The Medicare Recovery Audit Contractor (“RAC”) program has a strong supporter in President Obama. On March 10, 2010, Obama signed a White House Memorandum, which states his support of the use of “high-tech bounty hunters,” such as RACs and Medicaid Integrity Contractors (“MICs”), to help root out health care fraud…
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (“ONC”), an office of the Department of Health and Human Services, released a proposed rule creating a program to certify electronic health records (“EHR”) systems. The rule creates both a temporary and a permanent certification system, designed to assure users…
Rep. Sander Levin, an expert on trade issues, has been tapped to take over the House Ways and Means Committee after Rangel stepped down and Rep. Pete Stark stepped aside. It has been widely reported that concerns by fellow members of the House Ways and Means Committee over Rep. Pete…
As HLP previously reported, in December, CMS issued MLN Matter 6740 announcing that consultation codes would no longer be used to reflect the different locations where services were provided. This week, CMS issued additional guidance regarding billing for those services that would previously been coded as consultations. This guidance includes…
Recent Medicare regulations regarding ownership changes for HHAs have been the source of controversy and confusion. After numerous attempts by HLP founding partner Robert Iwrey, Esq. to obtain clarification regarding enforcement of these regs, Rob was pleased to receive an email this morning from Frank Whelan, a CMS adminstrator with…
Yesterday House Speaker Nancy Pelosi selected Congressman Pete Stark of California to head the powerful Ways and Means Committee, replacing New York Congressman Charlie Rangel, who has stepped aside temporarily amid ethics investigations. Stark is best known in health care for first proposing what is now known as “the Stark…
Physician reimbursement under the Medicare program will not face a 21% cut, at least not for the next 30 days. Yesterday, on March 2, 2010, the Senate passed the Temporary Extension Act of 2010 (H.R. 4691, 111th Cong. § 5 (2010)), which postponed the effective date of a planned 21%…
One of HLP’s founding partners, Adrienne Dresevic, Esq., who specializes in Stark and fraud & abuse analysis, published a new article in the latest issue of the RBMA Bulletin, a publication of the Radiology Business Management Association. Adrienne’s article, entitled “Key Regulations Impacting Marketing: Entertainment and Gifts,” explains the regulatory…
On February 22, The Health Law Partners, P.C. (“The HLP”) posted a blog urging our clients and friends to help prevent a proposed 21% reduction in Medicare reimbursement. On February 28, the short-term Medicare physician payment freeze expired, triggering the 21% reduction in Medicare reimbursement. Congress is expected to vote…
Following the leads of a number of other States, including New York, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm has issued an Executive Order creating an independent Office of Health Services Inspector General (the “OHSIG”). According to the Executive Order, OHSIG, which will be organized as an independent and autonomous entity within the…