Articles and Blogs

According to a recent study, physician-owned hospitals treated some of the most expensive Medicare beneficiaries at significantly lower costs compared to traditional hospitals, despite serving similar patient populations. The study follows a recent Congressional hearing that debated legislation to loosen restrictions on physician-owned hospitals. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will weigh in on the extent... READ MORE

NATIONAL AMA president sounds alarm on national physician shortage AHA participates in federal roundtable on health sector cybersecurity Bernie Sanders pushes nonprofit hospitals to provide more charity care Feds Issue HIPAA Guidance on Employee Sanctions, Telehealth Health care organizations urge Congress to continue APM incentives Hospitals continue to wrestle with staffing shortages Hospital execs still... READ MORE

Rite Aid has filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 of the bankruptcy code. In connection with the filing, Rite Aid plans to reject over 300 leases as the debt-ridden company looks to downsize its “sub-optimal” brick-and-mortar footprint. Closing underperforming locations is a crucial part of the company’s restructuring plan. Deloitte released its Global... READ MORE

Effective October 1, 2023, Connecticut enacted a law that contains several updates to Connecticut’s change of ownership laws for nursing homes and other health care providers. Changes to Connecticut’s Change of Ownership (“CHOW”) Laws – All Providers Connecticut Public Act 23-122 (“CHOW Law”) replaces Section 19a-493 of the Connecticut General Statutes. The CHOW Law creates new change... READ MORE

NATIONAL 6 Joint Commission sentinel alerts, safety advisories in 2023 After historic strike, Kaiser Permanente workers win 21% raise over 4 years AHA: Cybersecurity is a hospital board issue AHA Urges CMS to Rigorously Enforce New Policies to Safeguard MA Coverage AHIMA Launches Social Determinants of Health Data Initiative Amazon doesn’t want to reinvent... READ MORE

As fall begins in many parts of the country and cooler temperatures move in, so do a range of new employment laws and proposed regulations. Some of these changes include a new employer work rules standard recently adopted by the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”), a long‑awaited guidance update on workplace harassment from the... READ MORE

Site prep is underway on a 68-acre parcel where University Health is building a new full-service hospital near Texas A&M University-San Antonio. The $475M project is planned for the historically underserved south side of San Antonio and will open in 2027. In response to hundreds of cancer patients coming from out of state to... READ MORE

NATIONAL AHA asks CMS to stop telehealth rule AHA-supported bill would expand access to telehealth services Another strike notice possible at Kaiser, unions say Congress eyes endgame for PBM legislation Costco accused of sharing customers’ ‘highly personal’ health data with Facebook owner Meta General Catalyst eyes health system acquisition HHS proposed rule to update... READ MORE

On Tuesday, October 10, 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) and the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) issued a second temporary rule (the “Second Temporary Rule”) extending the effective period for the COVID-19 Telemedicine Flexibilities for Prescription of Controlled Medications (“telemedicine flexibilities”). These telemedicine flexibilities were previously extended by an earlier temporary... READ MORE

The federal government plans to define “zero-emissions building” for the real estate industry. The definition is part of a plan to create uniform guidelines for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The building industry accounts for 1/3 of all greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. The Biden administration announced a new initiative that would prohibit unpaid... READ MORE