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<title>Hall Render Blog</title>
<link>http://blogs.hallrender.com/feed/</link>
<description><![CDATA[The Hall Render Blog brings together information on a wide variety of health care topics, including long-term care, labor and employment, litigation and health information technology.]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[HHS Announces $400,000 HIPAA Enforcement Action]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[On Tuesday, May 21, 2013, the Department of Health and Human Services (&#8220;HHS&#8221;) announced that it had reached a settlement with a State University (&#8220;University&#8221;) arising out of alleged violations of the Security Rule under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (&#8220;HIPAA&#8221;). The settlement comes after an]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/hhs-announces-400000-hipaa-enforcement-action]]></link>
<pubDate>Wed, 22 May 2013 14:20:29 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Filing Not Filed]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[The Court of Appeals recently held that a medical malpractice complaint is not considered filed upon mailing when a third-party commercial carrier is used to deliver the complaint to the Indiana Department of Insurance. The Plaintiff in Moryl v. Ransone et al. was the surviving spouse of a patient that]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/filing-not-filed]]></link>
<pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2013 17:58:08 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Significant Changes to DSH Under Proposed 2014 IPPS Rules]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Executive Summary On April 26, 2013 CMS released proposed rules for implementing Section 3133 of the Affordable Care Act (&#8220;ACA&#8221;).  Starting in 2014, these proposed rules will begin a series of substantial reductions in Disproportionate Share Hospital (&#8220;DSH&#8221;) payments to hospitals.  Most payments under the new DSH program will be]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/significant-changes-to-dsh-under-proposed-2014-ipps-rules]]></link>
<pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2013 14:50:43 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[This Week in Washington – May 17, 2013]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[HHS Issues Rule on DSH Payments On May 13, CMS released a proposed rule on the health reform law&#8217;s reductions to Disproportionate Share Hospital (&#8220;DSH&#8221;) payments. The rule would temporarily shield states that have decided to expand Medicaid from deeper DSH cuts in fiscal years 2014 and 2015. The rule comes a]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/this-week-in-washington-may-17-2013]]></link>
<pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2013 13:40:43 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Wave Goodbye to Liability Waiver Enforceability in Wisconsin]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[On April 30, 2012, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals decided Brooten v. Hickok Rehabilitation Services, LLC, No. 2012AP1940, unpublished slip opinion, further limiting the enforceability of standard liability waivers used by local businesses.  The decision made clear that &#8220;negligence&#8221; or &#8220;negligent&#8221; are not &#8220;magic words rendering an exculpatory clause valid.&#8221;]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/wave-goodbye-to-liability-waiver-enforceability-in-wisconsin]]></link>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 May 2013 09:45:07 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[False Claims Act Update, May 2013]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Three new FCA cases of interest were reported in the last few weeks. One was discussed previously on FCADefense.com, in Toumey Loses Stark/FCA Case Again, by Drew Howk. Another, Ulysses, Inc. v. United States[1] is yet another example of the growing trend of failed FCA counter-claims by the Government in]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/false-claims-act-update-may-2013]]></link>
<pubDate>Wed, 15 May 2013 12:29:04 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Sharing the Load: Seventh Circuit Says Employee’s Proposed Lifting Accommodation Is “Unreasonable”]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Earlier this year, we told you about a recent case from Kentucky in which a federal court found that it was not reasonable for a plaintiff to expect his employer to accommodate his lifting restrictions by spreading essential lifting requirements among the plaintiff&#8217;s co-workers. Just last month, a similar question]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/sharing-the-load-seventh-circuit-says-employees-proposed-lifting-accommodation-is-unreasonable]]></link>
<pubDate>Mon, 13 May 2013 14:38:53 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[OIG Issues Updated Guidance for Exclusions]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Executive Summary On May 8, 2013, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (&#8220;OIG&#8221;) issued an updated version of its Special Advisory Bulletin on the Effect of Exclusion from Participation in Federal Health Care Programs (&#8220;Updated Bulletin&#8221;).  In September of 1999, the OIG published its original]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/oig-issues-updated-guidance-for-exclusions]]></link>
