Articles and Blogs

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

NATIONAL CMS releases proposed physician payment rule for 2019 Pharmaceutical, biotech companies cited as biggest drivers of high healthcare costs Amazon and start-up Xealth are planning a pilot where doctors would ‘prescribe’ products to be delivered after patients leave the hospital How rural hospitals can improve revenue cycle performance by renewing focus on the... READ MORE

In State v. Mitchell, 2018 WI 84, a non-precedential decision released earlier this month, the Wisconsin Supreme Court upheld an OWI conviction based on a blood draw taken when the defendant driver was literally passed out drunk. In May 2013, Sheboygan Police received a tip about a possible drunk driver. When they caught up... READ MORE

CMS Releases 2019 Proposed Medicare’s Physician Fee Schedule  On July 12, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) announced numerous new policy proposals in a proposed rule to update payment policies, payment rates and quality provisions for services furnished under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (“PFS”) for 2019. The annual update reduces payments... READ MORE

NATIONAL CMS gives providers another week to decide whether to jump into BPCI Advanced The biggest financial pain points hospitals feel right now: Experts weigh in 340B overhaul at the top of Congress, Azar’s mind CMS Suspends $10.4B in Risk Adjustment Payments to Payers Atul Gawande starts first day as CEO of Amazon, Berkshire... READ MORE

On June 12, 2018, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals (“Court”) affirmed a decision by a Wisconsin circuit court and held that a family planning clinic with multiple locations in Wisconsin (“Provider”) was not required to repay the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (“DHS”) a total of $185,074.80 related to Medicaid fee-for-service claims submitted for... READ MORE