Health Care archive - The Capitol Forum

Chemed: VITAS Enrolling Actively Dying Hospital Patients Who May Not Need or Benefit from Hospice in Order to Skirt Medicare Cap Limits; In Some Cases, Employees Say Deceased Patients Were Admitted and Billed to Medicare

VITAS Healthcare, the largest hospice provider in the nation and a subsidiary of Chemed (CHE), has been seeking out and enrolling hospital patients that are close to death to skirt Medicare payment limits, according to an investigation by The Capitol Forum. In some cases, the patients...

Nov 03, 2026 Read Now >

Health Care Weekly: Hims Defends Cancellation Policies; Comer Probes PBM Audits of Independent Pharmacies; Baxter Warned on Sterility Issues; Beta Bionics Pulls Application for Next-Gen Dosing Algorithm; FDA Targets ‘Gray or Black’ Peptide Market; CMS Eyes Premium Tax Credit Rule; Corcept, Genmab Tout Cancer Wins

The Health Care Weekly is a timely analysis of competition developments, policy changes and other updates that may affect medical and pharmaceutical markets. Key stories we’re following this week include: • Hims says cancelling service is easier than signing up in motion to dismiss....

Oct 28, 2026 Read Now >

Chemed: Georgia Inspectors Placed VITAS’s State Operation in ‘Immediate Jeopardy’ After Patients in Crisis Experienced Lengthy Wait Times; Managers Told Inspectors They Were Unaware of State’s One-Hour Response Rule

Regulators in Georgia placed VITAS Healthcare’s, the largest hospice provider in the country and a subsidiary of Chemed (CHE), operations in the state under an “immediate jeopardy,” the most serious citation a regulator can issue, in August after finding that dying patients waited...

Oct 27, 2026 Read Now >

Boston Scientific/Penumbra: EC Gears Up for Deal Probe with Inquiries to Industry Players

The European Commission, in preparation of launching a formal review of Boston Scientific’s (BSX) proposed acquisition of Penumbra (PEN), has begun setting up interviews and requesting information from industry players about the $14.5 billion deal’s impact, sources familiar with the...

Oct 22, 2026 Read Now >

Health Care Weekly: FDA, Lilly Debate Jurisdiction in Retatrutide Case; Interim Pathway for Wellness Peptide Compounding Mulled; CMS Gains Power to Ban Companies from Government Health Care Programs; Rule Proposed to Implement PBM Reimbursement Law

The Health Care Weekly is a timely analysis of competition developments, policy changes and other updates that may affect medical and pharmaceutical markets. Key stories we’re following this week include: • Court considers whether Lilly’s challenge to GLP-1 ingredient classification...

Oct 21, 2026 Read Now >

Maude Monthly: Medline Backlog of Reports Continue to Surge Across Multiple Product Lines; Medline Nitrile Gloves Ripping and Tearing at Increasing Rates; Beta Bionics iLet Exhibiting New Software Malfunction; Insulet Omnipod Leaks and Tears Continue to Climb Months After Recalls

The information contained in this report is compiled from the FDA’s Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) database. The MAUDE database contains reports of deaths, injuries, and malfunctions relating to the use of medical devices and is updated monthly with reports...

Oct 21, 2026 Read Now >

Silgan: After Disregarding High Mold and Yeast Results in Manufactured Products, FDA Says Company Should Overhaul Quality System; Expert Says Findings Place Companies at Risk of FDA Withholding Approvals for Product Applications

Silgan Dispensing Systems (SLGN), a contract manufacturer of consumer health care products, didn’t properly investigate or report high mold and yeast counts for drug products made in its Spokane, Washington manufacturing facility, even after an unnamed customer issued a recall due...

Oct 20, 2026 Read Now >

European Antitrust Agenda: EU Commission Advances Nvidia Probe; Ministers Take on China Trade Strategy

Welcome to The European Antitrust Agenda, our weekly overview of European tech and competition law developments. Key stories we’re following this week include: • European Commission takes new steps in informal Nvidia antitrust investigation • EU trade ministers discuss the...

