HLP News and Events

Published on: May 10, 2016

Join Clinton Mikel of The Health Law Partners for Politico’s “Outside, In: Unhealthy Hacking: Medical Privacy in the Age of Cyber Attacks”

On Tuesday, May 10, 2016, Clinton Mikel, a Partner at The Health Law Partners and Chairman of the eHealth, Privacy and Security Interest Group of the American Bar Association Health Law Section, will be a guest speaker at Politico’s “Outside, In: Unhealthy Hacking: Medical Privacy in the Age of Cyber Attacks,” a live event featuring leading voices in health care, technology, and policy discussing privacy and cybersecurity in the healthcare sector.

In addition to Clinton Mikel, panelists include Texas Representative Will Hurd, Leslie Krigstein, VP of CHIME (College of Healthcare Information Management Executives), and Deven McGraw, Deputy Director for Health Information Privacy, HHS Office for Civil Rights, among others.

Among the issues the panelists will address are the following: Can health care providers afford security? Is the cyber-kidnapping of hospitals the new normal? Is greater health information exchange going to lead expanded, dangers/hacks? Is the need to secure records another driver toward consolidation in health care, because of the costs? Do we need more congressional or regulatory action to assure our records are safe and secure?

Politico will live stream the May 10 event at http://www.POLITICO.com/live beginning at 5:30 p.m. EST.
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Published on: April 7, 2016

American Bar Association’s Physicians Legal Issues Conference on June 9-10, 2016, in Chicago, IL.

By The Health Law Partners

Adrienne Dresevic, Esq., of The Health Law Partners, PC, and Kathleen DeBruhl of DeBruhl Haynes, The Health Law Group, are pleased to announce the American Bar Association Health Law Section’s Physicians Legal Issues Conference on June 9-10, 2016, in Chicago, Illinois. This annual conference is attended by both attorneys and physicians and is held in conjunction with the Chicago Medical Society and the American Association for Physician Leadership.

This year’s theme is “Thriving in a Time of Change: Attorneys and Physicians Working Together”. Physicians continue to face challenging odds in a rapidly evolving healthcare market–whether remaining independent, adapting to “employment” by an integrated system, or addressing consolidated payer markets with little or no negotiating power. This unique conference offers physicians, attorneys and their administrative partners an opportunity to hear how these issues are being addressed by physicians and how physicians can succeed at maintaining viable medical practices that offer quality services at their core.

Physicians and their legal counsel will have access to national speakers and will be educated on key issues affecting employer and hospital relationships, business and industry responses to payer consolidation and market control, and every day “survival” techniques in hospital and private practice settings. Whether you are a physician or entering the field of healthcare law, this conference will provide valuable insight and strategies that can improve your practice.
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Published on: April 6, 2016

Adrienne Dresevic and Clinton Mikel Earn the “Pulitzer Prize” of Legal Writing

By The Health Law Partners

Please join The Health Law Partners, P.C., in congratulating Adrienne Dresevic (a Founding Shareholder), and Clinton Mikel (a Partner), for earning what has been described as the “Pulitzer Prize of Legal Writing”.

The Burton Award for Distinguished Legal Writing, which is run in association with the Library of Congress and co-sponsored by the American Bar Association, is earned each year by 35 exceptional authors nationwide.

Submissions for the Distinguished Legal Writing Award are extremely competitive. The award is generally selected by professors from Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, Stanford Law School, and Columbia Law School, among others.

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Published on: March 14, 2016

“Physician Contracting Workshop,” presented by Robert S. Iwrey, Esq.

By The Health Law Partners

“Physician Contracting Workshop,” presented by Robert S. Iwrey, Esq., Oakland County Medical Society, March 2, 2016, Bloomfield Hills, MI.
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Published on: February 9, 2016

Medicare Appeals Delay Case Moves Forward

By The Health Law Partners

As many hospitals, as well as other health care providers and suppliers with pending requests for ALJ hearing are acutely aware, lengthy adjudication delays exist within the Medicare appeals process. These delays are most significant at the third level of appeal, i.e., the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) stage of appeal.

