The New Health Care Law Reform Bill & PPACA | Foster Swift

Hospice Provider Agrees to Pay $75 Million to Settle False Claims Act Lawsuit

Julie LaVille Hamlet, Jennifer B. Van Regenmorter — Mon, 04 Dec 2017 09:00:01 -0500

Chemed Corporation and various of its subsidiaries, including Vitas Hospice Services LLC and Vitas Healthcare Corporation (collectively “Vitas”), recently settled allegations brought by the federal government that Vitas violated the False Claims Act by submitting to Medicare false claims for hospice services.

IRS Revokes Hospital's Tax-Exempt Status for Noncompliance with Affordable Care Act

Julie LaVille Hamlet, Jennifer B. Van Regenmorter — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 09:00:02 -0500

Earlier this year, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) revoked the tax exempt status of an unidentified hospital for failing to comply with the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Can a Non-Physician Own and Operate a Medical Facility in Michigan?

Julie LaVille Hamlet — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 09:00:03 -0400

An interesting case is winding its way through the Michigan Court of Appeals that involves the question of whether a layperson, as opposed to a licensed physician, can own a for-profit business that provides medical services.

IRS Announces 2018 HSA Contribution Limits, Out-of-Pocket Maximums and HDHP Minimum Deductibles

Mindi M. Johnson — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 09:00:04 -0400

The Internal Revenue Service recently released the 2018 cost-of-living adjusted amounts related to health savings account (“HSA”) contribution limits, out-of-pocket maximums and high deductible health plan (“HDHP”) deductibles. Each of the cost-of-living adjusted amounts is set forth below.

OIG Report Could Trigger Increased CMS Oversight of Skilled Nursing Facilities

Julie LaVille Hamlet, Jennifer B. Van Regenmorter — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 09:00:05 -0400

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services ("HHS") Office of Inspector General ("OIG") recently issued a preliminary report regarding quality-of-care concerns at skilled nursing facilities ("SNFs"). The report was issued in connection with the OIG's ongoing review of potential abuse and neglect of Medicare beneficiaries in SNFs.

OIG Recommends Audits of Meaningful Use Incentive Payments

Julie LaVille Hamlet — Tue, 29 Aug 2017 09:00:06 -0400

In order to encourage health providers to use electronic medical records (“EHRs”) in lieu of paper records, Congress passed the Medicare and Medicaid Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (“HITECH Act”) in 2009.

HHS Office for Civil Rights Publishes Checklist for HIPAA Covered Entities Responding to Cybersecurity Incidents

Taylor A. Gast — Wed, 09 Aug 2017 09:00:07 -0400

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's Office for Civil Rights ("OCR") recently published guidance for entities covered by HIPAA, entitled "My entity just experienced a cyber-attack! What do we do now?"

CMS Extends Home Health Agency Enrollment Moratorium for Six Months

Julie LaVille Hamlet, Jennifer B. Van Regenmorter — Mon, 31 Jul 2017 09:00:08 -0400

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ("CMS") recently extended the temporary moratorium on the Medicare enrollment of new home health agencies ("HHAs"), subunits, and branch locations in Michigan.

CMS Delays Enforcement of Nursing Home Mega Rule

Julie LaVille Hamlet, Jennifer B. Van Regenmorter — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 09:00:09 -0400

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ("CMS") recently announced that they will delay enforcement penalties related to Phase 2 of their revised nursing home Requirements for Participation (commonly referred to in the industry as the "Mega Rule").

Top Health Care Trends in 2017-Part 1: Pricing and Reimbursement

Fri, 07 Jul 2017 09:00:10 -0400

For the past decade, health care has remained one of the most tumultuous and dynamic industries; uncertainty, along with opportunity, are likely to continue in 2017. This three-part series will discuss some of the most important health care trends. This section will focus on some of the largest factors affecting costs and reimbursement in health care: 1) MACRA Implementation; 2) Medicaid Reimbursement; 3) Shifting Payment Models; and 4) Drug Pricing.