Showing 31 posts from 2013.
HIPAA Changes Taking Effect; Are You Ready?
With the HIPAA changes taking effect in September of 2013, many health care providers are scrambling to update notices and policies to become compliant. One such notice that needs to be updated is the Notice of Privacy Practices. Read More ›
Categories: HIPAA
Omnicare Settles Whistleblower Lawsuit Alleging Kickback Scheme With Nursing Homes
Omnicare Inc., the nation's largest dispenser of prescription drugs in nursing homes, announced on October 23, 2013, that it has agreed to pay $120 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit alleging kickbacks to nursing homes.
The whistleblower in the case, an Ohio pharmacist named Donald Gale, worked for Omnicare from 1993 until 2010. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Cleveland in 2010, accused Omnicare of giving discounts for prescription drugs to nursing homes for certain Medicare patients in return for referrals of other patients at higher prices paid for by the federal government. Read More ›
Categories: Billing/Payment, Fraud & Abuse, Medicare/Medicaid, Pharmacy, Providers
The Michigan Health Insurance Marketplace: How did the Rollout Go?
Technical glitches. Partisan rancor. Breathless media coverage. The rollout of the online Health Insurance Marketplaces (also known as Exchanges) did not lack for drama or controversy. The unveiling of the Marketplaces, one of the key elements of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, was perhaps the most anticipated and controversial website launch in history. The website www.healthcare.gov was flooded with traffic from the moment it opened on October 1, 2013 and many interested consumers ran into trouble. While most of the extensive media coverage of the Marketplaces focused on problems nationally, we wanted to take a look at how Michigan’s Marketplace (and consumers) fared. Read More ›
Categories: Health Care Reform, Health Insurance Exchange
FDA Issues Final Guidance on Mobile Medical Apps
On September 23, 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued final guidance governing the development of mobile medical apps. The FDA will focus its oversight on apps that it deems potentially harmful to consumers if they do not function properly. This, therefore, largely excludes the majority of medically-oriented mobile apps currently on the market as they pose minimal risk to consumers. Read More ›
Categories: Regulatory
Notice of Insurance Marketplace - Due Date Approaching
An October 1, 2013 deadline is looming for many employers to give employees written notices under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA, commonly known as the health care reform act.) Read More ›
Categories: Health Care Reform
Michigan Senate Approves Medicaid Expansion
The Michigan Medicaid expansion saga has seemingly come to an end, as the Republican-led state Senate narrowly approved Medicaid expansion on Tuesday, August 27 in a 20-18 vote. Eight Republicans joined 12 Democrats to pass a bill that will bring billions of dollars in federal dollars to Michigan to implement a major element of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Under this bill, approximately 400,000 additional Michigan residents will be eligible for Medicaid coverage.
The vote came after lengthy debate in the Senate on the measure, and passed after "eleventh hour" legislative maneuvering. The Michigan House, which previously passed a Medicaid expansion bill, will likely approve the Senate version of the bill next week. If passed, it will be sent to Governor Snyder's desk for his signature.
Categories: Health Care Reform, Medicare/Medicaid, Providers
Michigan Senate Panel Moves Three Alternative Medicaid Bills Out of Committee
In early July, we updated our readers regarding the status of the Medicaid expansion debate in Michigan. At that time, a House-passed bill - supported by Governor Snyder - languished in a Senate committee because it was blocked by Senate Republicans who opposed the measure. Get an update ›
Categories: Health Care Reform, Medicare/Medicaid, Regulatory
NPDB Guide for Reporting Clinical Privileges Actions
The National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) has published a quick guide to assist hospitals and health care entities in reporting actions that adversely affect clinical privileges held by physicians, dentists and other health professionals.
The guide (We have identified that the following link is no longer active, and it has been removed) lists several “reporting scenarios” and indicates the type of report that may be required (initial adverse action report, revision-to-action report, correction report, or no report). The guide also summarizes the reasons for voiding a previous report (report was erroneously submitted, action was not reportable, or action was reversed or overturned).
The guide is a helpful starting point for a hospital or health care entity that is involved in a privileging action. However, the scope and timing of reporting requirements under the NPDB regulations can be quite complex. Considering the very serious implications from reporting—or not reporting—an adverse privileging action, it would be prudent to only use the guide as a quick reference and not as a decision-making tool.
If you have any questions about the guide, please contact Richard Kraus at 517.371.8104 or by using the email form below.
Categories: Hospitals, Physicians
Health Care Providers Face Steep Penalties for Medicare/Medicaid Fraud
So far, July has been a busy month for health care fraud enforcement across the country.
On July 18, Divyesh Patel, owner of Alpine Nursing Care Inc. in North Randall, Ohio, was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and four counts of health care fraud. Patel was also ordered to pay total restitution of $1,939,864 to the Medicaid Program in Ohio. According to court documents, Patel hired Belita Mable Bush as the office manager despite knowing that Bush had been convicted of a health care-related felony and excluded from involvement in billing federal health care programs. From June 1, 2006 to October 18, 2009, Patel conspired with Bush to defraud Medicaid by billing for services that had never been performed or that had been performed by excluded individuals. The conspiracy resulted in losses of approximately $1.9 million to the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Bush was convicted on similar charges and will be sentenced next month. Read about more cases ›
Categories: Fraud & Abuse, Health Care Reform, Hospitals, Medicare/Medicaid, Physicians
Pioneer ACOs Find Blazing New Trails Isn't Always Easy
According to a recent Modern Healthcare article, up to 9 of the 32 Pioneer Accountable Care Organizations ("ACOs") may be leaving the program. Four have already notified providers of such withdrawal. Of the 9, 4 of the departing ACOs tentatively say they will be joining Medicare's lower- risk ACO alternative – the Medicare shared savings program. The deadline for deciding whether or not to remain in the Pioneer program is July 31, 2013. Read More ›
Categories: Accountable Care Organizations, Health Care Reform, Hospitals, Medicare/Medicaid, Physicians
Categories
- Audits
- News & Events
- Employment
- Health Care Reform
- Regulations
- Legislative Updates
- Patents
- Medicaid Planning
- Hospitals
- Licensing
- COVID-19 and Workers' Compensation
- Insurance
- Contracts
- Did you Know?
- Lawsuit
- Billing/Payment
- Criminal
- Employee Benefits
- Long-Term Care
- HITECH Act
- Pharmacy
- Cybersecurity
- Privacy
- Providers
- Electronic Health Records
- Retirement
- Digital Assets
- Physicians
- Regulatory
- Medicare
- Tax
- 6th Circuit Court of Appeals
- Accountable Care Organizations
- Compliance
- Affordable Care Act
- Health Insurance Exchange
- HIPAA
- Hospice
- Medicare/Medicaid
- Labor Relations
- Technology
- Department of Labor
- Fraud & Abuse
- Alerts and Updates
- News
- Workers' Compensation
Best Lawyers® 2021
Congratulations to the attorneys of the Health Care practice group at Foster Swift Collins & Smith, PC for their inclusion in the Best Lawyers in America 2021 edition. Firm-wide, 44 lawyers were listed. Best Lawyers lists are compiled based on an exhaustive peer-review evaluation and as lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed; inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. Health Care practice group members listed in Best Lawyers are as follows:
- Jennifer B. Van Regenmorter, Holland
To see the full list of Foster Swift attorneys listed in Best Lawyers 2021, click here.