On May 22, 2014, the American Hospital Association (AHA), together with three hospitals, filed suit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, requesting mandamus relief, compelling the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to act within the statutorily required timeframes. Disappointing appellants nationwide, the District Court entered a decision mandamus relief was not warranted.

However, following an appeal of the lower court’s decision, on February 9, 2016, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia reversed the decision and remanded the case back to the District Court for further consideration. A copy of the February 9, 2016 order is accessible here: http://www.aha.org/advocacy-issues/legal/litigation.shtml.

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Published on: January 22, 2016

2016 Top Health Care Lawyers

By The Health Law Partners

The HLP is proud to announce that two of its attorneys, Robert S. Iwrey and Alan G. Gilchrist, were recently named as 2016 Top Lawyers in Health Care Law by Detroit’s premier business journal, DBusiness. DBusiness conducted a peer review survey polling 19,000 attorneys in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw and Livingston Counties in Michigan and 39 health care attorneys were given the award of 2016 Top Lawyer based on the nominations received. Both Mr. Iwrey and Mr. Gilchrist have received such recognition multiple times over the years.

Published on: December 9, 2015

AFIRM Act Seeks to Improve the Medicare Audit and Appeals Process

By The Health Law Partners

On December 9, 2015, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) introduced Senate Bill 2368, the Audit & Appeal Fairness, Integrity, and Reforms in Medicare (AFIRM) Act of 2015. The purpose and goal of AFIRM is to improve the Medicare audit and appeals process by reducing the burden on providers and implement reforms to the Medicare audit and appeals process.

In fiscal year 2014, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), conducted audits of more than one billion claims in an effort to curb approximately $60 billion in improper Medicare payments. This many audits has resulted in a corresponding number of appeals leading to a backlog of nearly one million claims causing a near two year backlog.

Among the many ways that AFIRM seeks to resolve this backlog are the following:

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Published on: October 21, 2015

Recent Increase in NCI ZPIC Audit Activity

By The Health Law Partners

In the last few weeks, we have seen a flurry of activity in Zone Program Integrity Contractor (“ZPIC”) audits for the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”). Recently, many providers – and home health agencies, in particular – have received ZPIC audit notifications from NCI, Inc. (“NCI”) In April 2015, CMS awarded NCI the ZPIC contract for Zone 3, which covers Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. NCI is charged with performing program integrity investigations, making coverage and coding determinations, implementing administrative actions, coordinating fraud and abuse mitigation activities, developing a list of entities requiring monitoring, and assisting in the investigation and prosecution of fraud and abuse cases.
Home health agencies are under major scrutiny, and it appears that NCI has turned its attention to combating fraud and abuse in the home health arena. Any providers and suppliers who have received a ZPIC audit notification should contact an experienced healthcare attorney to assist you with the process. The Health Law Partners are experienced in working with providers and suppliers through the ZPIC audit process. For more information, please contact Adrienne Dresevic, Esq., at adresevic@thehlp.com or (248) 996-8510.

Published on: August 31, 2015

Florida Compounding Pharmacy Settles False Claims Act Allegations Involving Telemedicine Prescriptions for $8 Million

