatens to cut off federal funding to hospitals that provide certain gender-affirming care to minors. Here are…

Oklahoma Spine Hospital in Oklahoma City agreed to pay $1.1 million in a data breach settlement related to a 2024 incident, The HIPAA Journal reported Dec. 24. The July 2024 data breach affected almost 39,000 individuals after a potential email account breach…

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed a religious discrimination lawsuit against Advocate Aurora Health, alleging the system unlawfully fired a nurse in 2021 over its COVID-19 vaccine policy. The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern…

Spartanburg (S.C.) Medical Center has agreed to pay $100,000 to resolve allegations it violated the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, according to a Nov. 12 news release from the HHS Office of Inspector General. EMTALA, enacted in 1986, requires…

HHS on Dec. 18 proposed new rules that would end federal funding to any hospital that provides gender transition care to minors. Federal officials said CMS will start a rulemaking process to bar hospitals from providing gender-affirming care — including…