Articles and Blogs

On June 20, 2018,  the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) issued a Request for Information (“RFI”) seeking feedback from health care industry stakeholders on the burdens of compliance with the Stark Law as it exists today. Earlier in the day, Kelly Cleary from the HHS Office of the General Counsel and HHS... READ MORE

NATIONAL More Doctor Pay Tied To Patient Satisfaction And Outcomes Highest hospital CEO turnover is in these states Patents hold clues about Apple, Amazon, Google and Microsoft plans for healthcare ‘An industry-wide issue’: Bad debt over $10M at one-third of hospitals Atul Gawande, the doctor and writer, named CEO of Amazon’s employee healthcare JV... READ MORE

A Wisconsin Court of Appeals decision this week addressed the appeal of a health care practitioner who had been physically attacked by a patient and seriously injured. The practitioner commenced a civil action against the behavioral health hospital in which she worked, alleging negligence and a violation of the Safe Place Statute. The hospital... READ MORE

NATIONAL Health Organizations Urge HHS to Recognize MA Providers in MACRA AHA report: Hospitals spend almost $3 trillion, support more than 16 million jobs Berkshire-Amazon-JPMorgan choose healthcare CEO, announcement coming soon Patients face large bills as air ambulance rides proliferate Health IT stakeholders urge CMS to adopt 3 new remote monitoring reimbursement codes CMS... READ MORE

NATIONAL Are hospital readmissions an accurate quality measure? These 2 researchers aren’t so sure Physician groups raise alarm over potential dearth of medical residents in July due to visa delays Hospitals are losing money on employed physicians: Here’s how to save the bottom line and your staff 340B cuts sting struggling hospitals, hurt credit... READ MORE

On May 7, 2018, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) published Advisory Opinion 18-02, which approved an arrangement allowing a durable medical equipment (“DME”) distributor to provide patients with product samples at no cost to the patient. OIG stated that it would not impose sanctions against the parties... READ MORE

On June 4, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission and ruled in favor of Jack Phillips, a Colorado baker who refused to create a wedding cake for a same-sex couple due to his religious opposition to same-sex marriages. The Supreme Court held that the... READ MORE

NATIONAL MGMA calls for CMS to enforce health plans’ HIPAA compliance Senators Seek Solutions to Disappearing Rural EDs Health care CEOs lead the way in pay How Amazon’s digital health moves could affect providers Pfizer Settles False Claims Allegations for $24M 8 latest healthcare industry lawsuits Do Most Hospitals Benefit from Directly Employing Physicians?... READ MORE

On December 22, 2017, the president signed into law H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “TCJA”), which will apply to 2018 income for tax filings in 2019. The TCJA includes a number of commercial real estate provisions, several of which could create significant new opportunities specific to the health care sector.... READ MORE

On May 18, 2018, CMS released the preliminary FY 2020 Worksheet S-3, Parts II and III wage index Public Use File (“PUF”). The PUF contains wage data based on FFY 2016 hospital cost reports; that is, cost reports with fiscal year begin dates of on or after October 1, 2015 and on or before September 30, 2016.  The FFY... READ MORE