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Senate Bill Targets Medical Device Cybersecurity

In August 2017, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) introduced a new bill to the Senate that would add requirements for medical device cybersecurity, including mandated testing and better remote access protections. The Medical Device Cybersecurity Act of 2017 seeks to improve medical device security by: Increasing transparency of medical device security by creating a “cyber […]

The 21st Century Cures Act

The 21st Century Cures Act, also known as the Cures Act, provides the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with critical tools and resources to advance biomedical research across the spectrum, from foundational basic research studies to advanced clinical trials of promising new therapies. Both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate passed it with […]

Reference Pricing and Otolaryngology

Most otolaryngologists likely have heard about reference pricing, the relatively nascent concept that a payer—be it a person, a plan, or a pension fund—contributes a set amount toward specific procedures. The most public example of the model is the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), which in 2011 began using the concept to determine what […]

How Will the Affordable Care Act Impact Otolaryngology?

Analysts predict the influx of insured patients that are expected to flood the healthcare system will likely shrink physician reimbursements, cause some otolaryngologists to flock to larger healthcare systems or limit access to patients with private insurance plans, and exacerbate the shortage of specialists