WASHINGTON, June 15 -- Penn State Health, Hershey, Pennsylvania, submitted a public comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services urging a revision in the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey methodology. The letter co-signed by eight healthcare system officials advocating for the inclusion of explicit exclusion criteria for patients exhibiting violent or abusive behavior toward healthcare workers. This proposed change targets patien  more

WASHINGTON, June 14 -- The American Society of Echocardiography, Warrendale, Pennsylvania, submitted a public comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) addressing the Fiscal Year 2027 Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems (IPPS) proposed rule. The organization, representing more than 20,000 professionals in cardiovascular ultrasound imaging, advocated for payment and policy adjustments that acknowledge the critical role of echocardiography and other cardiovasc  more

WASHINGTON, June 14 -- Every Cure, a nonprofit biotechnology organization in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding drug repurposing initiatives aimed at addressing unmet medical needs. The organization outlined several challenges impeding progress in repurposing FDA-approved drugs for additional therapeutic uses and proposed actionable recommendations for overcoming these obstacles. Every Cure's intervention reflects   more

WASHINGTON, June 15 -- Penn Medicine, an academic medical center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has submitted a public comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services regarding the agency's Fiscal Year 2027 inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) proposed rule. The healthcare system provided extensive feedback addressing multiple aspects of the proposed payment updates, policy changes, and cost reporting instructions outlined in the rule published in the Federal Register on Ap  more

WASHINGTON, June 15 -- Penn State Health, based in Hershey, Pennsylvania, has submitted a public comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding the Fiscal Year 2027 Inpatient Prospective Payment System proposed rule. The academic health system emphasized the importance of graduate medical education (GME), payment modernization, and quality program requirements affecting Medicare beneficiaries. The organization expressed support for CMS's proposed updates to the c  more

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, June 12 -- The Pennsylvania Department of Health issued the following news: * * * Pennsylvania Department of Health Responding to Potential Measles Exposure at Lancaster County Courthouse, Advises Unvaccinated Individuals are Most At-Risk People who may have been exposed and are not vaccinated should contact their health care provider or the Department of Health's toll-free hotline at 877-PA-HEALTH (877-724-3258) - The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) confir  more

WASHINGTON, June 15 -- PNC Financial Services Group, headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, expressed strong support for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's interim final order preempting the Illinois Interchange Fee Prohibition Act (IFPA) and the accompanying interim final rule clarifying national banks' authority to impose non-interest fees including interchange fees. In a public comment letter sent to the OCC, PNC emphasized the importance of these actions to safeguard uniform  more

WASHINGTON, June 15 -- The Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania (SNAP), representing private safety-net hospitals in Harrisburg, has submitted a public comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding the proposed Fiscal Year 2027 Medicare inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) regulation. SNAP raised multiple concerns about payment changes, policy expansions, and cost reporting proposals outlined in the proposal published in the Federal Register on April 14,  more

WASHINGTON, June 15 -- Select Medical Holdings, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, has submitted a public comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The letter addresses the CMS Proposed Rule on the Medicare Program concerning Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems for Acute Care Hospitals and the Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System and Policy Changes for fiscal year 2027. Select Medical operate  more

WASHINGTON, June 15 -- WellSpan Health, York, Pennsylvania, submitted a public comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) concerning the fiscal year 2027 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) proposed rule. The regional healthcare leader provided feedback focused on payment updates, the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement Expanded (CJR-X) Model, and quality program proposals outlined by the federal agency. WellSpan Health emphasized ongoing worries about Med  more