Oct 20, 2026 Read Now >

Boston Scientific/Penumbra: Divestiture Buyer Sought for Embolization Coils Business to Address FTC Concerns

Boston Scientific (BSX) is seeking a divestiture buyer for an embolization coil business to get FTC clearance for its proposed $14.5 billion acquisition of Penumbra (PEN), sources familiar with the matter...

Oct 19, 2026 Read Now >

Boston Scientific/Penumbra: Divestiture Buyer Sought for Embolization Coils Business to Address FTC Concerns

Boston Scientific (BSX) is seeking a divestiture buyer for an embolization coil business to get FTC clearance for its proposed $14.5 billion acquisition of Penumbra (PEN), sources familiar with the matter...

Oct 19, 2026 Read Now >

EU Commission Should ‘Be Bold,’ Take Legal Risks, Former General Court Head Says

The former head of the EU’s second-highest court urged the European Commission to take greater legal risks in enforcing competition rules, arguing Brussels is too focused on past judgments rather than adapting its approach to the changing...

Oct 19, 2026 Read Now >

Pallone’s Proposal to End IDR Arbitration Could Face Near-Term Challenges, But Signals Growing Pressure to Overhaul No Surprises Act, Sources Say

A proposed law that would scrap a controversial arbitration process associated with the No Surprises Act (NSA) faces an uphill battle when it comes to immediate passage, but the bill comes amid burgeoning bipartisan interest in reforming the NSA that is unlikely to wane in the coming...

Oct 15, 2026 Read Now >

Health Care Weekly: Teva’s Korlym Generic Competed Freely, Corcept Says; BCBS Cross Allocated Market Among Subsidiaries, Licensees, Michigan AG Claims; Alignment Health Sues CMS Over Star Ratings

The Health Care Weekly is a timely analysis of competition developments, policy changes and other updates that may affect medical and pharmaceutical markets. Key stories we’re following this week include: • Corcept says Teva’s exclusive dealing claims fail. • Michigan AG accuses...

Oct 14, 2026 Read Now >

Covetrus/MWI Animal Health: Miller Strategies Lobbies to Salvage Troubled Veterinary Supplies, Services Merger

Covetrus has hired MAGA-connected Miller Strategies to lobby for its troubled $3.5 billion plan to merge with Cencora’s (COR) MWI Animal Health, a rival distributor of medicines and services to veterinary practices, sources familiar with the matter...

Oct 13, 2026 Read Now >

Health Care Weekly: Liquidia Drug Marketing for Lung Condition Found to Violate Rival’s Patent After ‘At-Risk’ Launch; CMS Slashes Scope of GLOBE Pricing Model; FDA Seeks Input on Psychedelic Made From Tree Bark; Medline Hospital Bed Recall Tops 1 Million; GAO Report Says Vertical Integration in Pharmacy Saves Patients Money; FTC Presses Hospitals to Post Prices; HHS Seeks to Speed Drug Trials

The Health Care Weekly is a timely analysis of competition developments, policy changes and other updates that may affect medical and pharmaceutical markets. Key stories we’re following this week include: • District Court patent ruling threatens commercial status of Liquidia’s...

Oct 07, 2026 Read Now >

Antitrust Agenda: Highlights of Capitol Forum Event on Congressional and State Attorney General Antitrust Enforcement; How Corteva Settlement Affects Crop Protection Market; Potential Committee Chairs for Next Congress; New Model for RPA Damages in Southern Glazer’s Settlement

Welcome to The Antitrust Agenda, our weekly analysis of timing and priorities at the FTC, DOJ, and state AG offices. Key stories we’re following this week include: • Heightened antitrust action from Congressional Democrats. • Elections experts express high confidence in Democrats...

Oct 05, 2026 Read Now >

LifeStance Health: Company Charges Medicaid Patients Missed-Appointment and Copay Fees That Medicaid Rules Prohibit, According to Employees and Patient Complaints

LifeStance Health (LFST), a national operator of outpatient mental health clinics, routinely bills Medicaid beneficiaries for no-show fees, late-cancellation fees, and copays that are generally not allowed under Medicaid regulations, according to a Capitol Forum...

