Articles and Blogs

On March 11, 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) issued a Quality, Safety & Oversight (“QSO”) memorandum and related updates to the State Operations Manual (“SOM”) interpretive guidance clarifying and reinforcing existing responsibilities of organ procurement organizations (“OPOs”) and donor hospitals throughout the organ donation process. While the memorandum largely reiterates... READ MORE

NATIONAL 84% of primary care providers say they have key role in mental healthcare: Survey Aetna to pay $118M to settle Medicare Advantage upcoding claims A.I. Chatbots Want Your Health Records. Tread Carefully. Epic sued over claims MyChart fragments patient medical records Federal Medicaid fraud probe spreads to 10 states FDA vaccine chief to... READ MORE

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) has long been the north star for health care entities seeking guidance on creating and implementing an effective compliance program. As the author of the General Compliance Program Guidance (“GCPG”), OIG has used its years of investigative and oversight experience with... READ MORE

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS“) issued a wide-ranging Request for Information (“RFI”) on February 26, which could reshape current program integrity efforts to prevent and detect fraud, waste and abuse in government health care programs. CMS, under its new Comprehensive Regulations to Uncover Suspicious Healthcare (“CRUSH”) initiative, is seeking stakeholder input... READ MORE

NATIONAL 8 “Cs” drive physician buy-in to high-value patient care 14 payers recently fined by states Aetna fined $550K for mental health parity violations AHA warns of Cisco cybersecurity vulnerability AMA creates new maternity care coding system Amazon launches Amazon Connect Health Amid fast-moving Medicaid changes, CMS vet offers providers and states advice Antikickback... READ MORE

UPDATE: March 10, 2026 – The dispute between Novo Nordisk (“Novo”) and Hims & Hers (“Hims”) appears to have been resolved very quickly. On March 9, the companies announced an agreement allowing Hims to offer FDA-approved Wegovy® and Ozempic®, including the recently released tablets, through its telehealth platform at the same self-pay prices as... READ MORE

Congress recently enacted the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026, which includes new Medicare conditions of payment for off-campus hospital outpatient departments. Beginning January 1, 2028, Medicare payments will not be made for items and services furnished by an off-campus department unless the hospital satisfies new requirements related to location-specific National Provider Identifiers (“NPIs”) and... READ MORE

The Indiana Court of Appeals (the “Court”) confirmed that evidence about the patient’s indirect threats of physical and sexual violence can satisfy the Petitioner’s burden to clearly and convincingly prove that the patient is dangerous. In re Commitment of W.C. v. Richmond State Hosp., 272 N.E.3d 983 (Ind. Ct. App. 2025) (unpublished table opinion).... READ MORE

NATIONAL 3 big questions surrounding the Rural Health Transformation Program 15 states sue HHS over childhood vaccination schedule change 16 health systems affected by Oracle Health data breach ACOG publishes 1st guidance on diagnosing endometriosis AHA recommends ‘zero trust’ for cybersecurity AHA urges HHS to align AI rules with existing healthcare regulations CDC’s No.... READ MORE

HIPAA covered entities and Part 2 Programs should be aware of two important compliance deadlines that may require prompt action. Annual HIPAA Small Breach Reporting Under the Breach Notification Rule, HIPAA covered entities are required to submit reports of certain breaches of unsecured protected health information (“PHI”) affecting fewer than 500 individuals to the... READ MORE