Articles and Blogs

On December 21, 2011, the National Labor Relations Board adopted a final rule amending its election case procedures to reduce unnecessary litigation and delays. The rule will be published in the Federal Register on Thursday, December 22, 2011 and is due to take effect on April 30, 2012. The Rule Will Speed Up Union Elections This new…Read More

Both the House and the Senate have now approved language in the National Defense Authorization Act, which, if it becomes law, appears to exempt TRICARE network providers from having to comply with burdensome affirmative action obligations.  (This article is a follow-up to the December 9, 2011 Employment Law News, available here.) House and Senate Versions Reconciled…Read More

Executive Summary Under the Federal Stark Law, for calendar year 2012, hospitals may provide non-monetary compensation to physicians up to an aggregate amount of $373.  The dollar limit for “medical staff incidental benefits” (e.g., meals, parking, other items or incidental services that are used on the hospital’s campus) increases slightly for 2012 to less than $31…Read More

Wisconsin Act 70 makes major changes to Wisconsin Statutes that regulate nursing homes and facilities that serve individuals with developmental disabilities. Signed into law on November 16, 2011 and effective December 2, 2011, the Act benefits federally certified nursing homes in the form of reduced fines and all nursing homes and facilities serving the developmentally disabled…Read More

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) has recently instructed contractors to reopen certain claims that were previously denied for failure to meet the “face-to-face” requirements in certain circumstances and assuming all content requirements of the certification and the face-to-face documentation are otherwise met.  It came to CMS’ attention that certain claims were being…Read More

Earlier this month, the Senate passed the National Defense Authorization bill (S. 1867), which contains a provision that exempts certain TRICARE network providers from jurisdiction by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP).  If it becomes law, this provision will undo the OFCCP’s recent efforts to require health care providers that participate in TRICARE…Read More

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently announced cost-of-living adjustments to the applicable dollar limits for various employer-sponsored retirement and welfare benefit plans for 2012.  For the first time since 2009, the IRS has increased many employee benefit plan limits.  As a result, employers should update payroll and plan administration systems accordingly and review plan-related documents…Read More

On December 2, 2011, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) issued a Program Memorandum (“Memorandum”) clarifying equipment maintenance requirements for hospitals.  More specifically, the Memorandum addresses:  (1) alternate equipment maintenance schedules that are permitted in some instances; and (2) alternative equipment maintenance methods that are not permitted. The Medicare condition of participation for…Read More

On November 30, 2011, Daniel R. Levinson, Inspector General, appeared before the Special Committee on Aging, and testified regarding the Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) findings pertaining to the use of atypical antipsychotic drugs by nursing home residents. The OIG hired psychiatrists who are experts in treating elderly patients to review a sample of 2007…Read More

Can an incompetent, and ultimately dismissed, False Claims Act Complaint bar a future complaint under the FCA’s “first to file rule?” The Court of Appeals in Washington D.C. answered the question for the first time on November 4, 2011. Can a settlement agreement between an employer and an employee force dismissal of the employee’s whistleblower…Read More