03/18/24

Paragon Health Institute: Improving Medicare through Medicare Advantage

On March 7, 2024, the Paragon Health Institute, a conservative think tank run by former Trump health policy adviser Brian Blase, hosted a webinar to review its recently published paper suggesting improvements to the Medicare Advantage (MA) program. These policies are a preview of the types of health care policies voters may expect from Republican leadership in the future.

03/10/24

Federal Trade Commission Workshop: Private Equity in Health Care

On Tuesday, March 5, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) hosted a public workshop webinar to discuss the role of private equity investments in healthcare markets. The event featured speakers from the three main federal agencies – FTC, DOJ, HHS – as well as stakeholders representing various interests, including experts in economic and health policy.

03/9/24

Georgetown University CHIR No Surprises Act: Exploring the Impact on Employees, Employers, and Costs

On March 7, 2024, the Georgetown University Center on Health Insurance Reforms (CHIR) hosted a briefing examining the creation, implementation, and future of the No Surprises Act from the perspectives of payers and providers.

03/6/24

Coalition for Health AI (CHAI): Introduction to the Board of Directors and the CEO

On March 5, 2024, the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI) hosted a webinar to announce the coalition’s launch as a nonprofit with a new CEO and Board of Directors. A majority of the board joined to explain their experiences in healthcare AI and how that contributes to their hopes for CHAI. The purpose of CHAI is to bring various stakeholders together to create guidelines and guardrails for the AI in healthcare.

03/2/24

Primary Care Collaborative: Empowering Collaborative Primary Care with Ethical Use of AI

On February 28, 2024, the Primary Care Collaborative hosted a webinar to discuss the use of AI within the primary care setting to reduce administrative burden and improve the quality of care provided. The panel consisted of four speakers: a physician who uses AI in her medical practice, the CEO of a large medical society which sees how a wide variety of physicians use AI, a doctor working for an AI medical product company, and a health technology policy expert.

03/2/24

Health Affairs: One-on-One with Micky Tripathi

On February 22, 2024, Health Affairs hosted a Policy Spotlight with Micky Tripathi, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology for the ONC to discuss their current and future initiatives. In this policy spotlight, he discussed the recent implementation of the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA), the increasing demand for health data sharing outside the health field, and how the ONC is approaching AI in healthcare.

02/25/24

KFF Prior Authorization in Health Insurance: A Needed Tool to Contain Costs or an Excessive Barrier to Needed Care?

On February 22, 2024, KFF hosted a webinar to discuss prior authorization from both the payer and provider perspectives, the expected impact of the recent Advancing Interoperability and Improving Prior Authorization Processes Final Rule, and trending topics in the healthcare space in relation to prior authorization.

02/12/24

U.S. Senate HELP: Why Does the United States Pay, by Far, the Highest Prices in the World for Prescription Drugs?

On Thursday, February 8, the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions (HELP) held a full committee hearing, featuring the CEOs of Johnson & Johnson, Merck, and Bristol Myers Squibb as witnesses, to discuss drivers and solutions for the nation’s high prescription drug costs and the roles that large pharmaceutical manufacturers may be playing in perpetuating increasing prices.

02/10/24

U.S. Senate Finance Committee – AI and Health Care: Promise and Pitfalls

On February 8, the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance held a full committee hearing to detail the role Congress and the Committee should play to ensure positive outcomes and set rules for AI-supported innovations in the American healthcare system.

02/8/24

CTA: Congressional Digital Health Caucus Launch – Exploring the Intersection of Health and AI

On February 1, 2024, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) hosted a Congressional briefing to launch the bipartisan Digital Health Caucus, which will serve as a hub for tackling complex questions posed by new technologies in health care, like artificial intelligence (AI). Following the announcement of the Caucus by U.S. House Representatives Balderson and Kelly, a group of expert panelists discussed what their respective companies are currently working on and how AI will change the health care system.