The American Cancer Society has considerable support for a hefty increase in tobacco taxes. We support that idea as well.

Resolutions are easy to make, but they can be hard to keep.

The federal government approved its first 10-year extension of a Section 1115 Medicaid demonstration program; Alabama has decided not to shut down its CHIP program, at least for now; plus more industry news.

If state Sen. Chris McDaniel challenges incumbent Sen. Roger Wicker, Republicans could face another ugly fight between rival wings of the party.

CMS reaffirmed and clarified its stance on physician texting in a Dec. 28 letter to state survey agency directors, noting texting patient information among members of the healthcare team is allowed if the providers use a secure platform.

The Federal Communications Commission is accepting comments through Feb. 2 on its proposal to permanently increase the $400 million annual funding cap for the Rural Health Care Program.

The FDA approved 46 new drugs in 2017, a more than two-fold increase from the year prior, according to Reuters.

PharMEDium Services LLC has recalled 55 lots of compounded drug products due to a lack of sterility assurance.

The AHA’s Hospitals Against Violence initiative will host a Jan. 10 webinar on how hospitals can partner effectively with law enforcement in their community to maximize safety for their patients and providers.

2017 was a big year for health insurance companies.

Congress has a slew of health care issues on its plate, but there may not be enough pressure to push them through this month.

And despite public outcry, the pharmaceutical industry has no incentive to change its drug pricing tactics.

(And other things.)

Hospital groups are vowing to push forward with a fight against the Trump administration over changes to a federal drug discount program following a setback last week. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week recommended treating all hospitalized, severely ill and high-risk patients who have suspected or confirmed influenza with antiviral medications as soon as possible. H3N2 A viruses are predominating this flu season, and in past seasons have been associated with more hospitalizations and deaths in older adults and young children.

Health care and behavioral health care systems can apply through Feb. 21 for grants to screen adolescents and adults in primary care and community health settings for substance misuse and use disorders, implement brief interventions and refer for treatment services, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration announced last week. The agency expects to award up to eight grants of up to $995,000 per year for up to five years

A telestroke program introduced at Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente streamlined the health system’s stroke care across 21 hospitals, according to a study published in Stroke.

The Joint Commission is no longer requiring hospitals, critical access hospitals or ambulatory care organizations to credential and privilege pathologists who provide diagnostic services through a reference (contract) laboratory. This change is effective immediately.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will force not-for-profit hospitals to grapple with changes that make their tax-exempt status less advantageous, including new provisions on unrelated business taxable income and executive compensation.

HHS has finalized a rule that aims to make it easier for providers and insurance companies to share substance abuse patients’ data with other parties that are involved in providing and paying for that person’s care.

The clock is officially ticking for clinicians hoping to earn a bonus under the Quality Payment Program in 2018. The program will reward clinicians who make the leap to a 2015 certified electronic health record system.

Registration is open for an AHRQ webinar January 25 from 2:30 – 4p.m. ET, to discuss the design and use of electronic health records (EHRs) to ease provider burden related to cognitive workloads. Presenters will discuss the use of EHRs to support physician-patient interactions and effective EHR design to improve both clinical workflow and patient follow-up. Optimal design for blood clot prevention alerts and abnormal pap smear follow-up will be a focus. Earn 1.5 hours of free continuing medical education credits (CME)/continuing education units (CEUs) for participating.

A delay on the ACA’s medical device tax expired Jan. 1, putting the 2.3 percent levy into effect, according to a Reuters report.

House GOP whip: Entitlement reform, ObamaCare repeal on 2018 agenda

Conservative groups are pushing President Trump to make ObamaCare repeal a priority in 2018, even as some Republicans signal a desire to move on from the issue.

More than 8.7 million people selected a 2018 health plan, or were automatically re-enrolled in a plan, during open enrollment at HealthCare.gov.