Articles and Blogs

NATIONAL Are hospital readmissions an accurate quality measure? These 2 researchers aren’t so sure Physician groups raise alarm over potential dearth of medical residents in July due to visa delays Hospitals are losing money on employed physicians: Here’s how to save the bottom line and your staff 340B cuts sting struggling hospitals, hurt credit... READ MORE

On May 7, 2018, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) published Advisory Opinion 18-02, which approved an arrangement allowing a durable medical equipment (“DME”) distributor to provide patients with product samples at no cost to the patient. OIG stated that it would not impose sanctions against the parties... READ MORE

On June 4, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission and ruled in favor of Jack Phillips, a Colorado baker who refused to create a wedding cake for a same-sex couple due to his religious opposition to same-sex marriages. The Supreme Court held that the... READ MORE

NATIONAL MGMA calls for CMS to enforce health plans’ HIPAA compliance Senators Seek Solutions to Disappearing Rural EDs Health care CEOs lead the way in pay How Amazon’s digital health moves could affect providers Pfizer Settles False Claims Allegations for $24M 8 latest healthcare industry lawsuits Do Most Hospitals Benefit from Directly Employing Physicians?... READ MORE

On December 22, 2017, the president signed into law H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “TCJA”), which will apply to 2018 income for tax filings in 2019. The TCJA includes a number of commercial real estate provisions, several of which could create significant new opportunities specific to the health care sector.... READ MORE

On May 18, 2018, CMS released the preliminary FY 2020 Worksheet S-3, Parts II and III wage index Public Use File (“PUF”). The PUF contains wage data based on FFY 2016 hospital cost reports; that is, cost reports with fiscal year begin dates of on or after October 1, 2015 and on or before September 30, 2016.  The FFY... READ MORE

NATIONAL Hospitals Are All Over Facebook, But What Are They Posting About? Early 340B hospitals gave more uncompensated care than later participants With shortage looming, primary care doctors’ salaries rise CMS to consolidate Medicare quality reporting programs Kaiser, BCBS of North Carolina enlist in 40+-member Health Care Transformation Task Force More doctors become hospital... READ MORE

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) recently finalized several new policies aimed at preventing and combating prescription opioid misuse by Medicare Part D beneficiaries. The policies, detailed in CMS’s 2019 Final Call Letter (“Call Letter”)[1] and outlined below, require Part D plan sponsors to implement various safety measures to reduce opioid overuse among... READ MORE

The Michigan Civil Rights Commission says it will now act on complaints made by patients, employees and others in Michigan who believe they were discriminated against on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. The Commission voted on Monday to consider such discrimination as a form of discrimination prohibited by the Elliott Larsen Civil... READ MORE

Senate HELP Committee Takes Another Look at 340B The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee held its second hearing on the 340B program. Representatives from two major government watchdogs, the Government Accountability Office and the HHS Office of the Inspector General, testified at the hearing. The testimony focused on oversight reports related to... READ MORE