Articles and Blogs

According to a recent study by the British Medical Journal (“BMJ”) titled Access, Quality, and Costs of Care at Physician Owned Hospitals in the United States: Observational Study (“Study”), physician-owned hospitals (“POHs”) generally do not treat a higher volume of the most profitable patients (commonly referred to as “cherry-picking”) than other hospitals1.  The Study... READ MORE

House Ways and Means Committee Moves Health Care-Related Bills On September 17, the House Ways and Means Committee marked up group bills, including health care-related legislation that would expand the religious liberty exemption to the individual mandate. The second bill would allow individuals to use health savings accounts (“HSAs”) and similar vehicles to use... READ MORE

Hall Render is pleased to announce attorney Rene Larkin has joined the firm’s Denver office. Larkin’s practice focuses on counseling clients on a large range of real estate matters, including commercial lease transactions, purchase and sale of real property, easement and restrictive covenants, real estate due diligence for mergers and acquisitions and development projects.... READ MORE

President Obama signed a new Executive Order on September 7, 2015 that will require certain federal contractors to provide employees up to 56 hours of paid sick leave per year.  The leave can be used for the employee’s care or if the employee needs to take care of a family member.  The new obligations... READ MORE

HRSA Issues Omnibus 340B Guidance On August 27, the Health Resources and Services Administration (“HRSA”) issued omnibus guidance on the 340B Drug Discount Program via the Federal Register. The proposed guidance would clarify the definition of a 340B patient, contract pharmacy arrangements, audit procedures and other related provisions.  Earlier this year, the House Energy... READ MORE

Hall Render is pleased to announce attorney Kelly Blumline has joined the firm’s Troy office. Kelly focuses her practice on real estate and business transactions.  She earned her undergraduate degree from Calvin College in 2003 and received her law degree from the Wayne State University Law School in 2012. Kelly is admitted to practice... READ MORE

Executive Summary As part of the Immigration Accountability Executive Action issued by President Obama on November 20, 2014 (detailed here), United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) and the Department of State (“DOS”) announced revised procedures yesterday in determining visa availability for applicants waiting to file for adjustment of status.  The new procedures are intended to more accurately... READ MORE

Executive Summary On August 28, 2015, the Health Resources and Services Administration (“HRSA”) released its long-awaited proposed 340B Drug Pricing Program Omnibus Guidance.  The notice (a copy of which can be found here) proposes to establish guidance addressing a variety of longstanding open questions for covered entities enrolled in, and drug manufacturers participating in,... READ MORE

In a highly anticipated decision, the NLRB has restated and redefined the standard for determining when employers will be found to be joint employers for purposes of the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”). With more and more health systems and hospitals contracting out non-core services, this decision could have a far-reaching impact. The NLRA governs labor... READ MORE

Overview The use of telecommunication to complement health care delivery services is growing. Many health systems and providers are interested in developing a telehealth component as part of their offerings. With these expansions, professional licensure portability and practice standards for providers can be a significant challenge due to the conflicting and disparate requirements for... READ MORE