Oct 02, 2026 Read Now >

Eli Lilly: Jurisdictional Issues Raised by Seventh Circuit Threaten Eli Lilly’s Plans to File Retatrutide as a Biologic, Sources Say; Outcome Could Shorten Exclusivity Period and Allow Pharmacies to Compound Knockoff Next-Gen Weight Loss Drug

Eli Lilly (LLY) is battling with the Food and Drug Administration in court over the status of its next-generation GLP-1 weight-loss drug,...

Oct 01, 2026 Read Now >

Health Care Weekly: CMS Probes PBM Vertical Integration, Specialty Drug Pricing; FDA Issues Warning Letter Amid GLP-1 Compounding Crackdown; UNH Texas Unit Received $24.4 Million in Medicare Advantage Overpayments, Audit Finds; State AGs Dispute CMS Authority to Implement Health Care Provider Tax Rule

The Health Care Weekly is a timely analysis of competition developments, policy changes and other updates that may affect medical and pharmaceutical markets. Key stories we’re following this week include: • CMS probes pharmacy vertical integration, specialty drug pricing in request...

Sep 30, 2026 Read Now >

Corteva v. Inari: Experts, Corporate Leadership Detail Infringement Damage, Years of Work Necessary to Produce New Corn and Soybean Tech

Lawyers for Corteva AgriScience (CTVA) this week sought to illustrate to a Delaware jury how the alleged infringement committed by the upstart Inari Agriculture cost the company massive sums of money and years of research intended to protect corn and soybean plants from disease and pests...

Sep 25, 2026 Read Now >

Health Care Weekly: Corcept Seeks Dismissal of Off-Label Marketing Whistleblower Suit; Medicare ACCESS Program to Cover More Chronic Conditions; FDA Launches Accelerated Investigational Drug Review Program; Agencies Announce Fresh Steps to Curb Animal Testing; Abbott Settles Federal Claims of Formula Contamination

The Health Care Weekly is a timely analysis of competition developments, policy changes and other updates that may affect medical and pharmaceutical markets. Key stories we’re following this week include: • Corcept Therapeutics says alleged off-label drug promotion doesn’t...

Sep 23, 2026 Read Now >

Medline: Following FDA Warning Letter, Prior Inspections, and Recalls Related to Contamination, Company Receives FDA 483 Over Microbial Testing Practices at Mundelein Facility

In the wake of recent FDA scrutiny of microbial contamination in Medline (MDLN) products and several related recalls, FDA investigators found during a July inspection that the company has substandard processes for testing drug products for microbial contamination at its Mundelein,...

Sep 21, 2026 Read Now >

Chemed: Families of VITAS Patients Say The Company Mismanaged the Care of Their Loved Ones, Causing Physical and Emotional Pain; Former Employees Say VITAS Misrepresented Services When Marketing and Left Patients Alone in Crises; Company Has Been Cited Hundreds of Times by Regulators for Poor Care and Holds Medicare Ratings Well Below National Average Despite Higher-Than-Average Payments

In 2024, Vitas Healthcare, the largest hospice provider in the nation and a subsidiary of Chemed (CHE), was paid by Medicare roughly 26%, or $4,000, more per patient compared with the national average to provide end-of-life care, according to an analysis of Medicare claims data for that...

Sep 18, 2026 Read Now >

Capitol Forum Analysis of August MAUDE Data

The information contained in this report is compiled from the FDA’s Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) database. The MAUDE database contains reports of deaths, injuries, and malfunctions relating to the use of medical devices and is updated monthly with reports...

Sep 17, 2026 Read Now >

Health Care Weekly: FDA Leaders Open to Regulatory Flexibility on Psychedelics; House E&C Panel May Back Medicare Coverage for Respiratory Illness Care at Pharmacies; Patients, Plans Push for No Surprises Act Dispute Resolution Changes; CMS Can Better Screen for DME Fraud in Medicare Advantage, HHS-OIG Says

The Health Care Weekly is a timely analysis of competition developments, policy changes and other updates that may affect medical and pharmaceutical markets. Key stories we’re following this week include: • FDA officials say they’re open to regulatory flexibility on psychedelic...

