Navigating 2025 Healthcare Regulatory Changes

As we step into the new year, the healthcare sector is positioned to once again navigate a variety of regulatory changes – changes that could impact your organization’s current operations, compliance, and financial performance. From new regulations in OSHA workplace safety to an increase in paid family and medical leave, the following state, federal, and industry-specific rulings could be felt by healthcare organizations across the country. Awareness and preparedness are key!

With President Donald Trump’s return to office, I anticipate that more power will be given to states and we’ll see a reduction in federal oversight and regulatory burdens. The aim is to ultimately reduce bureaucratic inefficiencies and promote localized innovation. While it can be beneficial for states to have more power, this approach also creates a more fragmented regulatory landscape, making meeting compliance standards state-by-state more challenging. At MedTrainer, we’ve already seen an uptick in interest as healthcare organizations look for ways to reduce the complexity.

In this article, I’ll share a high-level view of what you need to know, but remember that until laws are officially passed, there are currently more predictions rather than facts regarding upcoming healthcare regulatory changes.

One thing is for certain: there will be changes, particularly regarding federal oversight.

State-Level Regulations

Maintaining compliance amid new laws can be complex and confusing, especially as regulations vary from state to state. Understanding how a state ruling affects your healthcare organization is key.

OSHA Workplace Safety Regulations: Workplace safety remains a priority in 2025, and there is a potential for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations to shift to improve state plan enforcement while reducing the impact of current federal rules. Regulations to watch under the new Trump administration include the Heat Injury and Illness Prevention Rule, Worker Walkaround Representative Designation Process, Emergency Response Standard, and new state health privacy laws.

It’s important to remember that with OSHA rules, just because it’s not a law doesn’t mean you’re not responsible per the General Duty clause.

Paid Family and Medical Leave Expansions: Paid family leave policies continue to gain traction, with new programs in Minnesota, Delaware, and Maine beginning in 2025. These laws ensure employees can access wage replacement during serious illnesses or family-related events, such as the birth of a child. States like Connecticut, Washington, and Illinois have also expanded their programs. Employers must adjust payroll systems and educate staff to comply with these updates.

Federal-Level Changes

DEA Telehealth Flexibility Extension: The DEA has extended telehealth flexibilities through the end of 2025, allowing providers to prescribe controlled substances without in-person evaluations. This policy supports accessibility but requires practitioners to complete an 8-hour training under the DEA MATE Act. Ensuring readiness involves confirming compliance with telemedicine-specific requirements outlined in CFR regulations.
HIPAA Privacy Rule Changes
- The revised 42 CFR Part 2 aligns confidentiality for substance use disorder (SUD) records with HIPAA standards, allowing patients to provide a single consent for future uses of their records. Compliance is required by February 16, 2026.
- New rules enhance reproductive health care privacy, protecting sensitive information from being used to investigate or penalize individuals for seeking or providing legal reproductive healthcare.

NCQA Credentialing Standard Changes: Effective July 1, 2025, NCQA standards around verification and exclusion monitoring will change. This will include expiration date tracking, shorter verification times, and expanded exclusions to include SAM.gov and are all required every 30 days.

DEA Registrant Validation: In 2024, the DEA changed registrant validation to avoid fraud. All validations must include the trusted URL, which requires Registrant Dataset Access (RDA) or multi-factor authentication token from the provider every time you need verification. With RDA access, MedTrainer is fully compliant — see how it works.

Industry-Level Updates

Quality Reporting for ASCs in 2025: ASC quality measures selected for use in the ASCQR Program evaluate the care in which ASCV provides treatment or adheres to processes expected to facilitate the best patient outcomes for the measured care.

14 mandatory measures must be reported to avoid a reduction to future Medicare reimbursements
4 New voluntary measures (due May 15, 2026):
- Improvement in Patient’s Visual Function within 90 Days Following Cataract Surgery
- Risk-Standardized Patient Reported Outcome-Based Performance Measure (PRO-PM) Following Elective Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA) and/or Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA)
- Screening for Social Drivers of Health (SDOH)
- Screen Positive for Social Drivers of Health (SDOH)

CMS 2025 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS): Good news for rural health centers (RHCs) and federally qualified health centers (FQHCs)! The two will be required to bill individual service codes rather than G0511. CMS will also allow them to bill add-on codes for additional time spent. Other updates to PFS include:

RHCs/FQHCs will include Advanced Primary Care Management Services (APCM), coordination services as well as Transitional care management (TCM), Chronic care management (CCM), Principal care management (PCM), and Chronic pain management (CPM)
RHCs and FQHCs that provide dental services aligning with the requirements in the physician setting have an opportunity to bill separately for inextricably linked dental services provided on the same day as a medical visit
RHCs and FQHCs can bill and be paid for Part B preventive vaccines (pneumococcal, flu, hepatitis B and COVID-19) and their administration at the time of service

Strategies to Adapt

Maintaining regulatory compliance can be challenging, especially when a wave of new regulations and standards hit. But with the right approach and technology in place, your organization and staff can understand new rules, creative effective policies, and ensure necessary training. Strategies to pivot amid regulatory changes might include:

Stay Informed: Stay in the loop by checking out the latest news from federal and state agencies regularly.
Utilize a System Approach: Even if something isn’t required anymore, it might still be worth doing. Take a step back and consider how it affects your team and organization.
Leverage Technology: Tools like MedTrainer’s all-in-one platform simplifies the process of updating policies (and securing acknowledgment), updating learning courses, and automatically completing exclusions monitoring and license verification – saving you time and hassle.
Implement Role-Based Training: Tailor training to specific staff roles and locations so that you don’t overload employees with training that isn’t required — but, those who need it are ready!

The regulatory landscape for healthcare in 2025 emphasizes safety, privacy, and accessibility with added governance from the states. Regardless of any changes that may occur, healthcare organizations must remain agile and informed. By proactively adapting to these changes, you can not only ensure compliance but also enhance the quality of care for patients and experience for staff.

How MedTrainer Can Help

Organizations must implement proactive measures to successfully meet these evolving requirements. MedTrainer’s all-in-one platform is designed specifically for healthcare and includes all of the automations, workflows, resources, and reminders to help your organization stay ahead of regulatory updates.

Are you prepared for the potential changes ahead? See how MedTrainer’s comprehensive solution can alleviate and elevate your organization’s compliance process today – regardless of what new regulations and standards come their way.