Health Policy
Feature
COVID-19 prompts ‘lifesaving’ policy change for opioid addiction
Patients in some opioid treatment programs will be allowed to take home their medication.
Latest News
Clinicians petition government for national quarantine
The petition was started by an apolitical Facebook group to focus attention on what members see as the most critical issues for clinicians.
News from the FDA/CDC
FDA moves to expand coronavirus testing capacity; CDC clarifies testing criteria
Close to a million tests will be available by week’s end, predicted HHS Secretary Alex Azar
Feature
Supreme Court roundup: Latest health care decisions
Justices allow public charge rule expansion, remain silent on Affordable Care Act cases for now.
Feature
Trump seeks to cut NIH, CDC budgets, some Medicare spending
The proposed budget also calls for changed to the medical liability system, including a cap of $250,000 on noneconomic damage awards.
News
HHS drug importation proposals aim to address high costs
Trump administration drops key health care proposal on day of impeachment vote.
Feature
Court strikes down Trump’s conscience rule
The measure would have allowed clinicians to refuse to provide medical care to patients for religious or moral reasons.
News from the FDA/CDC
Vape lung disease cases exceed 400, 3 dead
Vitamin E acetate is one possible culprit in the mysterious vaping-associated lung disease that has killed three patients, sickened 450, and...
News
FDA chief calls for release of all data tracking problems with medical devices
The FDA is “realizing that physicians who couldn’t see this data before were using devices that they wouldn’t have used if they had this data in...
From the Journals
AAP, AHA push for policies limiting children’s sugary beverage consumption
The new policy statement focuses on local, state, and federal policies that can discourage sugary beverage intake in addition to counseling...
Feature
FDA chief calls for stricter scrutiny of electronic health records
The government spent more than $36 billion over 10 years to switch to digital records. In that time, thousands of reports of deaths, injuries, and...