Articles and Blogs

On August 6, 2018, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) published Advisory Opinion 18-07, approving an arrangement whereby a group purchasing organization (“GPO”) would serve as a purchasing agent on behalf of health care facilities under a common parent organization with the GPO (the “Proposed Arrangement”). This is... READ MORE

NATIONAL CMS missed deadline to create MACRA-mandated chiropractic preauthorizations, GAO says The health-care sector is leaving tech in the dust. Some see more gains ahead. AHA urges creation of Stark Law exception for value-based payments How each state’s healthcare system ranks — 51 statistics Regent Surgical Health: 6 trends for ASCs to watch Using... READ MORE

On July 12, 2018, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) released its proposed rule for the Calendar Year (“CY”) 2019 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (“MPFS Proposed Rule”). Among many other changes, CMS proposed to maintain payments for certain non-excepted (non-grandfathered) off-campus provider-based hospital departments (“PBDs”) at 40 percent of the Outpatient Prospective Payment System... READ MORE

NATIONAL CMS’ proposed outpatient payment rule for 2019: 10 things to know Add cardiologists to the list of doctors in short supply CMS proposes 2% ASC pay increase in 2019 House Subcommittee Hears Mixed Review of MACRA How Hospital CEOs Deliver Consistent Patient Experience Across An Enterprise Medicare’s Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System Proposed... READ MORE

Last month, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops voted to approve the sixth edition of the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services (the “ERDs”). The approved revisions specifically relate to Part Six of the ERDs, which addresses “Forming New Partnerships with Health Care Organizations and Providers.” The approved revisions entail a... READ MORE

On July 25, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) issued its 2019 Outpatient Prospective Payment System (“OPPS”) Proposed Rule (“OPPS Proposed Rule”). As anticipated based on public comments made by Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) Secretary Alex Azar, CMS is proposing to expand application of reduced payment for discounted drugs... READ MORE

NATIONAL AHA Seeks Changes to Stark Law to Support Care Coordination How Hospital Merger and Acquisition Activity is Changing Healthcare CMS seeks chief health informatics officer to lead HIT efforts Former HHS leaders: Stark and anti-kickback laws ‘harm the very patients they are supposed to protect’ What healthcare CFOs should know about artificial intelligence,... READ MORE

Earlier this year, Hall Render attorneys Ammon Fillmore and Melissa Markey published a series of articles with Becker’s Hospital Review on blockchain technology and its impact, potential benefits and challenges within health care. Blockchain Technology: Building Trust in the Supply Chain In this article, learn what blockchain is, how it relates to cryptocurrency and... READ MORE

Health care providers can learn a thing or two from Starbucks. Similar to Starbucks, health care providers are creditworthy and desirable tenants and should leverage that desirability to negotiate better leases. These five strategies have helped make Starbucks a leader is the retail world, and health care providers would do well to implement the... READ MORE

On July 12, 2018, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) published a proposed rule pertaining to payment policies under the Physician Fee Schedule for CY 2019 (“Proposed Rule”). In addition to changes to the Physician Fee Schedule and other Medicare Part B payment policies, the Proposed Rule also addressed modifications to various... READ MORE