Uncategorized


September 10, 2025

Rx Advertising: Policy Quick Take

By John Leppard

While we can at this point give no better than tossup odds to FDA plans to curtail direct-to-consumer (DTC) drug advertisements surviving inevitable legal challenges, we caution that the enforcement approach outlined by the agency…

Read More >>

September 9, 2025

[Hospitals, Nursing Homes, Medicaid Providers] CMS Guidance on SDPs Fleshing Out OBBB; Possible Negative Bias?

By Beth Steindecker

Late Tuesday, CMS released a letter to state Medicaid offices with its preliminary interpretations of the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) Act’s provision placing total payment limits on hospitals, nursing homes, and certain practitioners at…

Read More >>

September 8, 2025

Capitol Policy Weekly: Government Funding, the Fed and Crypto

By Joe Lieber

With both chambers of Congress in session this week, talks are expected to pick up over funding the government beyond the end of the current fiscal year.  We could also see Fed nominee Stephen Miran…

Read More >>

September 8, 2025

Merit Medical (MMSI): Wrapsody Pass-Through Prospects

By John Leppard

We remain skeptical of Merit Medical’s (MMSI) prospects for a Medicare hospital outpatient transitional pass-through (TPT) payment for its Wrapsody Cell Impermeable Endoprosthesis (CIE), following confirmation of its application last week, setting it up for…

Read More >>

September 5, 2025

IEEPA Trade and Tariff Conference Call Takeaways

By Joe Lieber

With last Friday’s U.S. Court of Appeals ruling against President Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), we have the following takeaways from our trade and tariff conference call that we held…

Read More >>

September 3, 2025

Nursing Homes & DOJ’s Shot Across the Bow [ENSG, PACS, WELL, OHI, SBRA, LTC]

By Beth Steindecker

Tuesday’s announcement by the DOJ to join a 2016 False Claims Act (FCA) whistleblower lawsuit against non-profit ProMedica Health System and its HCR ManorCare nursing homes may represent a new front in attacking long-term care…

Read More >>

September 2, 2025

Capitol Policy Weekly: Trade, Defense, Govt. Spending and Nominations

By Joe Lieber

With the House and Senate back in session this week, the focus will be on the fallout from Friday’s ruling to invalidate President Trump’s fentanyl and reciprocal tariffs, House passage of the National Defense Authorization…

Read More >>

September 2, 2025

Tools & NIH: House Rejects Trump But Targets Indirect Costs

By John Leppard

We view the FY26 NIH funding bill released by the House Appropriations Committee last night, in advance of its markup at 5pm ET this afternoon, as positive for life science tools (LST) manufacturers, with both…

Read More >>

August 29, 2025

Tools: NIH Markup & Improving Award Outlays

By John Leppard

With the House Appropriations health subcommittee announcing a markup of its FY26 HHS funding bill on Tues., Sept. 2 [available here], we maintain our view that topline funding numbers for NIH will likely remain flat…

Read More >>

August 27, 2025

Tariff Update: A Focus on Section 232 Tariffs

By Joe Lieber

There are currently 9 official Section 232 investigations pending at the Department of Commerce with the furniture tariff investigation likely to become official within days, and we think more are forthcoming.  If the Trump administration…

Read More >>