<pubDate>Fri, 10 May 2013 16:55:04 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[This Week in Washington – May 10, 2013]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[HHS Releases Hospital Price Information for Common Procedures On May 8, HHS released publicly available information about hospital charges. The data set includes information on the 100 most common inpatient procedures. The data shows that hospital fees vary widely &#8211; sometimes 10 to 20 times what Medicare normally reimburses, for the]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/this-week-in-washington-may-10-2013]]></link>
<pubDate>Fri, 10 May 2013 15:43:08 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[U.S. Customs and Border Protection Begins Implementation of Automated Form I-94]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[On Tuesday, April 30, 2013, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (&#8220;CBP&#8221;) began implementing an automated version of Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record, at air and sea ports of entry.  Form I-94 provides foreign travelers with evidence that they have been lawfully admitted to the United States, which is necessary to verify]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/u-s-customs-and-border-protection-begins-implementation-of-automated-form-i-94]]></link>
<pubDate>Fri, 10 May 2013 09:34:33 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Toumey Loses Stark/FCA Case Again]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Jury verdicts in False Claims Act litigation are rare. Two in the same case are rarer still. On May 8, 2013, after just over four hours of deliberation, a jury in the Federal District Court of South Carolina returned a verdict for the Government finding that the Tuomey Healthcare System]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/toumey-loses-starkfca-case-again]]></link>
<pubDate>Fri, 10 May 2013 08:06:26 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[CMS Releases Clarifying FAQs on Therapy Caps and ABNs]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Please find below the frequently asked questions (&#8220;FAQs&#8221;) the Centers for Medicare &#38; Medicaid Services (&#8220;CMS&#8221;) recently released concerning therapy caps and advanced beneficiary notice of noncoverage (&#8220;ABNs&#8221;). Q1: How did the American Taxpayer Relief Act (&#8220;ATRA&#8221;) of 2012 (PL 112-240, January 3, 2013) affect liability provisions for services above]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/cms-releases-clarifying-faqs-on-therapy-caps-and-abns]]></link>
<pubDate>Thu, 09 May 2013 13:43:31 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Indiana Repeals Inheritance Tax]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Executive summary On May 8, 2013, Indiana Governor Mike Pence signed Indiana House Enrolled Act 1001, which repeals the Indiana Inheritance Tax effective January 1, 2013. Background Only a few states have an inheritance tax. Prior to its repeal, the Indiana Inheritance Tax was imposed on the recipients of a]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/indiana-repeals-inheritance-tax]]></link>
<pubDate>Wed, 08 May 2013 16:51:38 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Health Care Daily Deals: Gaining New Patients or Inviting Legal Headaches?]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[&#8220;Daily deal&#8221; websites that offer discounted products and services are becoming more and more popular among health care providers for their ability to bring in new patients and attract attention among existing patients. It is estimated that one out of every eleven deals offered by daily deal websites are offering discounts]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/health-care-daily-deals-gaining-new-patients-or-inviting-legal-headaches]]></link>
<pubDate>Wed, 08 May 2013 14:13:40 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[NLRB Loses Again – Court Vacates Employee Rights Notice Posting Rule]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Notice Posting Rule Is Struck Down Back in August 2011, the NLRB published a rule that would require private employers to post in conspicuous places a government poster intended to notify employees of their rights under the NLRA.  Business groups challenged the rule, and the NLRB delayed the effective date several times. ]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/nlrb-loses-again-court-vacates-employee-rights-notice-posting-rule]]></link>
<pubDate>Tue, 07 May 2013 18:23:37 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[CMS Releases Study of General Inpatient Hospice Care]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Recently, the Centers for Medicare &#38; Medicaid Services (&#8220;CMS&#8221;) released the results of a study of hospice general inpatient care (&#8220;GIP&#8221;) based on an analysis of Medicare Part A hospice claims for beneficiaries who received GIP in 2011.  The intent was to identify suspected abuse of GIP in hospice inpatient]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/cms-releases-study-of-general-inpatient-hospice-care]]></link>
<pubDate>Tue, 07 May 2013 14:54:46 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[CMS Acknowledges Name Change for ICF/IID Professionals]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[The Centers for Medicare &#38; Medicaid Services (&#8220;CMS&#8221;) recently released a Survey &#38; Certification Letter acknowledging the change in nomenclature for the professionals working in Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (&#8220;ICF/IID&#8221;).  Formally known as Qualified Mental Retardation Professionals (&#8220;QMRPs&#8221;), these professionals are now Qualified Intellectual Disabilities Professionals (&#8220;QIDPs&#8221;).  QIDPs are required to integrate, coordinate]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/cms-acknowledges-name-change-for-icfiid-professionals]]></link>
