WASHINGTON, July 3 -- A Helping Hand LLC, a Maryland-based licensed Opioid Treatment Program, has submitted a public comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services addressing issues with the Medicaid Program's Community Engagement Requirement Interim Final Rule. The organization highlighted that the rule's current interpretation may reduce access to critical opioid use disorder treatments for Medicaid beneficiaries. The letter emphasizes that the rule excludes patients receiving treatment at licensed for-profit Opioid Treatment more ST

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- Advarra Inc., Columbia, Maryland, submitted a public comment letter to the Food and Drug Administration regarding the agency's draft guidance on responding to FDA Form 483 observations issued at the conclusion of drug current good manufacturing practice inspections. Advarra offered a comprehensive review and several recommendations for enhancing the clarity and effectiveness of the guidance issued in March 2026. Advarra suggested that the guidance include additional footnotes to clarify circumstances under which correctiv more ST

WASHINGTON, July 2 [Category: Union] -- The AFL-CIO American Federation of Government Employees issued the following news release: * * * AFGE and NFFE Affiliates Sue Defense Department Over Illegal Termination of Employees' Union Rights * New lawsuit argues Secretary Hegseth's move to terminate collective bargaining agreements makes America less safe WASHINGTON - Today, more than 20 union affiliates of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM) filed a lawsuit in the more PR

OLYMPIA, Washington, July 2 -- Washington state Attorney General Nick Brown issued the following news release: * * * AG Brown leads multistate opposition to Postal Service's attempt to undermine voting rights * Attorney General Nick Brown co-led a multistate coalition of 24 attorneys general in filing a formal comment letter today opposing the Postal Service's attempt to aid the President's efforts to seize control of elections and restrict mail-in voting through a proposed rule, and asking the Postal Service to withdraw the proposed rule.  more PR

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, July 3 -- The American Academy of Physician Associates issued the following news release: * * * American Academy of PAs Announces 2026-27 Board of Directors David J. Bunnell to Serve as President and Chair of the Board - The American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) Board of Directors began its 2026-27 leadership year on July 1. The board will be led by President and Chair David J. Bunnell, PhD, PA-C, DFAAPA, a dedicated leader with more than 20 years of clinical experience in high-acuity specialties. Bunnell more PR

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, Rockville, Maryland, has expressed support for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' proposed rule aimed at expanding electronic prior authorization requirements to all drugs covered by Medicare and Medicaid programs. In a public comment letter to CMS, the medical association highlighted the burden prior authorization processes currently place on healthcare providers and patients, particularly those dealing with rare genetic disorders. The ACMG praised CMS's e more ST

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- The American Podiatric Medical Association, Bethesda, Maryland, submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services addressing proposals to enhance interoperability standards and prior authorization for drugs under Medicare Advantage, Medicaid managed care, the Children's Health Insurance Program, and qualified health plans on federally-facilitated exchanges. APMA emphasized the importance of timely patient access to necessary care and the reduction more ST

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- The American Urological Association, Linthicum Heights, Maryland, has submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding the agency's AI-Enabled Optimization of Early-Phase Clinical Trials Pilot Program. The association advocates a comprehensive and patient-centric approach for the pilot designed to enhance clinical trial efficiency, participant safety, and data integrity through artificial intelligence applications. The American Urological Association (AUA), representing over 22,000 memb more ST

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- The American Urological Association, Linthicum Heights, Maryland, submitted a public comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services regarding the proposed rule on Interoperability Standards and Prior Authorization for Drugs. The AUA expressed appreciation for CMS's efforts to reduce administrative burdens through enhancing electronic prior authorization processes but highlighted ongoing challenges. The AUA emphasized that prior authorization requirements continue to impose significant administrative burden more ST

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- The Association for Molecular Pathology, Rockville, Maryland, has submitted a public comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services concerning the proposed changes to interoperability standards for prior authorization under Medicare and Medicaid programs. The organization, representing over 3,100 professionals in molecular biology and genomic testing, discussed administrative burdens, patient care impacts, and technological opportunities in prior authorization processes for laboratory services. The associa more ST

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- The Association of Cancer Care Centers, Rockville, Maryland, has submitted a public comment letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regarding the agency's proposed rule on Medicare and Medicaid Programs addressing patient protection, interoperability standards, and prior authorization for drugs among Medicare Advantage organizations, Medicaid managed care plans, and qualified health plans on the federally facilitated exchanges. The ACCC provided detailed feedback on provisions related to required timeframe more ST

