PAMED NEWS

On Sept 29, 2022, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued an unfavorable ruling in a medical malpractice case in which PAMED had filed an amicus brief.

Recently, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled unfavorably in a case concerning mental health treatment in which PAMED and the AMA filed an amici curiae brief. In Matos v. Geisinger Medical Center, et al., the court determined that an individual suffering a mental health crisis had triggered the Mental Health Procedures Act (MHPA) when he appeared at Geisinger and requested inpatient treatment without completing a written application.

The Department of Human Services (Department) is announcing its intent to allocate funds beginning with Fiscal Year (FY) 2025-2026 to establish a new class of supplemental payments to qualifying Medical Assistance (MA) enrolled freestanding children's hospitals located in a city of the first class that serve a high percentage of MA beneficiaries.

The Department of Health (Department) is updating 28 Pa. Code Chapter 1141a, Appendix A (relating to serious medical conditions) to add ''Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) with Chronic Symptoms'' and ''Type II Diabetes Mellitus'' to the list of serious medical conditions limited to Chapter 20 research purposes only.

The Statewide HIV Planning Group will hold public meetings at the Genetti Hotel, 200 West 4th Street, Williamsport, PA on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and on Thursday, May 15, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Earlier this week, PAMED and the AMA picked up another amicus case win from the Superior Court n Sinoracki et al. v. The Children’s Service Center of Wyoming Valley, et al. The case concerned the scope of mental health professionals’ duty to warn third parties of potential harm.

The primary purpose of this final rule is to amend the regulations for the Medicare Advantage (Part C) program, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit (Part D) program, Medicare Cost Plan Program, and Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE).

The Department of Justice launched an Anticompetitive Regulations Task Force (TF) to advocate for the elimination of anticompetitive State and Federal laws and regulations that undermine free market competition.

On April 22, 2025, a bankruptcy judge approved the closure of Crozer Health’s two Delaware County hospitals.

On March 1, 2025, the President signed Executive Order ("E.O.") 14224, Designating English as the Official Language of the United States.

The Secretary of Commerce initiated an investigation to determine the effects on the national security of imports of pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical ingredients, including finished drug products, medical countermeasures, critical inputs such as active pharmaceutical ingredients, and key starting materials, and derivative products of those items.

The Medical Advisory Board (Board) will meet on Friday, May 2, 2025.

The Department of Human Services (Department) announces updates to the Medical Assistance (MA) Program Fee Schedule.

Updates from the PA Department of Health

Tick bite-related emergency department visits have increased recently in Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania Medical Society (PAMED) stands in unwavering solidarity with the physicians, health care workers, and communities impacted by the closure of Crozer Health facilities in Philadelphia and Delaware County.

So far in the 2025-2026 legislative session, there has been a relatively light Legislative Calendar compared to previous years.

On April 8, the House Insurance Committee unanimously approved legislation requiring health insurance policies to cover all costs associated with diagnostic breast examinations used to evaluate an abnormality found in a screening exam.

Additional Measles Cases Identified in Erie

The Department of Human Services (Department) is providing final notice of its funding allocation for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024-2025 for several classes of inpatient disproportionate share hospital (DSH) and supplemental payments to Medical Assistance (MA) enrolled, qualifying inpatient acute care general hospitals.