Articles and Blogs

On September 6, 2017, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) issued a Survey and Certification (“S&C”) Memo 17-44 with new guidance to State Survey Agencies pertaining to the application of the Medicare statutory definition of  “hospital” and whether a hospital is “primarily engaged” in the provision of inpatient services. CMS clarified that a... READ MORE

On September 13, 2017, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced a $4 million settlement with a New York-based hospital owner that owns and operates two hospitals in New York. The qui tam lawsuit was filed July 15, 2013, and the relator was an employed physician at one of the hospitals implicated in the lawsuit... READ MORE

In Michigan, as in many other states, a nonprofit charitable organization must satisfy rigorous requirements to qualify for real and personal property tax exemptions. In Baruch SLS, Inc. v. Tittabawassee Twp., the Michigan Supreme Court recently upheld the landmark Wexford case while clarifying one of Wexford’s six factors to qualify for property tax exemptions. The... READ MORE

On September 30, 2017, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services notified hospitals participating in the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (“CJR”) model of certain reporting requirements related to financial sharing arrangements with CJR collaborators (i.e., physicians and other providers who work with CJR hospitals to improve quality and cost performance). The notice, which... READ MORE

NATIONAL Price to stop private plane use on business during review Evaluating the future of hospital acquisitions of private practices Senate Republicans Say They Will Not Vote on Health Bill Trump vows another healthcare vote next year, eyes executive order 4 financial, strategic and revenue cycle issues health systems are facing CMS postpones October... READ MORE

In 2016, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (“SAMHSA”) National Survey on Drug Use and Health estimated that 11.8 million people misused opioids, including prescription pain relievers and heroin. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for 2016 is estimating that drug overdose deaths, most of them due to opioids, will exceed... READ MORE

On September 20, 2017, the Michigan Senate Committee on Health Policy recommended Senate Bill 541 (2017) (the “Bill”), which would authorize licensure for dental therapists in Michigan. The Bill would allow licensed dental therapists to perform certain dental services under the supervision of a dentist pursuant to a written practice agreement. Specifically, the Bill... READ MORE

NATIONAL 3 biggest opportunities for ASCs today and 4 healthcare reforms that will affect ASCs most in the future Why blockchain could transform the very nature of EHRs Economists: 3 takeaways from failed insurer mega-mergers Physician practice valuations: 14 things for health system leaders to know Hospitals could save about $10 million a year... READ MORE

On February 8, 2017, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas issued an order requiring a hospital “to immediately submit to the National Practitioners Data Bank a Void Report” regarding a physician whose clinical privileges were restricted by the hospital’s medical executive committee (“MEC”), which resulted in a report to the... READ MORE

NATIONAL Malpractice fears are the No. 1 cause of overtreatment, physicians say Telehealth May Ease Docs into ACOs, MedPAC Suggests Survey: Few specialty practices prepared for MACRA Physician groups find both good and bad in the details of the proposed fee schedule AHA concerned with physician fee schedule for 2018 Total Cost of Care:... READ MORE