SACRAMENTO, California, July 2 -- California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued the following news release: * * * Attorney General Bonta Co-Leads Opposition to Proposed USPS Rule Creating Centralized Voter List, Restricting Mail Voting * OAKLAND -California Attorney General Rob Bonta today co-led a coalition of 24 attorneys general in filing a comment letter opposing a United States Postal Service (USPS) proposed rule that would facilitate the president's efforts to exert greater control over elections and restrict mail-in voting. The coalit more PR

SACRAMENTO, California, July 2 -- California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued the following news release: * * * Attorney General Bonta Urges Trump Administration to Withdraw Unlawful Contractor Production and Reporting Requirements * Proposal would impose unclear, confusing, potentially duplicative, and burdensome obligations on federal contractors and subcontractors OAKLAND -California Attorney General Rob Bonta today co-led a multistate coalition in submitting a comment letter urging the Trump Administration to withdraw a proposed info more PR

MONTPELIER, Vermont, July 2 -- Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark posted the following news release: * * * Attorney General Clark Joins Multistate Opposition to Postal Service's Attempt to Undermine Voting Rights * Attorney General Charity Clark joined a coalition of 24 attorneys general in filing a formal comment letter today opposing the Postal Service's attempt to aid the President's efforts to seize control of elections and restrict mail-in voting through a proposed rule and asking the Postal Service to withdraw the proposed rule.  more PR

CHICAGO, Illinois, July 2 -- Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued the following news release: * * * ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL OPPOSES POSTAL SERVICE'S UNLAWFUL ATTEMPT TO UNDERMINE VOTING RIGHTS * Chicago - Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 24 attorneys general, took action to oppose the U.S. Postal Service's attempt to aid the president's efforts to seize control of elections and restrict mail-in voting through a proposed rule. The coalition is calling on the Postal Service to withdraw the proposed rule, which th more PR

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- The Color of Gastrointestinal Illnesses, Glenarden, Maryland, submitted a public comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services regarding the agency's proposed rule on interoperability standards and prior authorization for drugs under Medicare and Medicaid programs. The organization, dedicated to improving quality of life for individuals affected by inflammatory bowel disease and other chronic digestive disorders, expressed support for CMS's efforts to reform prior authorization processes but urged further  more ST

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- Rep. Andy Harris, R-Maryland, issued the following news release: * * * Congressman Harris Announces $5.58 Million for Easton Airport Runway Improvement Project * WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01), announced that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded $5,580,000 to Easton Airport in Talbot County through the Airport Improvement Program. The awards include $3,396,293 for runway paving and expansion of the Runway 4/22 safety area and $2,183,707 for additional runway paving an more PR

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- CRISP Shared Services Inc., a Baltimore, Maryland not-for-profit organization managing shared infrastructure for Health Information Exchanges and Health Data Utilities, has submitted a public comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services addressing the proposed rule on interoperability standards and prior authorization for drugs under Medicare Advantage and Medicaid managed care programs. The letter highlights considerations for CMS to improve patient event notification systems and strengthen data exchange more ST

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation, Bethesda, Maryland, has submitted a public comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services regarding the agency's proposed rulemaking on prior authorization and step therapy protocols affecting Medicare Advantage organizations, Medicaid managed care plans, Children's Health Insurance Program agencies, and Qualified Health Plans on the Federally Facilitated Exchanges. The Foundation advocates for reforms intended to improve timely access to appropriate treatments for individu more ST

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- Rep. Sarah Elfreth, D-Maryland, issued the following news release: * * * Elfreth's Reflections on Celebrating Our Nation's 250th Anniversary in Philadelphia, Our Community, and Across the Nation * "Yesterday I had one of the most profound experiences in 18 months as your Representative in Congress: traveling to Philadelphia with a bipartisan group of colleagues to be in the "room where it happened" 250 years to the day of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. A day of reflection later, and I still struggle to more PR

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- Gov Contract Pros, Chevy Chase, Maryland has submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. General Services Administration requesting an extension of the public comment period for four proposed rules associated with the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council's Federal Acquisition Regulation Overhaul. The letter addresses FAR Case 2026-001, FAR Case 2026-002, FAR Case 2026-005, and FAR Case 2026-007. The letter highlights that these four proposed rules, published by the FAR Council-which includes members from the Departmen more ST

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- Gov Contract Pros, a federal government contracting consulting firm in Chevy Chase, Maryland, has submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. General Services Administration's Office of Government-wide Acquisition Policy. The letter urges the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council to extend the comment period for four proposed rules involved in the Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation Overhaul. These rules, published jointly by the Department of Defense, GSA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the more ST

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- Gov Contract Pros, Chevy Chase, Maryland, submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. General Services Administration regarding the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council's four proposed rules intended to overhaul the Federal Acquisition Regulation. These proposals, known as the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul, were published in the Federal Register and encompass extensive changes across multiple FAR parts that collectively impact hundreds of billions of acquisition dollars, numerous federal civil servants, and thousands of c more ST