<pubDate>Tue, 07 May 2013 14:31:30 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Health System Pays Close to $4 Million to Resolve Self-Disclosed Stark Violations]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Summary On Wednesday, May 1, 2013, the U.S. Department of Justice (&#8220;DOJ&#8221;) announced that it had reached a settlement with a two-hospital, Montana-based health system (&#8220;System&#8221;) arising from financial relationships between the System and a combination of 139 employed and independent physicians and physician groups.  Under the terms of the]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/health-system-pays-close-to-4-million-to-resolve-self-disclosed-stark-violations]]></link>
<pubDate>Mon, 06 May 2013 14:45:33 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[FY 2014 Proposed Medicare Rate Would Increase SNF Reimbursement by $500 Million]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[The Centers for Medicare &#38; Medicaid Services will publish the proposed fiscal year (&#8220;FY&#8221;) Medicare payment rate in the Federal Register later today.  Announced last week, the proposed rate includes a 2.3% market basket increase; however, a forecast error correction and other mandated adjustments will reduce the market basket increase to 1.4%.  This will]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/fy-2014-proposed-medicare-rate-would-increase-snf-reimbursement-by-500-million]]></link>
<pubDate>Mon, 06 May 2013 10:42:55 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Retained Overpayments Change the FCA Ball Game]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Claims Act defense attorneys have been warning government contractors, particularly Medicare and Medicaid providers, of increased risks and a reduced ability to defend against whistleblower complaints since the passage of the Fraud Enforcement Recovery Act of 2009 (&#8220;FERA&#8221;). The greatest risk comes from FERA&#8217;s addition of a new kind of]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/retained-overpayments-change-the-fca-ball-game]]></link>
<pubDate>Sun, 05 May 2013 05:04:54 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[This Week in Washington – May 3, 2013]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[CMS Releases IPPS Proposed Rule for FY 2014 On April 26, CMS issued its Fiscal Year (&#8220;FY&#8221;) 2014 proposed rule for hospitals paid under the inpatient prospective payment system (&#8220;IPPS&#8221;).  The rule would update FY 2014 Medicare payment policies and rates for inpatient stays at general acute care and long-term care]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/this-week-in-washington-may-3-2013]]></link>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2013 14:34:25 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Hall Render Detailed Check-Up: 2013 GME Update]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[The graduate medical education (&#8220;GME&#8221;) landscape continues to evolve, even as the basic structure of Medicare GME reimbursement remains in place. Recently, noteworthy proposals and changes include proposed legislation that would provide for 15,000 new residency positions over five years to increase the number of residents in training and a change]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/hall-render-detailed-check-up-2013-gme-update]]></link>
<pubDate>Wed, 01 May 2013 16:55:53 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Independent Contractor or Employee? IRS Gives Employers Something to Consider]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[For the past several years, the Internal Revenue Service (&#8220;IRS&#8221;) has been devoting considerable attention to worker classification issues involving the misclassification of employees as independent contractors.  These misclassifications are important to the IRS and the federal government because they often lead to underreporting and underpayment of taxes.  Traditionally, the]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/independent-contractor-or-employee-irs-gives-employers-something-to-consider-2]]></link>
<pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:10:24 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[US ex rel. Keltner v. Lakeshore Medical Clinic Ltd.]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[US ex rel Keltner v Lakeshore Medical Clinic]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/us-ex-rel-keltner-v-lakeshore-medical-clinic-ltd]]></link>
<pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2013 08:03:23 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Confidential Investigations – What Can Your Policy Say?]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Confidentiality Requirements Challenged by the NLRB Last summer, the NLRB created another stir among private employers when it found that an employer’s form used during confidential investigations of workplace issues was unlawfully broad and interfered with employee rights. We wrote about this development in our August 7, 2012 HR Insights]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/confidential-investigations-what-can-your-policy-say]]></link>
