Articles and Blogs

On Tuesday, April 5, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) released a new web-based tool for developers of health-related mobile apps. The tool asks mobile application developers questions about the mobile app’s function, the type(s) of data that the app collects and the service(s) that the app offers to end-users. The new tool then guides... READ MORE

CMS Issues Proposed Rule on Quality-Based Payment Program On April 27, CMS released a notice of proposed rulemaking to update how Medicare payments are linked to the quality and cost of care provided to beneficiaries. Hall Render has published a summary of the key provisions on its website. The proposal is the first step... READ MORE

Brandon Kulwicki has been named to the Texas Rising Stars list. The designation is reserved for the top up-and-coming Texas attorneys who are 40 or younger or have been in practice fewer than 10 years. This list is highly exclusive, recognizing no more than 2.5 percent of Texas attorneys. Attorneys from over 70 practice areas are rated by... READ MORE

On April 27, 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) released a much anticipated proposed rule (“Proposed Rule”) for the transition to a new Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (“MIPS”) and alternative payment models (“APMs”) pursuant to the Medicare Access and Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2015 (“MACRA”). As background, MACRA... READ MORE

On April 21, 2016, the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) announced a $2.2 million settlement with a New York hospital (“Hospital”) stemming from unauthorized patient filming by ABC’s NY Med television show. In what OCR called an egregious disclosure of protected health information (“PHI”) in violation of... READ MORE

In an interim final rule published in the Federal Register on April 21 (“Rule”), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) amended its regulations to allow PPS hospitals located in urban areas to obtain a “412.103” urban to rural reclassification and also be reclassified for wage index purposes by the Medicare Geographic Classification... READ MORE

On May 6, 2016, CMS will publish its new Medicaid managed care rule, which will permit states to require Medicaid MCOs1 to make enhanced payments to targeted hospitals, physicians and nursing facilities for a limited number of years. This is a departure from current practice in which states are prohibited from directing a Medicaid... READ MORE

On April 19, 2016, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) reached a settlement in the amount of $755,000 with a North Carolina orthopedic clinic (“Clinic”) for failing to execute a business associate agreement with a third-party vendor. This is OCR’s second settlement this year related to business... READ MORE

Hall Render has opened a Raleigh, North Carolina office – the firm’s first location in the Southeast. Amy Garrigues will serve as managing partner of the Raleigh office and is joined by experienced health law attorneys Amy Mackin and Jon Zucker. “Hall Render provides a depth of knowledge and experience across all practices, from... READ MORE

Hall Render is pleased to announce it was recently named #51 on Law360’s list of best firms for female attorneys. Law360 ranked the firms by examining a variety of factors, including the percentage of partners, both equity and nonequity, who are women; the percentage of associate-level attorneys who are women; and the difference in... READ MORE