February 23, 2023
NONA TEPPER
Humana will leave the commercial health insurance market and focus its efforts on government-sponsored products such as Medicare Advantage, the company announced Thursday.
Category: News
Virtual prescribing of controlled substances is in limbo as PHE winds down
February 06, 2023
GABRIEL PERNA
The coming end of the COVID-19 public health emergency and pandemic-era telehealth flexibilities could rattle an already besieged behavioral health system and force providers to make ethical decisions.
The public health emergency, which President Biden will end May 11, allowed clinicians to prescribe controlled substance medications via telehealth without an office visit. The 2008 Ryan Haight Act, which temporarily waived the office visit requirement, allowed providers to treat a larger population of behavioral health patients more efficiently because they could prescribe and see patients remotely.
CMS finalizes RADV rule, leave MA plans on the hook for billions
January 30, 2023
LAUREN BERRYMAN
Medicare Advantage carriers will be on the hook for errors made in diagnostic coding reaching back to 2018 under a final rule the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued Monday.
The Medicare Risk Adjustment Data Validation, or RADV, regulation took five years to complete after its draft version published in 2018 and attracted vehement opposition from the health insurance industry.
FBI infiltrates ransomware gang that targeted hospitals
January 26, 2023
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The FBI and international partners have at least temporarily disrupted the network of a prolific ransomware gang they infiltrated last year, saving victims including hospitals and school districts a potential $130 million in ransom payments, Attorney General Merrick Garland and other U.S. officials announced Thursday.
FTC proposes ban on employee noncompete clauses
January 05, 2023
ALEX KACIK
The Federal Trade Commission seeks to ban noncompete clauses, contract provisions used by many healthcare employers that allegedly suppress wages, limit innovation and deter new businesses, through a proposed rule published Thursday.
CommonSpirit Health sued over data breach involving 600,000 patients
January 04, 2023
CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
Katherine Davis
Chicago-based Catholic hospital chain CommonSpirit Health has been hit with a proposed class-action lawsuit over its month-long data breach at the end of last year that impacted more than 600,000 patients.
The headwinds facing group Medicare Advantage growth
January 02, 2023
NONA TEPPER
New York City’s struggle to switch more than a quarter-million retired government workers and their dependents from traditional Medicare to private health insurance could set an alarming precedent for employers and insurers banking on the fast-growing group Medicare Advantage program.
Wishing You Peace, Love, and Joy this Holiday Season
Nutile Law wishes all of our clients and their families a safe and Joyous Holiday Season filled with peace and love.
How nonprofits help millions tackle their medical debt
December 22, 2022
Associated Press
Nikiesha Barnett had knee surgery in 2006 and took unpaid leave from her job as a Georgia hospital coordinator while she was recovering. When Barnett wasn’t able to keep up with the payments for the surgery, she ended up owing about $4,500.
CMS makes big changes to Medicare Shared Savings Program
November 01, 2022
NONA TEPPER
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will invest in rural and underserved accountable care organizations and introduce more flexibility to the Medicare Shared Savings Program with the aim of kickstarting stalled enrollment and bridging health equity gaps.