<pubDate>Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:57:06 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[CMS Revises Policy as to Surveys to Be Conducted Following Complaint Investigations Resulting in Condition-Level Noncompliance]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[The Centers for Medicare &#38; Medicaid Services (&#8220;CMS&#8221;) recently released a Survey and Certification letter updating the State Operations Manual (&#8220;SOM&#8221;) guidelines on surveys of deemed status long-term care (&#8220;LTC&#8221;) providers when the provider has been found to have a condition level instance of noncompliance, including immediate jeopardy (&#8220;IJ&#8221;), in]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/cms-revises-policy-as-to-surveys-to-be-conducted-following-complaint-investigations-resulting-in-condition-level-non-compliance]]></link>
<pubDate>Mon, 29 Apr 2013 08:14:10 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[This Week in Washington – April 26, 2013]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[PCORI Offers Funding to Develop Research Network On April 23, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (&#8220;PCORI&#8221;) announced funding up to $68 million in efforts to build a research network to support comparative effectiveness studies. Up to $56 million is available for eight new or existing clinical data research networks that]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/this-week-in-washington-april-26-2013]]></link>
<pubDate>Fri, 26 Apr 2013 12:39:20 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Drug Testing One Employee but Not the Other – Unlawful Discrimination?]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Treating Employees the Same – Always Required? Employers have always been advised to treat their employees the same, and if they don’t, it can be evidence of unlawful discrimination. This issue came up in a recent case involving an employer that required a black employee who was involved in an]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/drug-testing-one-employee-but-not-the-other-unlawful-discrimination]]></link>
<pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2013 17:16:06 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[The Aging Workforce in Health Care: Challenges Ahead]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[We&#8217;re All Getting Old The U. S. Census Bureau predicts that by 2050 nearly 20 million workers or about 20% of the national workforce will be 65 or older.  That represents an increase of 75% while the number of workers ages 25 to 54 is predicted to grow by only]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/the-aging-workforce-in-health-care-challenges-ahead]]></link>
<pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:43:59 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[OIG Issues Updated Self-Disclosure Protocol]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Executive Summary On April 17, 2013, the Office of Inspector General (&#8220;OIG&#8221;) issued an updated version of its Self-Disclosure Protocol (&#8220;Protocol&#8221;).  In 1998, the OIG published the original Protocol to establish a process for health care providers to voluntarily identify, disclose and resolve instances of potential fraud involving federal health]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/oig-issues-updated-self-disclosure-protocol]]></link>
<pubDate>Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:33:17 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[This Week in Washington – April 19, 2013]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[HHS Inspector General Revises Self-Disclosure Protocol On April 17, the HHS Office of Inspector General (&#8220;OIG&#8221;) released a revised self-disclosure protocol (PDF) called the OIG Provider Self-Disclosure Protocol.  The protocol describes what a hospital must confide to the government in order to avoid prosecution or get a possible reduction in]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/this-week-in-washington-april-19-2013]]></link>
<pubDate>Fri, 19 Apr 2013 12:50:07 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[New FTC Guidance Addresses Social Media Advertising; Could FDA Be Next?]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[On March 12, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) published new guidance detailing how advertising disclosures should be made online. Disclosures are necessary to qualify or limit advertising claims that would otherwise be deceptive, unfair or give misleading impressions. The FTC’s previous guidance on disclosures was issued seven years before Apple]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/new-ftc-guidance-addresses-social-media-advertising-could-fda-be-next]]></link>
<pubDate>Fri, 19 Apr 2013 09:42:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[FDA to Allow Use of Validated Symbols When Labeling Medical Devices and Biological Products]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (&#8220;FDA&#8221;) wants to give manufacturers of medical devices in vitro diagnostics (&#8220;IVDs&#8221;) and biological products the authority to use certain symbols and images on their product labeling to convey safety information and instructions for use. A proposed rule published April 19 would revise the]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/fda-to-allow-use-of-validated-symbols-when-labeling-medical-devices-and-biological-products]]></link>
