Articles and Blogs

On October 1, 2012, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) began withholding 1% of hospital Medicare reimbursement payments as a part of the Value-Based Purchasing (“VBP”) program. The withheld amount will increase 0.25% each fiscal year until it is capped at 2% for FY 2017. Under the VBP program, hospitals compete with one... READ MORE

This article is Part II in a five-part series of articles discussing the recently published federal Physician Payment Sunshine Act (“Sunshine Act”).  This article focuses on issues specific to group purchasing organizations and physician investment in health product manufacturers.  The first article in the series provided an overview of the major sections of the... READ MORE

On Friday, March 8, 2013, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) released Form 14429, Tax Exempt Bonds Voluntary Closing Agreement Program Request. The new form is required for a Tax Exempt Bonds Voluntary Closing Agreement Program (“VCAP”) submission request. VCAP provides remedies for issuers of tax-advantaged bonds (e.g., 501(c)(3) tax-exempt bonds) who voluntarily come forward... READ MORE

Executive Summary The Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) released a report on March 6 that showed a significant number of Long-Term Care Hospitals (“LTCHs”) that are co-located with skilled nursing facilities (“SNFs”) or acute care hospitals are failing to notify their Medicare Administrative Contractor (“MAC”) or fiscal intermediary (“FI”) of their co-located status. The... READ MORE

USCIS announced that tomorrow, March 8, 2013, they will release a new Form I-9.  Employers must complete Form I-9 for employees hired after November 6, 1986 to verify the identity and employment eligibility of employees.  USCIS stated that the newly revised Form I-9 will include additional data fields, improved instructions and a new layout... READ MORE

McKnight’s published an article this morning on the rise in Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) in long-term care facilities.  The Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) states these bacteria kill about half of all people who become infected, and are resistant to antibiotic treatments.  These CRE bacteria are even resistant to the antibiotics “of last resort” and can transfer... READ MORE

On February 26, 2013, Chris Christie, the Governor of New Jersey, announced his support of the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid Expansion.  Christie is the eighth Republican governor to announce support of the expansion for his/her state.  The Medicaid Expansion will be fully funded by the federal government for the initial three years of the... READ MORE

On January 25, 2013, the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) formally published its Omnibus Final Rule (“Final Rule”), which includes modifications to the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (“HITECH”) and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (“GINA”).  Because the Final Rule covers... READ MORE

READ MORE

READ MORE