Articles and Blogs

 NATIONAL CMS discharge rule requires patient, post-acute care data access Why Amazon Care may be the new model for corporate healthcare How CEOs approach their critical choices: 3 insights CMS releases final discharge planning rule that includes record access requirements CMS Rule: Hospitals to Inform Patients of Post-Acute Quality Data CMS unveils new rules... READ MORE

The Eastern District of Texas affirmed the Government’s right to dismiss FCA actions over a whistleblower’s objections. The Court held that the Government may dismiss claims to avoid the costs of extended litigation. The United States Declined to Intervene Health Choice Alliance, LLC filed an FCA action alleging that the defendants defrauded the United... READ MORE

On September 4, 2019, a Florida district court rendered a decision that could pose significant compliance concerns for health care entities engaging in debt collection practices under the name of their billing or financial services department. In Smith v. University Community Hospital, Inc. d/b/a Florida Hospital Carrollwood,[1] the court denied a hospital’s motion for... READ MORE

In last week’s article, which can be found here, we provided an overview of the Certified Community Behavioral Health Center (“CCBHC”) pilot program and described the funding challenges that the program has experienced. We noted that the stakes are high and that Congress seems to recognize as much. So, what does the future hold... READ MORE

NATIONAL The doctor will see you now (no matter what time it is) Pharmacy deserts are a growing problem A look at the different ways in which HIPAA is enforced Amazon Care: 5 things to know about Amazon’s new virtual medical clinic How HHS is innovating data aggregation and visualization to boost pop health... READ MORE

The health care industry is an exceedingly complex and ever-changing arena. Federal and state governments have enacted a multitude of statutes and regulations to protect against perceived fraudulent and abusive behaviors by hospitals and health systems, including the federal Stark Law, the Anti-Kickback Statute and the False Claims Act. To ensure compliance with these... READ MORE

When it comes to behavioral health, which is hugely important in the current era of the opioid crisis and the renewed—and much needed—focus on expanded access to care, Hall Render knows the territory. For example, a few of our more recent behavioral health articles covered updated guidance issued by SAMHSA (those articles can be... READ MORE

On July 11, 2019, the Antitrust Division of the DOJ (“Division”) announced a new initiative aimed at encouraging robust corporate antitrust compliance programs. The Division’s initiative incentivizes compliance programs by establishing that firms charged criminally for antitrust violations will be given credit in charging and sentencing recommendations if they have effective corporate antitrust compliance... READ MORE

NATIONAL Approaching an EHR customization: Key thoughts from 3 clinical informatics execs AHA report: 3 shifts providers must make to embrace digital health 6 hospital mergers called off in past year Healthcare consultancy with offices in 10 states files for bankruptcy EHR-integrated patient texting helps clinic boost patient capacity 68% to 89% Report: 3... READ MORE

CMS was dealt a blow from the D.C. District Court on September 17, 2019 when the court determined the agency’s “site neutral” payment policy in the CY 2019 Outpatient Prospective Payment System (“OPPS”) Final Rule exceeded its statutory authority to adjust payments under the OPPS. Refusing to accept the government’s argument that the plaintiffs... READ MORE