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- GovContractPros, Chevy Chase, Maryland, has submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. General Services Administration regarding four proposed rules under the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council's Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation Overhaul. The proposed rules include FAR Case 2026-001, 2026-002, 2026-005, and 2026-007, which collectively span over 214 pages and address significant changes across multiple FAR parts. The FAR Council, composed of members from the Department of Defense, GSA, NASA, and the Off more ST

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- The Maryland Department of Health, Baltimore, submitted a public comment letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regarding the agency's 2026 proposed rule on Interoperability Standards and Prior Authorization for Drugs. The department expressed concerns about the operational feasibility, technical challenges, and compliance timelines outlined in the proposal, asking CMS to reconsider or clarify several provisions. The CMS proposed rule seeks to expand interoperability requirements and prior authorization  more ST

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- Genesis Treatment Services, Baltimore, Maryland, submitted a public comment letter urging the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to reconsider provisions within the Medicaid program's Community Engagement Requirements. The letter addresses the Interim Final Rule, raising concerns that current interpretation could restrict access to opioid use disorder treatments for Medicaid beneficiaries receiving care at licensed for-profit Opioid Treatment Programs. Genesis Treatment Services, a Maryland-licensed opioid treatme more ST

WASHINGTON, July 3 (TNSFR) -- The National Museum of Health and Medicine, Silver Spring, Maryland, has completed a Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act inventory identifying human remains with cultural affiliation to eight Tribal nations, according to a notice published by the U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service. The museum determined the remains represent one Native American child about 11/2 to 2 years old. According to the notice, the remains were removed from Dakota Territory in 1868 and later transferred more PR

WASHINGTON, July 3 (TNSFR) -- The National Museum of Health and Medicine, Silver Spring, Maryland, has completed an inventory under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act identifying human remains with a cultural affiliation to the Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana, according to a notice published by the U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service. The museum, part of the U.S. Department of Defense Defense Health Agency, determined the remains represent one individual of Native America more PR

WASHINGTON, July 3 (TNSFR) -- The National Museum of Health and Medicine, Silver Spring, Maryland, has completed a Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act inventory identifying human remains with cultural affiliation to the Pueblo of Acoma and the Zuni Tribe of the Zuni Reservation, New Mexico. According to a notice published by the U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service, the museum determined the remains represent two individuals of Native American ancestry. The remains were removed from Indian Ruins No. 6 along  more PR

WASHINGTON, July 3 (TNSFR) -- The National Museum of Health and Medicine, Silver Spring, Maryland, has completed a Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act inventory identifying human remains with cultural affiliation to Alaska Tribal communities. According to a notice published by the U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service, the museum determined the remains represent one individual of Native American ancestry. The individual was removed from Point Hope, Alaska, by Captain M.A. Healy and donated to the Smithsonian  more PR

SILVER SPRING, Maryland, July 3 [Category: Union] -- National Nurses United issued the following news release: * * * Nurses at HCA Swedish Medical Center join nation's largest nurses union * Registered nurses at HCA HealthONE Swedish (a.k.a., Swedish Medical Center) in Englewood, Colo., voted to join National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU), the country's largest nurses union, in an election held on July 1 and 2, 2026. "This is a huge victory for the nurses at our hospital and across the HCA system nationwide more PR

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- The Paltown Development Foundation, a nonprofit organization in Edgewater, Maryland, that advocates for colorectal cancer patients and their caregivers, submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The letter addresses challenges created by prior authorization requirements that delay medically necessary laboratory and biomarker testing critical for cancer treatment decisions. The foundation emphasizes that in cancer care, timing is essentia more ST

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- Walsh Clinical Advisory, Annapolis, Maryland, submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding the agency's AI-Enabled Optimization of Early-Phase Clinical Trials Pilot Program. The letter emphasizes that the primary limitation on artificial intelligence's value in early-phase clinical trials is not model accuracy but whether human decision ownership and workflow design are clearly established. According to the organization, simply deploying AI tools without redesigning oversight models  more ST

SILVER SPRING, Maryland, July 3 [Category: Union] -- National Nurses United issued the following news release: * * * Wichita nurses prepared for one-day strike for patient and staff safety * Nurses at two Ascension hospitals in Wichita, Kan., are moving forward with their one-day strike on July 6 to protest hospital management's refusal to address RNs' deep concerns about safety at Ascension Via Christi St. Francis and Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph hospitals. Nurses at the facilities are represented by National Nurses Organizing Committe more PR