Articles and Blogs

NATIONAL 14 Joint Commission patient safety goals for post-acute facilities 36 rural hospitals have closed since 2020 80% of nonprofit hospitals’ community investments lag their tax savings, Lown Institute finds AHA: There is Nothing ‘Fair’ about the Lown Institute’s ‘Fair Share’ Report AHA comments on draft Senate bill to clarify, protect 340B program Biden... READ MORE

The Texas Medical Board (“TMB” or “Board”) has opened a public comment period for its newly proposed rules and purported guidance concerning the provision of emergency abortions under Texas’ current abortion laws, known to be some of the most restrictive in the country. These proposed rules aim to define the conditions under which abortions... READ MORE

In celebration of Women’s History Month, we highlighted a few of the influential women leaders in our organization. The theme for Women’s History Month in 2024 is “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.” This theme reminds us of the incredible impact that women have had on our world, not only in the... READ MORE

Health care continues to drive private equity activity, creating opportunities for investors and traditional health care providers. Transactions in the health care space are especially complicated, layering health care regulatory and reimbursement considerations on top of a complex securities, antitrust, privacy and security framework. Hall Render’s private equity team of attorneys and advisors leverage... READ MORE

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has agreed to pay $418M to settle claims that it inflated real estate commissions. Under the settlement, NAR will change its rules to 1) no longer require agents to subscribe to multiple listing services (MLS); 2) prohibit selling agents from posting commissions they will pay to buyer agents... READ MORE

NATIONAL 79 percent have positive outlook for senior living and care: NIC 12 key legal issues impacting health systems AHA: 94% of hospitals financially impacted by Change Healthcare’s cyberattack A conversation about the HHS plan on AI in health care A new kind of hospital is coming to rural America. To qualify, facilities must... READ MORE

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) recently announced the ACO Primary Care Flex Model (“Flex Model”), a new voluntary model within MSSP for low-revenue ACOs, that begins January 1, 2025. The Flex Model will utilize a prospective primary care payment option to increase flexibility for low-revenue ACOs to increase access to high-quality... READ MORE

On March 18, 2024, the Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) issued an update to its December 2022 Bulletin regarding the usage of online tracking technologies by HIPAA-regulated entities. When originally published, the Bulletin aimed to clarify when identifiable information collected by tracking technologies on a regulated entity’s website may constitute protected health information (“PHI”)... READ MORE

CMS recently issued a final rule to require health care payers to improve communications between the payers, providers and patients and to improve the prior authorization processes (“Final Rule”). The Final Rule aims to improve electronic exchange of health care data with a particular focus on improving the prior authorization process through the implementation... READ MORE

The cybersecurity incident recently experienced by Change Healthcare has materially disrupted the health care delivery system and created significant financial, operational and legal challenges for many health care organizations. Organizations impacted by this incident should be careful to react thoughtfully and deliberately when addressing these challenges to ensure that any steps taken do not... READ MORE