Articles and Blogs

Medicaid Bills Advance in the House On September 7, the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee advanced a series of health care-related bills that full Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) hopes to move to the floor before the end of September. Among the bills marked up by the subcommittee this week was the ACE Kids... READ MORE

NATIONAL General surgeon shortage growing and 5 other things to know about the healthcare workforce How 5 lawsuits could change US healthcare industry Nurses at many HCA hospitals say they are willing to strike over pay, staffing, security Could a Nationwide Ob-Gyn Shortage Spark Digital Health Innovation? 8 healthcare leaders share physician alignment strategies... READ MORE

Recently, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) released findings of an audit of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) Open Payments program. The OIG audit revealed that of 11.9 million records published on the Open Payments website for 2015, only less than one percent were missing... READ MORE

NATIONAL Proposed payment changes could influence hospitals’ acquisition strategies CVS, Walgreens Stress Face-To-Face Care Amazon Doesn’t Yet Have Private equity firms pouring millions into physician offices 50 hospitals on Forbes’ best employers list Seventeen Leading Health Systems – Representing 5% of the Nation’s Hospitals – Join Forces to Transform Care for Vulnerable Populations July... READ MORE

Donating space for charitable use may come at a price for health care providers under the Stark Law if they are not careful. The Stark Law[1], which was designed to prevent physicians from referring patients to provider entities in which the physicians have a financial interest, can ensnare even those providers acting with the best... READ MORE

NATIONAL 8 latest healthcare industry lawsuits 12 healthcare leaders share their daily mantras Healthcare finance leaders share 7 cost-cutting strategies Big media companies are branching into health care. Here’s why Rural hospitals in dire need of regulatory relief Hospitals Battle For Control Over Fast-Growing Heart-Valve Procedure Amazon hires a star cardiologist to help its... READ MORE

NATIONAL Which innovations have executives most excited? 6 insights from healthcare leaders CMS gives telehealth a reimbursement win CMS proposes rule to overhaul Medicare ACO program Moody’s: CMS proposed changes to Medicare’s outpatient prospective payment system could hurt hospitals DOJ, HHS continue war on Medicare fraud with formation of new regional fraud strike force... READ MORE

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