Articles and Blogs

For an update to this article, please click here. If your organization allows texting, consider recent CMS communications prohibiting all texting Hall Render has become aware that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) has been communicating to hospitals that texting is unacceptable, even through secure text messaging applications, due to concerns about the privacy…Read More

NATIONAL MedPAC finalizes recommendation to repeal MIPS WSJ: Ascension, Providence St. Joseph in merger talks Dignity Health announces merger with Colorado-based Catholic Health Initiatives Optum’s MedExpress and Walgreens team up on urgent care Improve communication, save time in practice with these methods 5 most interesting health IT partnerships this week Politics don’t change our mission:…Read More

House and Senate Republicans Reach Deal on Tax Reform On December 13, House and Senate Republicans announced they’ve reached an agreement on how to reconcile the differences between their respective tax reform bills. Although text of the legislation has not been released, reports indicate the final version will repeal the ACA’s individual mandate and keep…Read More

Under the federal Stark Law, hospitals may provide non-monetary compensation to physicians up to an aggregate amount of $407 for calendar year 2018. The dollar limit for “medical staff incidental benefits” (e.g., meals, parking and other items or incidental services that are used on the hospital’s campus) is less than $34 per occurrence. Other requirements…Read More

On November 28, 2017, the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) rescinded Advisory Opinion 06-04, which had been issued in 2006 to Caring Voice Coalition (“Requestor”), a nonprofit, tax-exempt, charitable organization. Requestor operated a patient assistance program (“PAP”) that provided financially needy Medicare beneficiaries with Medicare premium and cost-sharing assistance….Read More

Since the Senate approved the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act last Saturday, December 2, the tax reform process has turned to the appointment of a conference committee. This committee must reconcile the Senate version of the bill (“Senate Bill”) and the version that the House of Representatives passed in November (“House Bill”), with the goal of producing…Read More

NATIONAL For CMS Head, Improving Interoperability is Personal CVS agrees to buy Aetna in $69 billion deal that could shake up health-care industry Teladoc sees more than 100% growth in health systems, hospitals CMS takes aim at regulatory reforms to ease provider burden Amazon cancels pharma license application in Maine, raising more questions about its…Read More

Current Tax Reform Proposals Have Significant Implications for Health Care Industry As House and Senate conferees began working to reconcile the differences between the tax bills passed by their respective bodies, the health care industry waits to see what’s included in the final product. After failing to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”)…Read More

GOP Tax Bill Moves Forward with Individual Mandate Repeal On November 29, the Senate voted to begin debate on the GOP tax reform bill that includes repeal of the ACA’s individual mandate. Currently, at least two of the three Senate Republicans who blocked the ACA repeal and replace legislation earlier this year, Sens. John McCain…Read More

NATIONAL House Reps Aim to Stop $1.6B Hospital Payment Cut for 340B Drugs House asks HHS for plan on including bill of materials for medical devices Counting the costs: U.S. hospitals feeling the pain of physician burnout CAHs speak out against cuts to swing beds in Medicare extenders bill 13 health systems leading employment in…Read More