Sep 16, 2026 Read Now >

The European Antitrust Agenda: Commission Ignores Chinese Blocking Orders; Brussels Hosts Digital Rulebook Meeting on Browsers

Welcome to The European Antitrust Agenda, our weekly overview of European tech and competition law developments. Key stories we’re following this week include: • Commission ignores Chinese blocking orders • Officials are bringing browsers together to tackle a longtime digital rule...

Sep 15, 2026 Read Now >

Health Care Weekly: Pharmacists Wary of Data Sharing in CVS Caremark Settlement; FTC Touts Success of OhioHealth Probe; FDA Seeks to Speed Botanical Drug Development; CMS Announces Fraud Crackdown as Comments Close for Home Health, Hospice, DME Rule

The Health Care Weekly is a timely analysis of competition developments, policy changes and other updates that may affect medical and pharmaceutical markets. Key stories we’re following this week include: • Independent pharmacies are concerned about FTC’s CVS Caremark settlement....

Sep 09, 2026 Read Now >

Insulet: Omnipod Users Report Persistent Leakage, Under-Delivery Problems with Insulin Devices Not Included in Prior Recall

In May, Insulet Corporation (PODD) issued a recall affecting millions of its Omnipod insulin delivery devices after some lots of the popular Omnipod 5 system, as well as the Omnipod DASH and Omnipod Eros, were found to have a small tear in the tubing just above the skin—a defect that...

Sep 08, 2026 Read Now >

Health Care Weekly: Florida AG Accuses PBMs of Price-Fixing; Acquisitions of Pending Pharma IP Should Face Antitrust Scrutiny, FTC Says; FDA Targets Online Peptide Sellers; Medicare DME Moratorium Ends; Dialysis Giants Comment on ESRD Proposal; Update on FDA Warnings About Clinical Trial Disclosures

The Health Care Weekly is a timely analysis of competition developments, policy changes and other updates that may affect medical and pharmaceutical markets. Key stories we’re following this week include: • Prime Therapeutics, Express Scripts engaged in price-fixing, Florida AG says....

Sep 02, 2026 Read Now >

Chemed: Vitas Healthcare Misdiagnosed Dementia Patients and ‘Fudged’ Evaluation Scores in Order to Admit Them into Hospice; Expert Who Reviewed Internal Documents Says They Warrant Federal Investigation

An ongoing Capitol Forum investigation of VITAS Healthcare, a subsidiary of Chemed (CHE) and the largest hospice provider in the nation, has found that the company is enrolling patients into hospice that do not meet Medicare guidelines and recording inaccurate diagnoses to avoid scrutiny...

Aug 26, 2026 Read Now >

Antibiotics Producer Warns ‘Buy European’ Rules Could Create Quasi-Monopoly

Dutch antibiotics producer Centrient is warning that a careless implementation of the “Buy European” criteria in the EU’s recently agreed Critical Medicines Act (CMA) could decrease competition in the antibiotics market, especially for...

Aug 25, 2026 Read Now >

Maude Monthly: Insulet Omnipod Lots Outside of Recall Appear to Be Showing Same Defects; Medline Reports Thousands of Backlogged Reports; ConvaTec Subsidiary Discloses Hundreds of Deaths but Little Investigation of Their Causes

Adverse-event reports for Insulet Corporation’s (PODD) Omnipod 5 insulin pump that describe the specific defect behind two recalls earlier this spring reached an all-time monthly high in July, according to a Capitol Forum analysis of the FDA’s Manufacturer and User Facility Device...

Aug 18, 2026 Read Now >

Capitol Forum Analysis of July MAUDE Data

The information contained in this report is compiled from the FDA’s Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) database. The MAUDE database contains reports of deaths, injuries, and malfunctions relating to the use of medical devices and is updated monthly with reports...

