New ONC rules are expected to have advancements around public health certification, electronic prior authorization, patient engagement tools and further refinements around information sharing, says Sean Sullivan, a partner at Alston & Bird.  

A federal judge has ruled against the Federal Trade Commission’s efforts to stop Novant Health from buying two Community Health Systems hospitals in North Carolina. In March, the FTC had sued to block Novant’s $320 million purchase of CHS hospitals, Lake Norman Regional Medical Center and Davis Regional Psychiatric Hospital.

Johns Hopkins Health Plans has launched a new multi-payer portal to connect providers and payers. Using the real-time platform, provider offices will be able to submit and track electronic claims, claims status, remittance and claims payment information, according to Johns Hopkins. It helps providers with insurance claims and prior authorization requests.  WHY THIS MATTERS