On August 6, 2015, the Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) issued Advisory Opinion No. 15-12 (available here) regarding a home health provider (the “Requester”) offering free introductory visits to patients who have chosen it for home health care. The OIG concluded that this arrangement does not violate the federal Anti-Kickback Statute (“AKS”). Under the proposed […]
On July 8, 2015, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule containing major provisions relating to the Physician Self-Referral Law (i.e., the Stark Law) and its exceptions. CMS states that the purpose of the Stark proposals is: “to accommodate delivery and payment system reform, to reduce burden, and to facilitate […]
On April 20, 2015, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General, in partnership with the American Health Lawyers Association and the Association of Healthcare Internal Auditors, published Practical Guidance for Health Care Governing Boards on Compliance Oversight, which describes the OIG’s expectations of the compliance oversight role healthcare governing boards (e.g., […]
June 25, 2015 On June 18, 2015, the United States Supreme Court decided the case of King, et al. v. Burwell, Secretary of Health and Human Services, et al., upholding federal subsidies for taxpayers who buy health insurance on the federal government’s healthcare.gov webpage. The potential loss of the subsidies was seen by commentators as […]
On June 18, 2015, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) arrested 243 individuals for allegedly participating in Medicare/Medicaid fraud schemes. The government claims that combined, the cases involve $712 million in supposedly false billings. As part of the sweep, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (“CMS”) also suspended a number of providers’ […]
At the American Bar Association’s Physician Legal Issues Conference, Celeste Davis, Esq., of the Office for Civil Rights announced that, effective Monday, June 15, 2015, the Kansas City branch of the Office for Civil Rights will consolidate with the Chicago branch to form the new Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, […]
Recently, pharmacies (specifically compounding pharmacies) across the country have begun receiving letters from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) notifying them that the pharmacy is being investigated for fraud under the False Claims Act for knowingly billing for drugs that were not medically necessary. Industry insiders have reported that, just yesterday (on 5/21/2015), at least […]
We invite you to join Adrienne Dresevic, Esq., and Clinton Mikel, Esq., at the American Bar Association’s Physicians Legal Issues Conference on June 10-12th in Chicago, Illinois. This annual conference is attended by both attorneys and physicians and is held in conjunction with the Chicago Medical Society and the American Association for Physician Leadership. This […]
On May 7, 2015, Michigan Senator Mike Kowall (R-White Lake) introduced legislation that would allow hospitals more flexibility in determining the best anesthesia delivery model for their patient’s needs. While certified registered nurse anesthetists (“CRNAs”) provide the anesthesia care during most patient procedures – staying with the patient throughout the entire procedure – Michigan law […]
Congratulations to Founding Shareholder, Adrienne Dresevic, nominated to once again serve on Council for the ABA Health Law Section. Nominations will be voted on by the membership at the Annual Meeting, August 2. Continue Reading →
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