The Reed Smith Health Industry Washington Watch blog has been updated to report on recent health policy developments, including the following:

• CMS Developments. CMS has issued regulations on hospital Part B inpatient billing policy, nursing facility closure notification rules, insurance waiting periods under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and technical corrections to Medicare inpatient hospital regulations. CMS also has provided more details on sequestration cuts impacting Medicare.
• Legislative Developments. The President has signed a government funding bill that maintains FY 2013 Medicare sequestration cuts. Recent Congressional hearings have addressed a number of health policy issues, and a Senate panel has approved organ transplant and animal drug user fee bills.
• OIG Developments. The OIG has issued a Special Fraud Alert on physician-owned distributors (PODs), and it has updated guidelines for evaluating state false claims laws.
• Other Policy Developments. MedPAC has released its annual report to Congress on Medicare payment policy, and MACPAC has released its annual report to Congress on Medicaid and CHIP. Also, in case you missed them, Reed Smith attorneys have recently prepared client alerts on major regulatory issues, including the Physician Payment “Sunshine Act” Final Rule, ACA Insurance Exchanges and Qualified Health Plans, and the HITECH Final Rule.
• Health Industry Events. Upcoming events include meetings/calls on the Medicare Shared Savings Program, the Physician Quality Reporting System, transitioning to ICD-10, HCPCS code applications, and medical device labeling.