Auto-fed daily from GuardWell's regulatory intelligence engine — Federal Register agency feeds, OCR enforcement, CMS rules, OSHA, DEA, FDA, and more. Below: the most recent items the engine flagged as relevant to small medical practices.
We are excited to announce the 2026 standards approved by the National Coordinator through ONC’s […] The post Advancements in Health IT: ONC’s 2026 Approved SVAP Standards appeared first on ONC Blog.
Section 701 of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (BBA) imposed new maximum civil monetary penalty (CMP) amounts for infractions of agency rules, and required federal agencies that impose CMPs to adjust these new maximum figures annually for inflation. This final rule adopts with…
OSHA solicits public comments concerning the proposal to extend the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval of the information collection requirements specified in the OSHA Outreach Training Program and the OSHA Training Institute Education Centers Program Forms.
This notice announces the application of the Commission on Laboratory Accreditation (COLA) for approval as an accreditation organization for clinical laboratories under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) program for the specialty of Histocompatibility.…
The "Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act of 2018 (the SUPPORT Act)," which became law on October 24, 2018, amended the Controlled Substances Act to expand the conditions a practitioner must meet to provid…
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As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens, and as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the followin…
The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 established the Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee to provide comments and recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services on physician payment models and gave the Comptroller Genera…
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Summary unavailable — click through to read the source.
As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or the Commission) invites the general public and other Federal Agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the…
Summary unavailable — click through to read the source.
Summary unavailable — click through to read the source.
Summary unavailable — click through to read the source.
Summary unavailable — click through to read the source.
Summary unavailable — click through to read the source.
This document sets forth these final rules related to certain provisions of the No Surprises Act regarding the Federal independent dispute resolution (IDR) process, which was established as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA). These rules finalize new require…
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Summary unavailable — click through to read the source.
The final rule aligning 42 CFR Part 2 with HIPAA took effect February 16, 2026. Substance use disorder (SUD) treatment records can now be disclosed under the same framework as other protected health information, reducing the separate-consent burden for providers while maintaining patient protections against use in legal proceedings.
What this means for your practice
Practices that handle SUD records should update their Notice of Privacy Practices and train staff on the streamlined disclosure rules.
CMS released the 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule final rule with updated MIPS performance thresholds. The performance threshold increased to 82 points (from 75), and additional MIPS Value Pathways (MVPs) are now available for specialty-focused reporting.
What this means for your practice
Review your MIPS reporting strategy, especially if you use traditional MIPS. Consider transitioning to an MVP that aligns with your specialty.
The HHS Office of Inspector General published its 2025 Work Plan highlighting enforcement priorities for healthcare providers — telehealth billing oversight, Medicare Advantage risk adjustment audits, opioid prescribing patterns, and laboratory test utilization reviews.
What this means for your practice
Review your billing practices for telehealth services and ensure documentation supports medical necessity. Audit high-risk CPT codes flagged in the plan.
HHS published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to modernize the HIPAA Security Rule for the first time since 2013. Key proposals include mandatory encryption of ePHI at rest and in transit, required multi-factor authentication, annual compliance audits, and more prescriptive technical safeguard standards. The comment period has closed and a final rule is anticipated in 2026.
What this means for your practice
Start preparing now: assess current encryption practices, evaluate MFA readiness, and review your Security Risk Analysis process.
The final rule adding protections for reproductive health information under HIPAA took effect June 25, 2024. Covered entities and business associates are now prohibited from disclosing PHI related to lawful reproductive healthcare for non-healthcare purposes such as investigations or legal proceedings in states where the care was legally provided.
What this means for your practice
Update your Notice of Privacy Practices to reflect new reproductive health attestation requirements and train staff on permissible disclosures.
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