Articles and Blogs

President Biden said the Covid-19 pandemic was over during an interview on “60 Minutes.” Some health experts responded that the president’s declaration was premature, while others have said the Biden administration should end the public health emergency, which would cause ripple effects throughout the U.S. health care system, including telehealth and drug prescribing. A... READ MORE

NATIONAL AHA and AMA withdraw lawsuit over enactment of No Surprises Act ‘Already a three-headed dragon’: Medical groups rebuke judge’s approval of UnitedHealth, Change merger Amazon PillPack Founders to Leave in Latest Health-Care Shakeup Congress presses Meta about health data privacy after hospitals remove Facebook tracker Healthcare Compliance Will Be a Challenge in Post-PHE... READ MORE

This morning, September 22, 2022, Special Judge Kelsey B. Hanlon, sitting in Monroe County Circuit Court, granted a preliminary injunction against the enforcement of Senate Enrolled Act No. 1 (SB 1) by members of the Medical Licensing Board of Indiana and Prosecutors from Hendricks, Lake, Marion, Monroe, St. Joseph, Tippecanoe and Warrick counties. Notably,... READ MORE

The Department of Labor released new consumer price index (“CPI”) data. The CPI rose 8.3% over the past 12 months, down slightly from previous reports. The average household is spending $460 more each month to buy the same basket of goods and services as last year according to a Moody’s expert cited by the... READ MORE

NATIONAL 4 Health Systems Join Provider-Created Data Collective to Improve Care Amazon wants to add payer strategy muscle Full 4th Circuit to tackle Medicaid fraud standard under False Claims Act House passes reform to Medicare Advantage prior authorizations On Average, Two Nurses Are Assaulted Every Hour, New Press Ganey Analysis Finds Physician compensation trends... READ MORE

On September 2, 2022, the Office of the Inspector General (“OIG”) published a study assessing potential Medicare program integrity risks related to the proliferation of telehealth services during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. OIG identified 1,714 providers with billing practices deemed “high risk” to the Medicare program. These providers billed approximately 500,000... READ MORE

Recently, Simon et al, v. Healthsouth of Sarasota Limited Partnership, et al, the Eleventh Circuit held that for a plaintiff to qualify as engaging in “protected activity,” the plaintiff must demonstrate that they had both a subjectively reasonable belief of fraud and an objectively reasonable belief of fraud. Background The plaintiff in this action... READ MORE

Wellstar Atlanta Medical Center made a decision to close its doors effective November 1, 2022. The hospital, which incurred a $107 million loss last year, said it had been battling decreased revenue and increased staff and supply costs. The 460-bed hospital is currently one of two Level 1 Trauma Centers in Atlanta. A Federal Reserve... READ MORE

The leading driver of large employer health care costs are cancer, musculoskeletal conditions and cardiovascular disease according to a new survey of large employers across the country. Employers cover 82% of employee health care costs and health insurance costs increased 8.2% last year for large employers. The Economist released its list of the Best... READ MORE

On July 26, 2022, the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare (“CMS”) published the 2023 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OOPS) and Ambulatory Surgery Center Payment System Proposed Rule. The proposed rule includes a new exception to the prohibition on physician self-referral (“Stark Law”) and would allow for physicians to have ownership or investment interests... READ MORE