Aug 18, 2026 Read Now >

A Closer Look at FDA’s Next Steps Following Advisory Committee’s Recommendation to Legalize Compounding for Wellness Peptides

On July 23 and 24, an advisory committee voted to recommend that the Food and Drug Administration allow compounding pharmacies to work with six non-FDA-approved peptides— protein building blocks that proponents such as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Junior praise...

Aug 14, 2026 Read Now >

Chemed: Hospice Subsidiary VITAS Healthcare Overutilizing Intensive Services at Medicare’s Expense; Company Has Long History of Improper Billing Practices

As the Trump Administration continues its crackdown on hospice fraud, a Capitol Forum investigation has found that VITAS Healthcare, a subsidiary of Chemed (CHE) and the largest hospice operator in the country, may be systematically overbilling Medicare by tens of millions of dollars...

Aug 13, 2026 Read Now >

FDA’s Forthcoming Proposal Could Make Direct-to-Consumer Pharma Ads Prohibitively Long and Expensive to Run; Some Scenarios Could Make Some Current Ads Over Ten Minutes Long

An anticipated proposal from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could make direct-to- consumer (DTC) pharmaceutical ads so lengthy as to be cost-prohibitive, according to The Capitol Forum’s analysis and conversations with sources. In some scenarios, a stringent interpretation of...

Jul 30, 2026 Read Now >

Hims & Hers Health: FTC, Utah, and California Sue Hims & Hers Over Deceptive Billing and Privacy Practices

Today, the FTC, as well as regulators in California and Utah, filed a lawsuit against the telehealth provider Hims & Hers Health (HIMS), alleging that the company enrolled consumers in prescription subscriptions without their consent, obstructed cancellations, and shared sensitive...

Jul 29, 2026 Read Now >

Health Care Weekly: FDA Compounding Advisory Committee Votes Favorably on Six Peptides; Updates on CMS’ Implementation of SDP, Provider Tax Law; Judge Dismisses NSA Case Against HaloMD in GA; CVS Accused of 340B Spread Pricing; OpenAI Faces Unlicensed Practice of Medicine Suit; FDA 483s

The Health Care Weekly is a timely analysis of competition developments, policy changes and other updates that may affect medical and pharmaceutical markets. Key stories we’re following this week include: • FDA opens pathways for compounded peptides. • CMS receives comments on SDP...

Jul 29, 2026 Read Now >

Universal Health Services: Lawsuit Alleges Three Minors Were Sexually Assaulted While Patients at Missouri Psychiatric Hospital; One Allegation Relates to 2025 Assault, Potentially After Company Lost Insurance Coverage

A lawsuit filed in Vernon County, Missouri last month alleges that three minors were sexually assaulted during their stay at Heartland Behavioral Health, a psychiatric facility operated by Universal Health Services (UHS) in Nevada, Missouri. Importantly, one of the allegations of assault,...

Jul 23, 2026 Read Now >

Health Care Weekly: HHS Withholds More Medicaid Funds from CA and MN, Citing Suspected Fraud; House Dems Propose Bill Targeting Commercial Health Insurance Denials; Senate Votes Against Resolution to Scrap WISeR; Eli Lilly Buys Psychedelics-Focused Drugmaker; FDA Issues Letters, Asks for Input on Monitoring Infant Formula Industry; CMS Collects Public Comment on Implementing PBM Laws

The Health Care Weekly is a timely analysis of competition developments, policy changes and other updates that may affect medical and pharmaceutical markets. Key stories we’re following this week include: • HHS defers more than $1 billion in Medicaid payments to California and...

Jul 22, 2026 Read Now >

As Florida AG Investigates Caremark, Independent Pharmacists and Pharmacy Owners Say CVS Self-Preferences and Targets Independents with Unfair Rates and Audits

Last month, the Florida attorney general issued a subpoena to CVS (CVS) to determine whether its pharmacy benefit manager (PBM), Caremark, is harming independent pharmacists by steering patients to its own pharmacies, giving higher reimbursements to itself, and subjecting independent...

Jul 17, 2026 Read Now >

Proposed OPPS and ASC Rule May Curb Hospital Consolidation in Imaging Space, Drive Volume to Non-Hospital Settings

A proposed rule from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) would disincentivize hospital ownership of outpatient imaging clinics—potentially driving down costs for patients and the government—and may push more services out of the hospital setting into ambulatory surgical...

