The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have issued new Conditions of Participation (CoP) for home health agencies (HHA) that are effective January 13, 2018. The CoP were originally scheduled to take effect on...more
The bipartisan state budget became law yesterday (the “Budget Act”). While Governor Malloy vetoed a provision requiring supplemental payments to hospitals, the Budget Act includes numerous other provisions affecting the...more
Almost every state, including Connecticut, recognizes the doctrine of employment-at-will, meaning that in the absence of a contractual provision to the contrary, the employer or the employee can terminate the employment...more
Now that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have published a Final Rule delaying the effective date of the revised Medicare Conditions of Participation (CoP) for home health agencies (HHAs) until January 13,...more
Home health agencies (HHAs) can breathe a sigh of relief now that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have published a Final Rule delaying the effective date of the revised Medicare Conditions of Participation...more
According to a recent US Government Interagency report, ransomware is the fastest growing malware threat, targeting users of all types, including health care facilities. This past spring, for example, the WannaCry ransomware...more
7/11/2017
/ Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Hackers ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Malware ,
OCR ,
PHI ,
Popular ,
Ransomware
This is the second of two blogs covering the law governing unpaid interns and volunteers. Our first blog reviewed the basic criteria for determining whether a worker can properly be considered an unpaid intern or volunteer....more
It’s that time of year again when employers who take on interns and volunteers for the summer are reminded that they must comply with federal and state wage and hour laws. There have been a few new developments in the law...more
The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) generally prohibits employers from retaliating against employees based on their union-related activities or for taking concerted action to improve the terms and conditions of their...more
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) recently affirmed its 2014 decision in Purple Communications, Inc. and Communications Workers of America, AFL–CIO which held that if employees are granted access to their employer’s...more
4/27/2017
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Electronic Communications ,
Email ,
Email Policies ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Popular ,
Purple Communications ,
Section 7 ,
Union Membership ,
Unions
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued a proposed rule that would delay the effective date of the revised Conditions of Participation (CoP) for home health agencies (HHAs) from July 13, 2017 until...more
If your company has trademarks that are registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO), a new audit program can put your registrations at risk if you are not careful....more
Unlawful harassment is alive and well in the workplace. According to a report issued last year by a Select Task Force of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) on the Study of Harassment in the Workplace (the...more
Connecticut state and federal courts faced a number of significant health care issues last year. We have summarized those cases that we think are particularly relevant to Connecticut hospitals, group practices and individual...more
2/16/2017
/ Drug Pricing ,
EMTALA ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Hospitals ,
Informed Consent ,
Medical Devices ,
Medical Malpractice ,
Mental Health ,
Negligence ,
Nurses ,
Peer Review ,
Physician Medicare Reimbursements ,
Physicians ,
Psychiatric Hospitals ,
Public Policy ,
Rural Health Care Providers ,
Vicarious Liability ,
Wage Index
Connecticut state and federal courts faced a number of significant health care issues last year. We have summarized those cases that we think are particularly relevant to Connecticut hospitals, group practices and individual...more
2/9/2017
/ Disability Discrimination ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
EMTALA ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
Informed Consent ,
Medicare ,
MHPAEA ,
Negligence ,
Physicians ,
Psychological Counseling ,
Self-Funded Health Plans ,
Termination
The flu season has begun. According to the Connecticut Department of Public Health’s weekly updates, influenza activity is rapidly increasing in Connecticut and throughout the region. Since the flu is contagious, employees...more
Beginning January 28, 2017, Connecticut hospitals must start notifying patients who schedule certain non-emergency diagnoses or procedures of their right to request related cost and quality information. This new requirement...more
Under the new federal overtime rules effective December 1 (the “Final Rule”), a salaried worker must earn at least $913 per week ($47,476 for a full-year worker) in order to be exempt from overtime pay, up from the current...more
Election Day is now less than two weeks away. While many states require employers to provide their employees with time off to vote, Connecticut is not one of them. Employers in the state should, however, keep the following...more
Hospitals, physician practices and other health care providers that receive federal financial assistance, which includes receiving reimbursement from Medicare Parts A, C and D and/or Medicaid, are reminded to post new...more
10/26/2016
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Financial Assistance Policies ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
Limited English Proficiency (LEP) ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Non-Discrimination Rules ,
Notice Requirements ,
Physicians ,
Posting Requirements ,
Section 1557
Medicare Part A and B providers and suppliers should take note of new regulations recently issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that implement the Affordable Care Act’s 60-day rule on reporting and returning...more
3/5/2016
/ 60-Day Rule ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Final Rules ,
Health Care Providers ,
Look-Back Measurement Period ,
Medicare Part A ,
Medicare Part B ,
New Regulations ,
OIG ,
Overpayment ,
Proposed Rules ,
Provider Self-Disclosure Protocol ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Self-Referral Disclosure Protocol