<pubDate>Fri, 19 Apr 2013 09:36:56 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[IRS Issues CHNA Proposed Regulations and Guidance on 501(r) Noncompliance Penalties]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[The Internal Revenue Service (&#8220;IRS&#8221;) published proposed regulations (&#8220;Proposed Regulations&#8221;) on April 5, 2013 that expand upon and provide clarification for the community health needs assessment (&#8220;CHNA&#8221;) requirements of Section 501(r)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (the &#8220;Code&#8221;). The Proposed Regulations also provide guidance on how and when penalties may be]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/irs-issues-chna-proposed-regulations-and-guidance-on-501r-noncompliance-penalties]]></link>
<pubDate>Tue, 16 Apr 2013 15:23:38 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[National Healthcare Decisions Day – April 16, 2013]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Executive Summary April 16, 2013 is National Healthcare Decisions Day. The goal of the day is to encourage Americans to think and talk about their health care goals and communicate their health care decisions by executing advance health care directives. Background Studies indicate that most Americans have not executed documents]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/national-healthcare-decisions-day-april-16-2013]]></link>
<pubDate>Mon, 15 Apr 2013 15:50:17 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[April False Claims Act Update]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Introduction Three cases are addressed in a review of the False Claims Act decisions of the past month. The first, US v. Anchor Mortage Corp., is a significant Seventh Circuit case addressing the proper treble damages calculation under the statute. The second, US ex rel. Carter v. Halliburton, considers the]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/april-false-claims-act-update]]></link>
<pubDate>Mon, 15 Apr 2013 10:26:09 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[This Week in Washington – April 12, 2013]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Obama Releases HHS Budget for FY 2014 On April 10, HHS posted a 126-page summary of President Obama&#8217;s fiscal year (&#8220;FY&#8221;) 2014 budget for the agency. The budget proposes $5.6 billion in Medicare payment cuts for FY 2014. Hospital-related cutbacks were proposed for graduate medical education, critical access hospitals and bad debt]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/this-week-in-washington-april-12-2013]]></link>
<pubDate>Fri, 12 Apr 2013 14:05:54 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Off-Label Use of Medical Products: Warranty and Indemnification Considerations in Purchase Agreements]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[When you purchase an item, you assume that it can be used in any reasonable manner and the warranties will apply.  The same is true of buyers of medical products.  Take the humble tongue depressor.  Regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (&#8220;FDA&#8221;) pursuant to 21 C.F.R. § 800.6230, the]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/off-label-use-of-medical-products-warranty-and-indemnification-considerations-in-purchase-agreements]]></link>
<pubDate>Thu, 11 Apr 2013 15:53:31 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Michigan Strengthens Its Certification Requirements for Sign Language Interpreters]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (&#8220;ADA&#8221;)1,health care providers have an obligation to provide the deaf and hard of hearing with auxiliary aids needed to access and understand aural information and to engage in effective communication.2  Auxiliary aids include, among other things, qualified interpreters.  Under federal law, a &#8220;qualified interpreter&#8221;]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/michigan-strengthens-its-certification-requirements-for-sign-language-interpreters]]></link>
<pubDate>Thu, 11 Apr 2013 15:07:10 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Referral Agents Take Note:  DMEPOS Round 2 Contract Winners Announced]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[On April 9, 2013, the Centers for Medicare &#38; Medicaid Services (&#8220;CMS&#8221;) announced the contract winners for Round 2 of the Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (&#8220;DMEPOS&#8221;) Competitive Bidding Program.  This article is intended to answer some frequently asked questions about the Round 2 Competitive Bidding Program and]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/referral-agents-take-note-dmepos-round-2-contract-winners-announced]]></link>
<pubDate>Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:36:42 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Sequestration Cuts Impact Nursing Homes and Post-Acute Care Providers]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[In a transmittal issued on April 5, 2013, CMS provided guidance on survey activities that will be affected by the sequestration cuts. The transmittal provides guidance on several areas that will have an immediate and potentially negative effect on nursing homes and post-acute care providers. These changes will affect the]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/sequestration-cuts-impact-nursing-homes-and-post-acute-care-providers]]></link>
<pubDate>Wed, 10 Apr 2013 13:46:26 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[DMEPOS Round 2 Contract Suppliers Announced]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (&#8220;CMS&#8221;) announced today the contract suppliers for Round 2 and the national mail-order program of the Medicare Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (&#8220;DMEPOS&#8221;) Competitive Bidding Program. As of April 9, 2013, there are 799 suppliers that have been awarded contracts in]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/dmepos-round-2-contract-suppliers-announced]]></link>
