Articles and Blogs

On November 20, 2020, the Office of the Inspector General (“OIG”) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) issued final rules (the “Final Rules”) revising and expanding exceptions and safe harbors under the federal Stark Law (“Stark”) and Anti-Kickback Statute (“AKS”) as part of the Department of Health and Human Services’ “Regulatory Sprint... READ MORE

On December 23, 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (the “OIG”) issued Advisory Opinion No. 20-08 (the “Advisory Opinion”) addressing the use of gift cards to incentivize patients to utilize health care services. While gift cards themselves are not a new topic for the OIG in the area... READ MORE

NATIONAL 46 hospitals sue HHS over bad debt policy 15 largest gifts to healthcare organizations in 2020 115 hospitals sue HHS over Medicare payment calculation 3 reasons Haven failed: A former healthcare CEO’s take AMA’s president and president-elect discuss AMA’s goals for 2021 CMS details 5 new scenarios that trigger infection control-focused surveys COVID-19... READ MORE

Effective on October 19, 2020, the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (“ACHC”) and the Accreditation Association for Hospitals/Health Systems (“AAHHS”) merged to form a single company in order to streamline accreditation and certification services for health care providers with various survey needs. AAHHS is the parent company of the Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (“HFAP”),... READ MORE

NATIONAL 340B discounts apply to contract pharmacies, HHS clarifies Amazon moves deeper into healthcare in 2020: 12 things to know Amid vaccine rollout, these are the top picks of the best healthcare analysts on Wall Street American Hospital Association VP Joy Lewis to lead its health equity, inclusion strategies Bill targets healthcare industry PPE... READ MORE

Just three days before its effective date, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia affirmed the legality of the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) price transparency rule requiring hospitals to publicly disclose the prices they charge for items and services, including their negotiated reimbursement rates with third-party payers... READ MORE

On January 19, 2021, health care organizations nationwide will need to start complying with new regulations aimed at modernizing and streamlining key regulations under the federal Stark Law. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) announced the new regulations in a much-anticipated final rule (“Final Rule”) on November 20, 2020. As we noted... READ MORE

On December 22, 2020, Congress passed a government funding deal, which includes a long-awaited federal fix for “surprise billing.” Most of the new requirements take effect with plan years beginning January 1, 2022, and they apply to group health plans (including self-insured plans) and health insurance issuers of group and individual plans. The statute... READ MORE

On December 10, 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States (the “Supreme Court”) unanimously overturned an Eighth Circuit decision in the case of Rutledge v. Pharmaceutical Care Management Association. In the case, the Supreme Court held that an Arkansas law known as Act 900, which regulates the rates at which pharmacy benefit managers... READ MORE

After weeks of negotiations, the Senate and House passed a legislative package combining a $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill with a $1.4 trillion omnibus bill. The massive 5,500+ page bill officially titled the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (the “Act”), passed both the Senate and House with overwhelming bipartisan support. President Trump is expected to... READ MORE