Articles and Blogs

On July 30, 2012, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) released the CY 2013 hospital outpatient prospective payment system (“OPPS”) and ambulatory surgical center (“ASC”) proposed rule (“Proposed Rule”).  This article summarizes key provisions.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) has announced that registration is now open to all suppliers interested in participating in the Round 1 Recompete of the Medicare Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (“DMEPOS”) Competitive Bidding Program. In order to submit a bid for the Round 1 Recompete, suppliers will need to first register…Read More

This installment of Hall Render’s Health Law Broadcast series on health care reform is designed to provide you with the insight, analysis and practical suggestions with respect to the various reform initiatives that will affect your organization. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) recently published an updated list of Medicare Shared Savings Program…Read More

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented changes to Internet-based PECOS to allow providers easier access to information. The following enhancements are now available:

The 2012 Consumer Health IT Summit will be held on September 10, 2012 from 10:00 am to 3:30 pm EDT at Hubert H. Humphrey Building in Washington, D.C.  Topics of discussion will include announcements about new policies and federal initiatives, creative approaches to motivate and support consumer engagement in health, and compelling consumer tools that…Read More

It is common for high level business executives, skilled professionals, physicians and other key employees to enter into employment contracts with their employers.  It is also common for these employment contracts to contain restrictive no-solicitation and no-compete provisions that prohibit these employees from competing with the employer in a defined territory and for a defined…Read More

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services Division of Quality Assurance (“DQA”) has issued DQA Memo 12-012, repealing the statewide variance permitting verbal and telephone orders to be authenticated within 48 hours.

The 2% across-the-board cut in reimbursement for Medicare providers, the result of last summer’s “Super Committee” failure, is scheduled to take place January 1, 2013.  The President recently signed legislation requiring a report detailing how the sequestration process will affect Medicare providers.  Skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) have already seen significant cuts to reimbursement; an additional…Read More

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Background A major study of the board structures, processes and cultures of large, private, nonprofit health systems in the United States has just been completed by Lawrence Prybil, Ph.D., President of Commonwealth Center for Governance Studies, Inc., and his research team, which included Rex Killian, President of Killian & Associates (“K&A”) and Of…Read More

Does this sound like a good and reasonable thing to say to an employee who has brought a complaint to your attention? “Please keep our discussions confidential while our investigation is ongoing.” Well, it may not be so good or reasonable according to the NLRB.  Employers faced with suspected employee misconduct have an obligation – in fairness…Read More