<pubDate>Tue, 09 Apr 2013 16:25:26 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[EHR Donation Period Extended]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[The Centers for Medicare &#38; Medicaid Services and Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General have released a set of proposed regulations that extend the existing protection from the Anti-Kickback Statute and physician self-referral law (Stark Law) for donations of electronic health records. The new regulations extend]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/ehr-donation-period-extended]]></link>
<pubDate>Tue, 09 Apr 2013 11:18:17 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[HRSA Extends 340B GPO Exclusion Guidance Compliance Deadline from April 7, 2013 to August 7, 2013]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[On February 7, 2013, the United States Health Resources and Services Administration (&#8220;HRSA&#8221;) released guidance entitled &#8220;Statutory Prohibition on Group Purchasing Organization Participation&#8221; (&#8220;GPO Exclusion Guidance&#8221;).  This guidance addresses requirements related to drugs purchased at a discount under the 340B Program by hospitals subject to the 340B Program GPO exclusion]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/hrsa-extends-gpo-exclusion-guidance-compliance-deadline-from-april-7-2013-to-august-7-2013]]></link>
<pubDate>Mon, 08 Apr 2013 08:56:07 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[2014 Meaningful Use Eligible Hospital Clinical Quality Measure Update Posted by CMS]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[The final rule for Stage 2 of Meaningful Use (&#8220;MU&#8221;) included an outline of the timeline for reviewing and publishing updates to the Clinical Quality Measure (&#8220;CQM&#8221;) specifications used in the EHR Incentive Program with the determination that the specifications should be updated more frequently than the rulemaking cycle for]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/2014-meaningful-use-eligible-hospital-clinical-quality-measure-update-posted-by-cms]]></link>
<pubDate>Fri, 05 Apr 2013 15:54:25 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ONC Seeking Comments on Data Exchange]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[ONC is seeking comments on how ONC and CMS policies could result in routine exchange of patient clinical data across care settings. The deadline to submit comments is April 22, 2013. Click here for more information and procedures for comment submission. Should you have questions, please contact Alisa Kuehn at]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/onc-seeking-comments-on-data-exchange]]></link>
<pubDate>Fri, 05 Apr 2013 15:53:54 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ONC Meaningful Use Resources]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[The ONC has made available on its website (healthit.gov) a variety of resources to assist those working toward Meaningful Use. Below are links to a few of these resources: Click here for information on attestation, tipsheets, FAQs, tools and regulations related to Meaningful Use Stage 2. Click here to access]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/onc-meaningful-use-resources]]></link>
<pubDate>Fri, 05 Apr 2013 15:52:55 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Unpaid Medical Intern Is Not an Employee under the Health Care Worker Protection Act]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Executive Summary In Masri v. LIRC, 2012AP1047 (April 2, 2013), the Wisconsin Court of Appeals affirmed a decision by the Labor and Industry Review Commission (&#8220;LIRC&#8221;) that Wisconsin&#8217;s Health Care Worker Protection Act (&#8220;HCWPA&#8221;) applies only to employees of health care facilities and that an unpaid intern is not an]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/unpaid-medical-intern-is-not-an-employee-under-the-health-care-worker-protection-act]]></link>
<pubDate>Fri, 05 Apr 2013 14:53:15 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[This Week in Washington – April 5, 2013]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Proposed Reporting Rule for Charity Hospitals Released On April 3, the Internal Revenue Service and Department of Treasury published a proposed rule on the health care law&#8217;s community health needs assessment requirements for charitable hospitals, related excise tax and reporting requirements, and the consequences for failing to complete them. The]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/this-week-in-washington-april-5-2013]]></link>
<pubDate>Fri, 05 Apr 2013 12:03:41 -0400</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[New Proposed Regulations on Code Section 501(r) Released]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[On Wednesday, April 3, the Internal Revenue Service (&#8220;IRS&#8221;) released a new round of Proposed Regulations that expand upon, and address uncertainties regarding, the requirements of Code Section 501(r) applicable to tax-exempt hospital organizations. These new Proposed Regulations provide guidance on the community health needs assessment requirements and related excise tax]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://blogs.hallrender.com/new-proposed-regulations-on-code-section-501r-released]]></link>
<pubDate>Thu, 04 Apr 2013 11:28:07 -0400</pubDate>
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