Articles and Blogs

The Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (OIG) recently unveiled the use of a new tool called the Fraud Risk Indicator. OIG’s stated purpose behind this new initiative is to provide more transparency to industry stakeholders (e.g., patients, family members, healthcare industry professionals) regarding OIG’s risk assessment of a party…Read More

We continue to receive questions regarding the future of the 340B drug discount program (“340B Program”) now that its mid-term longevity is no longer in doubt. These include whether Congress will continue to focus on limiting the 340B Program’s scope as well as what effect, if any, broader efforts to reduce drug costs might have….Read More

Summary In a February 2019 report, No. A-01-17-00506, HHS Office of the Inspector General (“OIG”) determined that Medicare made Part B payments to ambulance suppliers for transportation services that were covered through the Medicare Part A payments to skilled nursing facilities (“SNF”) as part of consolidated billing requirements. With certain exceptions, the SNF Part A…Read More

NATIONAL AMA teams up with biotech incubator to connect physicians with startups Amazon Alexa is luring health developers, but it will be a while before we use it to call a doctor Telemedicine may be leading to the overprescribing of antibiotics HHS to audit plans for compliance with HIPAA transactions It’s a Brave New World…Read More

Summary On February 14, 2019, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (“CMMI”) launched a new five-year payment model for emergency ambulance services named the Emergency Triage, Treat and Transport Model (“ET3”). ET3 will enable participating ambulance providers and suppliers (“Ambulance Providers”) to partner with qualified health…Read More

New Jersey’s Law Mirrors Michigan’s and That of Other States Must employers accommodate off-duty use of marijuana? A recent appellate decision in New Jersey serves as a warning to Michigan employers about that question and even raises the specter of having to accommodate positive drug tests for non-disabled employees and applicants. For health care employers…Read More

As more hospitals and hospital systems merge and consolidate, as well as focus their time and attention on providing more outpatient care, recent market trends suggest adaptive reuse projects will become increasingly relevant to health care providers. As a follow-up to a recent Hall Render article defining “adaptive reuse” and outlining the incentives and challenges associated…Read More

Congressional Leaders Discuss Health Care Priorities Congress’ top leaders, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), announced they are not embracing “Medicare for All” as a priority at the American Hospital Association’s annual Washington conference. Both leaders reinforced that each chamber will pursue largely separate health care agendas in the…Read More

NATIONAL Hospitals add 13,600 jobs in March Walmart increasingly comparing physicians over cost 10 CEOs reshaping healthcare: Forbes What the HIPAA-compliant Alexa skills mean for the future of voice in healthcare PBM group says HHS drug rebate proposal would increase costs more than predicted The Best Places to Work in Health Care and Biopharma CMMI’s…Read More

Health Cost Reduction Package Slated for Summer Release Speaking on the Senate floor on Thursday, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (“HELP”) Committee, said he plans to move a wide-ranging legislative package through his panel seeking to curb health care costs. Sen. Alexander, along with HELP ranking member Sen….Read More