◆ A federal judge in Texas on Feb. 23 struck down part of an interim final rule interpreting the No Surprises Act.^[1] In a lawsuit filed by the Texas Medical Association over the federal government’s (e.g., agencies including HHS and CMS) Oct. 7 interim final rule implementing a dispute resolution process, Judge Jeremy Kernodle of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas said the departments “improperly bypassed notice and comment in implementing the challenged portions of the Rule.”^[2] Other regulations interpreting the No Surprises Act and other parts of the interim final rule are not affected by the judge’s ruling, including patient protections.