CMS on Monday proposed a payment increase for dialysis providers for 2024, in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania."

• District of Columbia: FDA on Friday published its first draft guidance for clinical trials using psychedelic drugs to treat conditions like depression and PTSD, including considerations on trial conduct, data collection, and subject safety. Tiffany Farchione, director of the Division of Psychiatry at FDA's drug center, said that with the guidance, FDA "hopes to outline the challenges inherent in designing psychedelic drug development programs and provide information on how to address these challenges. The goal is to help researchers design studies that will yield interpretable results that will be capable of supporting future drug applications." (Gonzalez/Moreno, Axios, 6/26; DeGroot, Inside Health Policy [subscription required], 6/23)
• Maryland: CMS on Monday released a proposed payment increase for dialysis providers for 2024. The draft regulation proposes to increase the end-stage renal disease Prospective Payment System base rate for dialysis services provided to Medicare patients by 1.7%, or $4.42, to $269.99. The proposal estimates that total payments would increase 2.6% for hospital-based end-stage renal disease facilities and 1.6% for freestanding facilities. The proposal would also update the 2024 acute kidney injury dialysis payment rate for end-stage renal disease facilities to $269.99. CMS is accepting comments on the draft regulation through Aug. 25. (Berryman, Modern Healthcare, 6/26)
• Pennsylvania: The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) and Washington Health System last week announced their intended merger. The two health systems have signed a non-binding letter of intent to integrate Washington Health System into UPMC. The merger will still be subject to regulatory approval and if approved, the deal would leave only two independent health systems in the Pittsburgh area. "Our primary focus is to ensure the residents of Washington and Greene Counties have local access to high-quality health care that is sustainable into the future," said Brook Ward, president and CEO of Washington Health System. "After careful consideration and analysis, we believe the best path forward is to affiliate with UPMC to achieve that goal." (Hudson, Modern Healthcare, 6/20; CBS News Pittsburgh, 6/20)