Effective April 9, 2014, Microsoft will no longer provide technical support or security updates for the Windows XP operating system. According to Microsoft, personal computers running Windows XP after April 8, 2014 should not...more
We previously reported that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ("HHS") has discouraged hospitals and other third parties from paying patients' premiums or cost-sharing. HHS stated in its November 4, 2013 FAQ...more
On February 6, 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (HHS OCR) issued a final rule amending the Clinical Laboratory Improvement...more
On December 31, 2013, the Federal Trade Commission ("FTC") announced that Accretive Health, Inc., ("Accretive") agreed to settle charges that the company's inadequate data security measures exposed sensitive consumer...more
In what is reported to be the largest repayment to date involving "meaningful use" incentive payments, Naples, Florida-based Health Management Associates, Inc. ("HMA"), with 71 inpatient facilities in 15 states, including...more
In the wake of a recent U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General ("OIG") investigation, physicians with ownership interests in medical device distributorships and hospitals should prepare for...more
This has been a busy week for the Department of Health and Human Services / Office for Civil Rights (HHS/OCR). It has started releasing guidance on various provisions of the Omnibus HIPAA final rule (the "Final Rule") in...more
On May 8, 2013, a jury sitting in the U.S. District Court for South Carolina found that Tuomey Healthcare System, Inc. violated the Stark Law and the False Claims Act (FCA) by illegally paying referring physicians. The jury...more
On January 25, 2013, the Department of Health and Human Services/Office for Civil Rights (HHS/OCR) published in the Federal Register (78 Fed. Reg. 5566) the long-awaited final rule titled Modifications to the HIPAA Privacy,...more
Many important aspects of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ("ACA") will go into effect in 2014, including the implementation of health insurance exchanges, and the requirement for certain employers to offer...more
On November 20, 2012, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published proposed rules to implement several key areas of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)....more