SILVER SPRING, Md. (Dec. 19, 2013)—The Food and Drug Administration is looking to shorten the time medical-device manufacturers wait before health plans will pay for products after they're approved. The newly formed Medical Device Reimbursement Task Force will create a formal process that allows a device company to request a pre-submission meeting with FDA staff and one or more private payers.

BALTIMORE (Dec. 18, 2013)—The CMS plans to award a contract early next year to a company that will conduct fingerprint-based background checks for thousands of Medicare providers and suppliers each year.