Articles and Blogs

NATIONAL DJO launches 1st outpatient arthroplasty risk assessment tool Hospitals slammed with $380M in CMS cuts, industry cries foul CMS finalizes site neutral payment rule AHA says payer consolidation, not hospital prices, raises healthcare costs 3 changes potentially coming to HIPAA OCR Announces Next Round of HIPAA Audits Will Focus on Enforcements CMS Publishes... READ MORE

On November 8, 2018, CMS released a letter to clinicians regarding E/M documentation and coding reform. This follows the CY 2019 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule intentions to reduce burden on clinicians in furtherance of the agency’s “Patients Over Paperwork” initiative. Effective January 1, 2019, CMS will: Simplify the documentation of history and exam... READ MORE

On September 7, 2018, the United States Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) issued a revised draft Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) that would govern interstate dispensing and distribution of “inordinate amounts” of compounded prescription drugs by certain compounding physicians and pharmacies. The concept of this MOU first appeared in the Compliance Policy Guidance issued by... READ MORE

NATIONAL HHS secretary warns Big Pharma: Lower prices, or ‘you’ll get whatever comes at you’ Amazon’s health-care ambitions shouldn’t be underestimated, says industry veteran HHS Unveils New Plan for Prescription Prices for Medicare Part B Drugs 15 leaders on why hospitals should hire a chief wellness officer Lawmakers ask CMS to reconsider ACO MSSP... READ MORE

On October 15, 2018, the National Protection and Programs Directorate (“NPPD”) of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (“MOA”) that formalizes a long-standing relationship between the agencies and implements a new framework for increased collaboration, information-sharing and coordination that... READ MORE

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) published in the Federal Register the 2018 updated civil monetary penalties (“CMPs”) adjusted for inflation as required by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (§701 of Pub. Law 114-74) (the “Act”). The updated CMPs became effective on the date of... READ MORE

On October 25, 2018, the president signed a wide-ranging bipartisan legislative package to address the opioid epidemic. The enactment of the Substance Use–Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act, or the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, (the “Act”) follows a lengthy process in both the Senate and... READ MORE

NATIONAL After stalling for months, HHS plans to accelerate 340B changes Hospitals could save $11M per year by streamlining supply chain services Time Magazine: The Health Care 50: Fifty people transforming health care in 2018 OCR Drafts NPRM on ‘Good Faith’ Patient Data Disclosure Rules Consumerism driving hospitals to break down cybersecurity boundaries OIG:... READ MORE

In September 2018, HHS Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) issued audit Report No. A-01-15-00500 (the “Report”) finding that out of 220 randomly sampled inpatient rehabilitation facility (“IRF”) stays from 2013, nearly 80 percent did not meet Medicare coverage and documentation requirements. Specifically, for 175 of the 220 sampled stays at 135 IRFs, the medical record... READ MORE

NATIONAL Healthcare job growth continues; hospitals add 12K positions in September 12 recent hospital, health system outlook and credit rating actions MGMA18: Physicians frustrated over lack of advanced APMs Want your medical records? Better be prepared to call—and pay up Hospitals and physician groups take on risk in BPCI Advanced model 10 informative Q&As... READ MORE