On November 1, 2018, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia issued a Memorandum Opinion, ordering the Medicare appeals backlog to be eliminated by FY 2022. Specifically, the court ordered that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) achieve the following reductions from the current backlog of 426,594 pending appeals: – […]
In the FY 2015 IPPS/LTCH proposed rule (79 FR 28169) and final rule (79 FR 50146), CMS discussed and then implemented Section 2718(e) of the Public Health Service Act, which was enacted as part of the Affordable Care Act. The rule aimed to improve the transparency of hospital charges by requiring hospitals to either post […]
Medicare officials are investigating pharmacies that sell compounding made-to-order gels, lotions, and creams for possible fraud and patient safety risks. In general, made to order creams used in pain treatments can dramatically improve a patient’s quality of life, but HHS regulators are concerned for patient safety if these drugs are not properly monitored. For example, […]
On Thursday, August 2, 2018, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) released its 2019 Inpatient Prospective Payment System and Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System Final Rule (the “2019 IPPS Final Rule”).[1] With the goal to reduce unnecessary administrative burden on physicians and other qualified practitioners, the 2019 IPPS Final Rule revises the […]
The National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC) website, “guideline.gov,” compiles the latest information on medical treatment for use by healthcare organizations, physicians, bulk purchasers, educational institutions, and state and local governments, while also providing guidance on medications and procedures ranging from miniscule to critical. The NGC contains over 20 years of evidence-based clinical practices and medical guidelines, […]
July 2018- Section 1877 of the Social Security Act, widely known as the physician self-referral law, prohibits a physician from making service referrals payable by Medicare to entities that they may have a financial relationship with. Section 50404 of the Bipartisan Budget Act (“BBA”) of 2018 added provisions to section 1877(h)(1) of the Social Security […]
July 2018 – On July 12, 2018, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) proposed rules aimed at fundamentally improving the nation’s healthcare system and restoring the doctor-patient relationship. The proposal is “one of the most significant reductions in provider burden undertaken by any administration,” according to CMS director Seema Verma. The new proposed […]
June 2018 – On June 19, 2018, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) issued a Request for Information (“RFI”) seeking public input on how to address any undue impact and burden of the physician self-referral law, 42 U.S.C. § 1395nn (the “Stark Law”). By way of background, the Stark Law addresses the concern […]
Please Join The HLP at the 2018 Physicians Legal Issues Conference in Chicago, Illinois The Health Law Partners (HLP) is proud to be part of the upcoming Physician Legal Issues Conference co-sponsored by the American Bar Association Health Law Section and Chicago Medical Society. The conference will take place at the Intercontinental Hotel in Chicago […]
March 2018 – Recent additions to the Medicare Shared Savings Program (“MSSP”), include several changes aimed to encourage Medicare beneficiaries to take a more proactive approach with their health care. By way of background, on March 23, 2010, Section 3022 of the Affordable Care Act added section 1899 (42 U.S.C. § 1395jjj) to the Social […]
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