• Illinois: PatientRightsAdvocate.org has filed a lawsuit against the American Medical Association (AMA) as part of a push for greater transparency over AMA's billing code system, or the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT). CPT codes are used by Medicare and states to determine how much physicians and other healthcare professionals are reimbursed for their services. AMA also charges a licensing fee for use of its CPT codes, which generate over $300 million a year in royalties for the organization. Through the lawsuit, PatientRightsAdvocate.org hopes to republish CPT codes online and allow the public to search them for free. "What we are seeking to do is allow them to be freely available, publishable and usable across the healthcare system," Cynthia Fisher, the founder of PatientRightsAdvocate.org. According to the Washington Post, advocates, medical groups, and lawmakers have long questioned AMA's role in setting healthcare payments, and scrutiny in this area has recently increased. Currently, the Trump administration is seeking public input about whether it should stop using AMA's CPT codes. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, is also investigating CPT codes and whether AMA has been wrongly profiting from them. (Diamond, Washington Post, 8/13)
• Maryland: FDA's Molecular and Clinical Genetics Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee will meet Sept. 23 to discuss and vote on a premarket approval application for Grail's Galleri cancer blood test. Galleri is a qualitative, next-generation sequencing-based in vitro diagnostic test designed to detect cancer-specific methylation patterns in cell-free DNA in the blood. It is intended to help screen for multiple types of cancer in people ages 50 and older. Although Galleri has not yet received FDA approval, several health systems, including Providence and Mercy, have developed patient testing and navigation programs around the test. CMS and Grail are also currently running a real-world evidence study on Galleri and Medicare beneficiaries. Currently, Medicare does not cover the test while TRICARE only offers limited coverage. If FDA approves the test, it could see broader payer coverage. The meeting of FDA's advisory committee is open to the public, and the agency is accepting public comments through Sept. 16. (Jeffries, Becker's Hospital Review, 8/10)
• Washington: Amazon Pharmacy now offers certain GLP-1 weight-loss drugs to patients with Medicare Part D prescription plans. According to Amazon, oral and injectable versions of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Eli Lilly's Zepbound KwikPen and Foundayo pills. The medications are being offered by the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge Program, which is a federal initiative that allows eligible Medicare Part D members to access GLP-1 drugs at a cheaper cost. Through the program, which runs through Dec. 31, 2027, Medicare Part D members will be able access the drugs for just $50 a month. Amazon also offers free home delivery, with same-day delivery available in over 3,100 U.S. locations. Aside from the Medicare Bridge program, Amazon has also helped expand access to GLP-1s through its One Medical primary care business. Through the One Medical program, patients can access GLP-1 medications for $25 a month with insurance or $149 a month for cash-pay options. (Rose, Wall Street Journal, 8/6) 

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