The American Medical Association has posted the latest update to the current procedural terminology code set, which deletes more than 80 existing codes and adds nearly 290 new codes. Among the new codes are several for AI-assisted device services and several tweaks to codes for peripheral artery diseases, presenting a new batch of opportunities for device makers to obtain Medicare coverage for their offerings.
Health Canada posted a report on reduction of red tape, which includes a proposal for mutual recognition of other regulators’ inspections of device and drug manufacturing facilities.
Physician ownership of medical device manufacturers can be tricky stuff where the Anti-Kickback Statute is concerned, but the Office of Inspector General recently declared it had no problem with one such arrangement due to the physician’s ratio of ownership of the company.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office said in a recent report that the Medicare national coverage determination process could use a few adjustments, but the report also pointed to significant resource problems associated with the process, a source of drag that only Congress can fix.
The European Commission (EC) posted a call for evidence regarding its intent to “simplify EU rules” for medical technology with a comment period that began Sept. 8, 2025. Stakeholders almost immediately flooded the docket with recommendations.
The U.S. Office of Inspector General said in a recent report that independent testing labs should be required to develop emergency preparedness plans for public health emergencies, a move that would affect industry giants such as Laboratory Corporation of America and Quest Diagnostics Inc.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has opened a docket for comment on noncompete employment contracts, a move which suggests that the agency may revert to evaluating these practices on a case-by-case basis rather than by issuing sweeping rules.
The U.S. Office of Inspector General posted an analysis of Medicare spending on skin substitutes, remarking that the data suggest a disproportionate use of these products for patients enrolled in fee-for-service (FFS) care.
Sometimes little things can create big problems, which seems to be the case with the recall of the power unit used with the Abbott Heartmate 3 left ventricular assist device (LVAD). According to the FDA recall announcement, the power cords used with the power supply might not stay fixed in place, which would leave the power supply with 15 minutes of backup battery runtime before depletion.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reported Sept. 3 that it will engage in “active enforcement” of information blocking rules, each violation of which carries a fine that may reach seven figures.
