On December 29, 2025, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) announced that it will distribute award amounts to all 50 states under the first year of the Rural Health Transformation Program (the “Program”).[i] CMS also established a new Office of Rural Health Transformation (“ORHT”) within the Center for Medicaid that will be
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2026 Extension of Telemedicine Prescribing Flexibilities: Impacts on Patients and Providers
On December 31, 2025, the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) and the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) jointly issued a Fourth Temporary Rule again extending the telemedicine flexibilities of the Ryan Haight Act (the “RHA”), now through December 31, 2026.…
Notes From The ABA’s 2026 False Claims Act Mock Trial Institute
The ABA’s 2026 False Claims Act Mock Trial Institute, held in New Orleans this year and sold out, once again offered a bevy of lessons, information, and insight. As always, the FCA Mock Trial Institute provided a valuable opportunity for members of the government, relator, and defense bars to network and talk cheerfully outside the…
Day 3 Notes from the 44th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference
I have to admit to an instinctive gut reaction of skepticism when Kimberly Powell of NVIDIA on Monday said that “AI is a once-in-a-lifetime shift for the healthcare industry.” Intellectually, I am excited by AI and its possibilities, but I well know healthcare’s slow and steady approach and rigid workflows can chew up technology gains…
The OBBBA Is Here: What Health System Leaders Should Be Focused on Now
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), enacted in July 2025, is no longer a policy debate or a future concern. It is already changing how coverage works, how Medicaid dollars flow, and how much operational friction health systems will face over the next several years.…
Day 2 Notes from the 44th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference
J.P. Morgan continues to surprise us at lunch, with the Mayor of San Francisco sharing on Monday an update on recent improvements in the city. Then on Tuesday at the Grand Ballroom lunch, it was the first episode of my favorite new sit-com “Everyone but Abe…”…
Notes from Day 1 of the 44th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference
At the 44th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, Jamie Dimon (CEO of J.P. Morgan) told the audience that we should be teaching healthcare in school from kindergarten to 12th grade. He was right…but we don’t. And, therefore, artificial intelligence will come to dominate the U.S. healthcare system, which spent over $5.6 trillion in 2025. Wait,…
Application Window Opens Soon for CMS ACCESS Model Expanding Technology-Supported Care Options for Traditional Medicare
The Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services’ (“CMS”) Innovation Center will begin accepting applications on January 12 for the recently announced Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions (“ACCESS”) Model—a nationwide voluntary alternative payment model for Medicare Part B commencing July 5, 2026 that will run for 10 years and focus on chronic conditions affecting…
Navigating Clinical Practice with the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ Updated Hepatitis B Recommendation for Newborns
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (“ACIP”) develops recommendations for how vaccinations are used to control disease in the United States. Earlier this month, the ACIP voted 8-3 to narrow the CDC’s guidance on newborn hepatitis B vaccination administration. Hepatitis B is an infection that causes inflammation in…
HHS OCR Investigates State Licensing: Enforcement Focus on Federal Conscience and Religious-Liberty Protections
Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) announced that it opened a new investigation into a state health department’s behavioral-health licensing practices. The investigation will examine whether the state’s licensing standards, interpretations, or enforcement activities for behavioral-health facilities and licensed professionals comply with federal conscience…