New HHS guidance requires consent for pelvic, breast, and other sensitive examinations Annalisa Merelli By Annalisa Merelli April 1, 2024

https://www.statnews.com/2024/04/01/informed-consent-pelvic-exam-new-hhs-guidelines/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9kBYPxuN1gQeIw4IbooiXxF4YB0tGHy2CsQ9tMsd4VR610QX_fOI4TpCsFXlrxKbTjjrP9u8IblFhVfbFQhEHVqfX4gw&_hsmi=300762397&utm_content=300762397&utm_source=hs_email Federal guidance requires consent for invasive medical exams For years, it hasn't been unusual for physicians in training to perform invasive examinations — pelvic, breast, prostate, or rectal — on anesthetized patients, often despite knowing patients had not given permission to do so. As important as this experience may be to medical education, patients, advocates, and lawmakers have pushed back to require specific, informed consent. Fourteen states have stepped in with their own rules, but some of them protect only female patients from unconsented exams or cover only medical students and trainees. Yesterday, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued new guidance that expands protections across the country and specifies what’s required for patient consent. Without this consent, hospitals won’t be eligible for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement. STAT’s Annalisa Merelli has more. https://www.cms.gov/files/document/qso-24-10-hospitals.pdf?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_0Y5faGPeYKkYmuHZinBhz-Nta7UK-c8QG2dtnN8uDudUTINXu9F-xhmbzPFEaqgMWxCmf5MvepRqINH0_ofqWPjWe0A&_hsmi=300762397&utm_content=300762397&utm_source=hs_email