Articles and Blogs

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) recently issued the final rule for hospice agreements with long-term care (“LTC”) providers.  The rule requires LTC facilities to have written agreements specifying the respective roles and responsibilities for the hospice and LTC provider for any arrangements for the provision of hospice care within the LTC facility.... READ MORE

It doesn’t happen often but when it does it can be a very big deal – personally.  Because of how the term “employer” is broadly defined by the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) (which deals with wages, hours and overtime), it has long been possible for a manager to be considered an “employer” and... READ MORE

Doc Fix Legislation Advances out of Subcommittee On July 23, the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee passed bipartisan legislation (H.R. 2810) calling for a new system for Medicare physician payments.  The measure was approved without any significant changes made to the policies set forth in the original framework issued last week.  It now heads for... READ MORE

In 2007, the majority of physicians responding to an American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (“ASDS”) survey reported that the number of patients they were treating for complications caused by non-physicians was increasing.  These complications frequently involved burns caused by the improper use of lasers, scarring caused by chemical peels, hyperpigmentation caused by laser hair... READ MORE

Executive Summary On July 23, 2013, the Health Resources and Services Administration (“HRSA”) released a long-awaited final rule clarifying the scope of the 340B Program’s “Orphan Drug” exclusion, which was established as part of final reconciliation under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. 340B Program participating hospitals subject to this Final Rule include free-standing... READ MORE

Hall Render is pleased to announce associate attorney Lea H. Lockhart, J.D., M.H.A., has joined the firm’s Indianapolis office. Lockhart practices in Hall Render’s Technology & Privacy practice group where she focuses on health information technology, general business transactions and services, privacy and security and electronic health records.  Lockhart completed her undergraduate studies summa... READ MORE

Committee Releases New Doc Fix Draft On July 18, the House Energy and Commerce Committee released an updated framework to replace Medicare’s physician payment system.  The framework represents the first draft proposal to include Democrats’ names, including the ranking member Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Subcommittee on Health ranking member Frank Pallone (D-NJ).  The Subcommittee... READ MORE

Hall Render is pleased to announce attorney Nicholas A. Gonzales has been named to Lawyers of Color’s inaugural Hot List, a group of 100 early- to mid-career minority attorneys under 40 from the Midwest Region. Gonzales practices health law, focusing primarily in the areas of regulatory compliance, pharmacy regulatory matters, billing and reimbursement. Specific... READ MORE

A question that employers very often face is whether an employee who leaves employment is entitled to be paid their accrued vacation pay.   The answer is:  it depends.  Courts in Indiana have addressed the vacation pay question for decades. But now, for the first time, the Indiana Supreme Court has spoken with clarity by... READ MORE

As we get further into the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season and experience more severe weather and wildfires, now is the time to review and refresh your IT disaster recovery plans and business continuity plans.  The Federal Emergency Management Agency Ready website and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services HRSA website provide example business... READ MORE