While many states have begun to require that all controlled substances be prescribed electronically as a means of addressing the public health and safety crises associated with prescription drug abuse, that practice has not been established in California. Unless mandatory e-prescribing becomes the norm in California, other safety measures will attempt to safeguard the system.

Prior to departing in early October, the House managed to pass and send to the Senate HR 6378, a bill to reauthorize the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act, also known as PAHPA. The reauthorization of PAHPA became a central focus in the efforts to pass the Good Samaritan Health Professionals Act.

Governor Jerry Brown was busy in September completing his review of bills that made their way to his desk after the Legislature concluded its 2018 session on August 31.

As the conversation around healthcare revolves heavily upon reining in costs, a new study out of the National Bureau of Economic Research has been able to focus on how “defensive medicine” contributes to the costs.

The 2019 Proposed Rule for Year Three of the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) under the Quality Payment Program (QPP) has been published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS). Notable in this latest release is that while previous years’ regulations for the QPP have been released independently, for calendar year 2019 CMS has included proposed rules for the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS).