Articles and Blogs

In 2016, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (“SAMHSA”) National Survey on Drug Use and Health estimated that 11.8 million people misused opioids, including prescription pain relievers and heroin. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for 2016 is estimating that drug overdose deaths, most of them due to opioids, will exceed 60,000….Read More

On September 20, 2017, the Michigan Senate Committee on Health Policy recommended Senate Bill 541 (2017) (the “Bill”), which would authorize licensure for dental therapists in Michigan. The Bill would allow licensed dental therapists to perform certain dental services under the supervision of a dentist pursuant to a written practice agreement. Specifically, the Bill would…Read More

Senate Prepares for Graham-Cassidy ACA Repeal Vote Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced this week that he intends to hold a vote on the Graham-Cassidy bill next week. The intended vote would come just days before the September 30 deadline to repeal and replace the ACA through reconciliation, which allows the Senate to pass…Read More

NATIONAL 3 biggest opportunities for ASCs today and 4 healthcare reforms that will affect ASCs most in the future Why blockchain could transform the very nature of EHRs Economists: 3 takeaways from failed insurer mega-mergers Physician practice valuations: 14 things for health system leaders to know Hospitals could save about $10 million a year in…Read More

The Tenth Circuit’s recent decision in United States ex rel. Little v. Triumph Gear Sys., Inc. refines its definition of “intervene” in light of the Supreme Court’s decision in United States ex rel. Eisenstein v. City of New York. In doing so, the Tenth Circuit also seems to indicate that the original filing by the…Read More

On September 6, 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) published final guidance (“Guidance”) summarizing its recommendations for medical devices that are connected to each other and to other technology (“interoperable medical devices”). The Guidance finalizes preliminary guidance from January 2016 and is intended to encourage rapid innovation in the marketplace by allowing effective…Read More

On February 8, 2017, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas issued an order requiring a hospital “to immediately submit to the National Practitioners Data Bank a Void Report” regarding a physician whose clinical privileges were restricted by the hospital’s medical executive committee (“MEC”), which resulted in a report to the National…Read More

Ways and Means Advances Hall Render’s Stark Initiative On September 13, the House Ways & Means Committee advanced three health care bills, including a revised version of the Stark Administrative Simplification Act of 2017 (H.R. 3726). The bipartisan bill, which passed unanimously, is the product of the coalition of hospitals and health systems created by…Read More

NATIONAL Malpractice fears are the No. 1 cause of overtreatment, physicians say Telehealth May Ease Docs into ACOs, MedPAC Suggests Survey: Few specialty practices prepared for MACRA Physician groups find both good and bad in the details of the proposed fee schedule AHA concerned with physician fee schedule for 2018 Total Cost of Care: Key…Read More

On April 6, 2017, Governor Hickenlooper signed into law Senate Bill 17-065, which created the Transparency in Health Care Prices Act (“Act”). The legislation passed with bipartisan support from members of the Colorado Legislature. The law will take effect on January 1, 2018, imposing pricing transparency requirements on health care providers and facilities. The Act…Read More