Jul 15, 2026 Read Now >

Health Care Weekly: HHS OIG Requests Information on Direct-To-Consumer Drug Sales, Anti-Kickback Laws; CMS Seeks to Break AMA Monopoly on Coding and Payments; CMS to Propose Rule Loosening Conditions for Participation in Medicare, Medicaid; FTC Settles With Caremark; FDA to Defend Legal Authority to Publish CRLs; FDA Cracks Down on Online Ketamine Sales; FDA Issues Guidance, Schedules Hearing on Psychedelic Research and Usage

The Health Care Weekly is a timely analysis of competition developments, policy changes and other updates that may affect medical and pharmaceutical markets. Key stories we’re following this week include: • HHS OIG may seek to update anti-kickback regulations to accommodate DTC drug...

Jul 15, 2026 Read Now >

Capitol Forum Analysis of June MAUDE Data

The information contained in this report is compiled from the FDA’s Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) database. The MAUDE database contains reports of deaths, injuries, and malfunctions relating to the use of medical devices and is updated monthly with reports...

Jul 15, 2026 Read Now >

Maude Monthly: Abbott CGM Low Reading Problem Continues to Grow as Company Discloses Additional Death; Medline Reports Hundreds of Late Reports in Wake of FDA Scrutiny; MAUDE Data Reveals Additional Issue with Insulet Omnipod

The information contained in this report is compiled from the FDA’s Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) database. The MAUDE database contains reports of deaths, injuries, and malfunctions relating to the use of medical devices and is updated monthly with reports...

Jul 15, 2026 Read Now >

The European Antitrust Agenda: EU Plans Public Procurement Restrictions; Apple Appeal Loss Has Consequences for Future ‘Gatekeepers’

Welcome to The European Antitrust Agenda, our weekly overview of European tech and competition law developments. Key stories we’re following this week include: • Public procurement restrictions exclude China and India • Apple’s recent court loss has consequences beyond the iPhone...

Jul 14, 2026 Read Now >

Health Care Weekly: VA Suspends Harrow’s Out-of-State Compounding Licenses; CMS Reneges on Bone Growth Stimulator Payment Change; CMS Proposes Bundling Payment for Phosphate Binders into ESRD in 2027; OPPS Rule Includes Site Neutrality Measures, 340B Reimbursement Crackdown; CMS Seeks Stricter Enrollment Oversight for Home Health, DME; FDA 483s

The Health Care Weekly is a timely analysis of competition developments, policy changes and other updates that may affect medical and pharmaceutical markets. Key stories we’re following this week include: • Virginia suspends Harrow’s compounding licenses. • CMS walks back pricing...

Jul 08, 2026 Read Now >

The European Antitrust Agenda: EU Steel Curbs Complicate MMG Review; EC Seeks to Calm Merger Guideline Fears

Welcome to The European Antitrust Agenda, our weekly overview of European tech and competition law developments. Key stories we’re following this week include: • EU steel quota implications for MMG’s Anglo bid • EC calms worries for minority shareholdings under new merger...

Jul 07, 2026 Read Now >

Universal Health Services: Former Employee Accused of Sexual Assault in Washington Had Suspended Nursing License in Britain; Former Employees Raise Concerns Regarding Background Check Process

An ongoing Capitol Forum investigation of patient safety at psychiatric facilities operated by Universal Health Services (UHS) has found that a former employee accused of sexual assault of a patient at Fairfax Behavioral Health, a 157-bed inpatient psychiatric hospital in Washington...

Jul 01, 2026 Read Now >

The European Antitrust Agenda: European Commission Defends ‘Call-In’ Powers; EU Executive’s IT Department Breaking Up with Contentious Broadcom Unit

Welcome to The European Antitrust Agenda, our weekly overview of European tech and competition law developments. Key stories we’re following this week include: • European Commission defends call-ins • EU executive ditches controversial American...

Jun 30, 2026 Read Now >

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