By The Health Law Partners

On July 15, 2015, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida announced that it settled False Claims Act allegations against Blanding Health Mart Pharmacy for more than $8 million. Blanding Health Mart Pharmacy is a compounding pharmacy based in Jacksonville, Florida. The settlement stems from allegations that the pharmacy “knowingly billed the government for improper and medically unnecessary compounding pain prescriptions” that were “written by physicians that had never actually seen the patients [i.e., telemedicine prescriptions].” It appears that the allegations involved TRICARE beneficiaries.
This settlement comes on the heels of increased regulatory scrutiny in the compounding pharmacy arena. In fact, U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, said that pharmacies that have abused the TRICARE program have been the focus of his office since the beginning of the year. Special Agent in Charge John F. Khin stated that “[f]raud and abuse by pharmacies and medical providers which bill for compounded pain prescriptions is a significant threat to the [Department of Defense] health care system. TRICARE beneficiaries must be made aware that any medications that are not individually prescribed or dispensed by a bona fide treating physician for a specific medical condition can be ineffective or unsafe.” The office’s press release is available here.
Compounding pharmacies should carefully review any telemedicine prescriptions they receive. In particular, compounding pharmacies should review, or consult healthcare legal counsel with regard to, the laws of the state in which the patient resides and in which the physician practices. Many states have laws that require that an existing physician-patient relationship exist prior to prescribing via telemedicine. Some states have “face-to-face” requirements for prescribing certain medications. Pharmacies may also want to consider requesting an attestation from the prescribing physician that states all appropriate standards of care and state law have been met and complied with in writing the prescription. If there is any doubt, pharmacies should not fill the prescription and should contact healthcare legal counsel.
Lastly, pharmacies should also consider how the prescription ended up in their hands. For example, what is the relationship between the pharmacy and the physician? Was the prescription sent as the result of marketing directed at the physician or patient? Depending on the answers to these questions, the analysis may become more complex Continue reading →

Published on: August 25, 2015

Moratoria on Enrollment of Ambulance Suppliers and Home Health Agencies Extended

By The Health Law Partners

On July 29, 2015 the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) announced that it is extending the temporary moratoria on the enrollment of new home health agencies, subunits, and branch locations (“HHA”) and part B ambulance suppliers for an additional six months.
Section 6401(a) of the Affordable Care Act added section 1866(j)(7) to the Social Security Act (the “Act”) to provide the Secretary with authority to impose a temporary moratorium on the enrollment of new Medicare, Medicaid, or CHIP providers and suppliers if the Secretary determines a moratorium is necessary to prevent or combat fraud, waste, or abuse under these programs.
Based on this authority CMS initially imposed a moratoria on the enrollment of new HHA and part B ambulance suppliers in a notice issued on July 31, 2013 (78 FR 46339). This was subsequently extended and expanded in a notice issued on February 4, 2014 (79 FR 6475). Additional extensions of the moratoria by notices issued on August 1, 2014 (79 FR 44702) and February 2, 2015 (80 FR 5551).
The initial July 31, 2013 moratoria applied to HHAs in Miami-Dade County, Florida and Cook County, Illinois, as well as surrounding counties, and part B ambulance suppliers in Harris County, Texas and surrounding counties. The February 4, 2014 notice expanded the HHA moratoria to Broward County, Florida; Dallas County, Texas; Harris County, Texas; and Wayne County, Michigan and surrounding counties. The moratoria on the enrollment of part B ambulance suppliers was also expanded in the February 4, 2014 notice to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and surrounding counties.
In deciding to impose and extend the moratoria, CMS considered “qualitative and quantitative factors suggesting a high risk of fraud, waste, or abuse” within these geographic locations. CMS relied on law enforcement experience with “ongoing and emerging fraud trends and activities through civil, criminal, and administrative investigations and prosecutions.” CMS also consulted with HHS-OIG regarding the extension of the moratoria. Prior to imposing the moratoria, CMS reviewed Medicare data and found no concerns related to beneficiaries accessing HHAs or ambulance suppliers within these geographic locations. State Medicaid agencies and other CMS state partners determined that the moratoria would not create issues related to access to care for Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program (“CHIP”) beneficiaries.
CMS will determine whether to extend or lift the moratorium before extending the moratorium further. If the moratoria is extended or lifted, CMS will publish notice in the Federal Register. Once a moratorium is lifted, the providers or suppliers types that were unable to enroll because of the moratorium will be designated to CMS’ high screening level for 6 months from the date the moratorium is lifted.
The attorneys at The Health Law Partners have a significant amount of experience counseling home health agencies, ambulance suppliers and other medical providers throughout the United States on moratoria and enrollment issues, as well as how to maintain compliance with applicable regulations once enrollment screening begins.
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