Articles and Blogs

January 9, 2012 Indiana’s Right-to-Work Battle Heats Up The Indiana General Assembly is “Ground Zero” in the epic battle over the so-called “Right-to-Work” legislation. So much has been written about “Right-to-Work” that it makes some sense to understand what the Indiana proposed legislation actually says. Some Background about “Right-to-Work” Most private non-governmental employers are... READ MORE

This installment of Hall Render’s Health Law Broadcast series on health care reform is designed to provide you with the insight, analysis and practical suggestions with respect to the various reform initiatives that will affect your organization.   Overview On December 21, 2011, CMS issued a notice soliciting applications for the Independence at Home (“IAH”)... READ MORE

Executive Summary On December 14, 2011, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) released a long-awaited proposed rule, Transparency Reports and Reporting of Physician Ownership of Investment Interests (“Proposed Rule”), discussing the implementation of the physician payment “sunshine” provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“PPACA”), commonly referred to as the... READ MORE

This past year has gone by rather quickly, and there has been a lot of activity in the employment and labor area – especially in the labor area! The National Labor Relations Board was particularly active with expansive rulings on employee use of Facebook and social media, walkouts, banners, rat balloons, hand billing, discussion... READ MORE

On November 30, 2011, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) published the CY 2012 OPPS/ASC Final Rule with comment period (“Final Rule”) that established a formal process for review and reconsideration of the supervision level assigned to certain outpatient therapeutic services furnished in hospitals and critical access hospitals (“CAHs”).  The Final Rule... READ MORE

Summary On November 30, 2011, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) published the CY 2012 OPPS/ASC Final Rule with comment period (“Final Rule”).  In the Final Rule, CMS revised provider agreement regulations addressing hospital and critical access hospital (“CAH”) patient notification requirements for situations where a physician is not present in the... READ MORE

Summary On November 30, 2011, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) published the CY 2012 OPPS/ASC Final Rule with comment period (“Final Rule”).  The Final Rule implemented a portion of Section 6001(a) of the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) requiring CMS to develop a process for  physician-owned hospitals  to request an exception to... READ MORE

Effective December 2, 2011, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) issued and implemented new and revised guidance in Appendix W of the Medicare State Operations Manual (“Interpretive Guidelines”) related to the Medicare Conditions of Participation for Critical Access Hospitals (“CAHs”).  Importantly, CMS issued new Interpretive Guidelines to 42 C.F.R. § 485.635(f) concerning... READ MORE

Today, the National Labor Relations Board agreed to postpone the effective date of its Employee Rights notice-posting rule at the request of the federal court in Washington, D.C. hearing a legal challenge regarding the rule. The Board’s ruling states that it has determined that postponing the effective date of the rule would facilitate the... READ MORE

On December 21, 2011, the National Labor Relations Board adopted a final rule amending its election case procedures to reduce unnecessary litigation and delays. The rule will be published in the Federal Register on Thursday, December 22, 2011 and is due to take effect on April 30, 2012. The Rule Will Speed Up Union Elections This... READ MORE