Category: Uncategorized

HHS revamps Stark law rules to protect value-based payments, coordinated care

HHS revamps Stark law rules to protect value-based payments, coordinated care

October 09, 2019 Michael Brady and Erica Teichert   HHS on Wednesday unveiled its long-awaited proposal to change enforcement of anti-kickback laws, suggesting value-based payments and coordinated care should not fall under the Stark law’s purview. In two proposed rules from the CMS and HHS’ Office of Inspector General, the agencies said the kickback protections […]

Dental Practice Pays $10,000 to Settle Social Media Disclosures of Patients’ Protected Health Information

Dental Practice Pays $10,000 to Settle Social Media Disclosures of Patients’ Protected Health Information

October 2, 2019 Elite Dental Associates, Dallas (“Elite”) has agreed to pay $10,000 to the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and to adopt a corrective action plan to settle potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule.  Elite is a privately-owned […]

HHS Secretary Azar Statement on 2020 Medicare Advantage Rate Decrease

HHS Secretary Azar Statement on 2020 Medicare Advantage Rate Decrease

Ahead of this fall’s Medicare Open Enrollment, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced on Tuesday that, on average, Medicare Advantage premiums in 2020 are expected to decline 23 percent from 2018 while plan choices, benefits and enrollment continue to increase. HHS Secretary Alex Azar issued the following statement: “President Trump has promised American […]

Court win may not solve hospitals’ site-neutral pay problem

Court win may not solve hospitals’ site-neutral pay problem

September 18, 2019 SUSANNAH LUTHI   While hospitals groups have welcomed a federal judge’s ruling against the CMS’ expansion of site-neutral payments for basic doctor’s visits, some analysts see it as a short-term solution that can’t survive as a long-term strategy. U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer’s ruling Tuesday sealed the divide between the Trump administration and hospitals in […]

Nevada readying return to state-run health insurance website

Nevada readying return to state-run health insurance website

September 05, 2019 Associated Press After relying on the federal HealthCare.gov website for five years, Nevada officials are preparing to switch back to a state-run insurance website where people can shop for and enroll in health coverage. The online insurance marketplaces are a hallmark of former President Barack Obama’s healthcare law, allowing those who aren’t […]

Johnson & Johnson ordered to pay $572M over opioid crisis

Johnson & Johnson ordered to pay $572M over opioid crisis

August 26, 2019 SUSANNAH LUTHI  An Oklahoma state judge on Monday ruled that Johnson & Johnson fed the state’s opioid addiction crisis with aggressive marketing and sales, ordering the company to pay $572 million. The manufacturers’ “false, misleading and dangerous marketing campaigns have caused exponentially increasing rates of addiction overdose deaths and Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome,” […]

CMS will change hospital star ratings methodology in 2021

CMS will change hospital star ratings methodology in 2021

August 19, 2019 11:28 AM MARIA CASTELLUCCI  The CMS announced Monday that it plans to change the controversial methodology used for its hospital star ratings in early 2021. The agency didn’t disclose specific details about what the changes will entail but it will propose them through public rulemaking some time next year. Plans to alter […]

Maria Nutile recognized by Best Lawyers® for her work in Health Care Law

Maria Nutile recognized by Best Lawyers® for her work in Health Care Law

Best Lawyers Names Top Lawyers in America AUGUSTA, Ga., Aug. 15, 2019 Maria Nutile was recently selected by her peers for inclusion in the 26th Edition of The Best Lawyers in America for her work in Health Care Law. Best Lawyers®, the only purely peer-review™ guide to the legal profession, announced the 2020 Edition of […]