Articles and Blogs

On September 20, 2022, the Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced its resolution of three separate investigations against covered entity dental providers for violations of the individual’s right of access under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”). This announcement follows the... READ MORE

On Wednesday, September 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian made landfall along western Florida as a Category 4 storm, causing significant property damage, including to many health care facilities. Those damaged facilities include a hospital in Port Charlotte where winds from the hurricane tore open part of the roof for the intensive care unit and flooded... READ MORE

HHS OIG issued a report finding “significantly reduced” improper payments to acute care hospitals, as compared with prior years. OIG found that $39.3 million in Medicare Part B payments should not have been made during 2016-2021, which was a decrease from $51.6 million in improper payments during 2013-2016. CMS has claimed that aggressive corrective... READ MORE

NATIONAL 10 states with the largest decreases to travel nurse pay After court ruling for AHA in 340B case, HHS says it will start adjusting payment rates for certain 340B hospitals within approximately two weeks Congress continues funding for federal programs through Dec. 16 Congress gives rural hospitals a reprieve, for now Hospital leaders... READ MORE

Hurricane Ian forced 16 Florida hospitals to evacuate, although only a few hospitals sustained any major damage per NBC news. American Healthcare REIT plans to go public on the New York Stock Exchange. The REIT owns 313 health care facilities in the U.S. and U.K., as well as a controlling interest in Trilogy Health... READ MORE

Recently, a Hudson County, New Jersey-based health system (“Plaintiff”) filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey alleging a conspiracy, in violation of the Sherman Act, § 2, between multiple parties to monopolize the general acute care hospital services market in Hudson County, New Jersey. Of note,... READ MORE

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