Stay current on the healthcare enforcement issues impacting your business’ compliance strategies. In this installment of the Healthcare Enforcement Roundup, we address:
• Key areas of enforcement scrutiny in 2021,...more
4/2/2021
/ 1135 Waivers ,
Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Enforcement Guidance ,
Executive Orders ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
OIG ,
Private Equity ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Revocation ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
Private equity deal volume hit a low in the first half of 2020 as the pandemic slowed the US and global economies. But toward the end of the year, deals began picking back up, particularly in the digital health space. ...more
In a fourth amendment to the March 17, 2020, Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act), the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has expanded access to COVID-19 Covered Countermeasures through...more
12/9/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Countermeasures ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Fourth Amendment ,
Health Care Providers ,
Immunity ,
Licenses ,
Medical Licensure Compact ,
Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act) ,
State and Local Government ,
Telehealth
The US Department of Justice and the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General recently announced a significant healthcare fraud takedown involving $4.5 billion in allegedly false and fraudulent...more
On August 4, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule to update its payment policies under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) for calendar year 2021. The proposed rule was...more
8/14/2020
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Comment Period ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Executive Orders ,
HCPCS ,
Payment Terms ,
Physician Fee Schedule ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Skilled Nursing Facility ,
Telehealth ,
Trump Administration ,
Waivers
Prior to the pandemic, health providers and stakeholders were quickly moving to develop and expand existing telehealth programs. Now we are seeing an adoption of telehealth solutions that far surpasses all of the activity we...more
On April 30, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published an interim final rule (IFR) that made regulatory changes and clarified certain policies in response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) public health...more
As part of the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020 and Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the federal government expanded Medicare reimbursement for telehealth...more
On April 2, 2020, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched the $200 million Coronavirus (COVID-19) Telehealth Program contemplated in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The Telehealth...more
The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) stated in an FAQ on its website that prescribers may issue prescriptions for controlled substances based on a telemedicine encounter in the absence of an in-person medical...more
On March 4, 2020, the House passed the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020, a bipartisan bill to aid in COVID-19 preparedness and response. The bill includes, among other things,...more
As the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States grows, healthcare providers are stepping up their response planning. To combat the spread of COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urged...more
California Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed into law two bills that expand the delivery of telehealth services in the state. In particular, the legislation:
• Permits providers to prescribe medications without a...more
11/1/2019
/ Electronic Prescribing ,
Governor Newsom ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Insurance Contracts ,
Insurance Industry ,
Medi-Cal ,
Medicaid ,
New Legislation ,
Physicians ,
Reimbursements ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
As the telemedicine regulatory and reimbursement environment becomes more cohesive and providers and patients alike embrace technology, opportunities for telemedicine collaborations are likely to grow. Like any collaboration,...more
Telemedicine collaborations, whether between technology companies and providers, health systems and patients, or other creative partnerships we have yet to see in the industry, can present numerous benefits to our healthcare...more
Certain long-standing laws, such as the civil monetary penalty provision prohibiting patient inducements, have hampered providers’ ability to fully leverage remote patient monitoring and other telehealth tools. Many...more
As part of its efforts to provide patient-centered care and reduce costs for Medicare beneficiaries, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) have developed an Innovation Center model for ambulance care teams: Emergency...more
In 2018, even more than in recent years, federal lawmakers and regulators continued the push toward modernizing the existing legal framework to support and encourage digital health adoption in the context of care coordination...more
2/6/2019
/ ACOs ,
Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Corporate Integrity Agreement ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Health ,
Electronic Health Record Incentives ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Health Care Providers ,
Medical Devices ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Advantage ,
OIG ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Request For Information ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
On November 1, 2018, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) issued final rules for updating the 2019 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule to implement recent telehealth-related legislative reforms. As reported in our Digital...more
In an effort to address the need for increased access to behavioral health services, Illinois has passed a series of bills that meaningfully expand the reimbursement of telehealth services delivered to its Medicaid patients....more
Across the health care sector, telemedicine is naturally and strategically being integrated into health care delivery and treatment plans as targeted and efficient solutions to specific health issues by hospitals, medical...more
As the telemedicine landscape continues to evolve and new capabilities come to bear, those working in the industry will face a diverse mix of legal and regulatory hurdles as stakeholders begin to leverage new avenues and...more
What if you didn’t have to take time out of your day to see a physician in person when you needed a prescription? What if a diagnosis could be delivered over video chat? What if your psychiatrist was available at the press of...more
The explosion in digital health solutions that connect consumers with licensed health care providers (e.g., nurses, nutritionists, physicians) and laypersons who have certain informal training (e.g., wellness guide, lifestyle...more
This past fall, after months of speculation, President Trump declared the opioid crisis sweeping the United States a national public health emergency. Upon the president’s declaration, Acting Health and Human Services...more