Articles and Blogs

Executive Summary On April 16, 2014, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (“OIG”) released Report A-05-12-00020 entitled “Medicare and Beneficiaries Could Save Billions If CMS Reduces Hospital Outpatient Department Payment Rates For Ambulatory Surgical Center-Approved Procedures To Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment Rates” (“Report”) – a Report title that is…Read More

Executive Summary On March 10, 2014, the Indiana Board of Pharmacy (“Board”) issued guidance regarding pharmacists’ “corresponding responsibility” in relation to the Medical Licensing Board’s new emergency rule concerning prescribing controlled substances for pain management treatment (“Rule“).1 The Board’s Corresponding Responsibility Guidance (“Guidance“)2 clarifies that the Rule does not place any new requirements on pharmacists…Read More

On April 22, 2014, the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) announced that it reached settlements with two covered entities arising from alleged violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”) Privacy and Security Rules.  Both settlements involve the theft of unencrypted laptops and follow investigations in which the Office for Civil…Read More

During the recently concluded 2014 tax filing season, it appears that an unusually large number of health care professionals in Indiana, as well as several other states, were victims of an increasingly common form of identity theft: tax return refund fraud.  Even though the 2014 tax filing season has ended, all taxpayers, and especially health…Read More

On April 21, 2014, Indiana’s Family and Social Services Administration (“FSSA”) offered a webinar for nursing facilities to provide additional information on Indiana’s Medicaid changes and Qualified Income Trusts (also known as Miller Trusts).

In Watertown Regional Medical Center, Inc. v. General Casualty Insurance Company, 2013AP2324 and 2013AP2511 (April 17, 2014) (recommended for publication), the Wisconsin Court of Appeals confronted the issue of who is liable for the impairment of a hospital lien when personal injury settlement proceeds are disbursed to the injured patient without first having been used…Read More

On April 8, 2014, President Obama signed a new Executive Order prohibiting federal contractors from discriminating or retaliating against employees who discuss their compensation.  On the same date, President Obama also issued a Presidential Memorandum directing the Secretary of Labor to issue new rules governing the collection of summary compensation data from federal contractors. 

Indiana’s Family and Social Services Administration continues its efforts to communicate, address and refine questions and issues related to the upcoming Medicaid coverage changes. 

CMS Will Create Five-Star Ratings for Hospitals and Other Health Providers The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) recently announced it will create a five-star rating system for hospitals, home health agencies and dialysis providers.  CMS plans to begin publishing star ratings by the end of 2014 or early 2015.  The ratings will be published…Read More

Indiana’s Family and Social Services Administration continues its efforts to communicate, address and refine questions and issues related to the upcoming Medicaid coverage changes.