Drug shortages—FDA’s ability to respond should be strengthenedMarch 2012As recently reported by NPR, many US hospitals are perilously close to running out of a common cancer drug, methotrexate because a principal supplier of injectable the drug shut down in November after it failed an FDA inspection. Drug shortages in the US have in fact become a major public health concern. A recent report from the Government Accountability Office, summarized in this issue, suggests FDA authority needs to be enhanced to address this problem.
Estimates for the insurance coverage provisions of the Affordable Care Act updated for the recent Supreme Court decisionSeptember 2012In July, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released two reports, one looking at the budgetary impact of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision regarding expansion of the Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the other examining the budgetary costs associated with a possible repeal of the ACA. Summaries of these reports are included in this issue of the Health Care Lawyer.
Higher use of advanced imaging services by providers who self-refer costing Medicare millionsDecember 2012Self-referral by physicians is controversial. In September, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report looking at the costs to Medicare associated with self-referral for imaging services. In this report, the GAO estimates that in 2010, providers who self-referred made 400,000 more referrals for imaging services than they would have if they were not self-referring. These additional referrals cost Medicare about $109 million. A summary of the report is included in this issue of the Health care Lawyer.
ISBA President challenges Illinois lawyers to fight hungerDecember 2012ISBA President John Thies invites all law firms and legal organizations statewide to participate in a food and fundraising drive during the final two weeks in February 2013.
