On April 20, 2023, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) made ownership data of all Medicare-certified hospices and home health agencies publicly available for the first time. This move is consistent with the...more
Following the Biden administration’s efforts to promote nursing home safety, transparency, accountability and quality, the US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a proposed rule governing nursing home...more
3/31/2023
/ Biden Administration ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Data Reporting ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Medicare ,
New Rules ,
Nursing Homes ,
REIT ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Skilled Nursing Facility ,
Transparency
In late January 2023, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued two updates relevant to provider and supplier organizations enrolled in Medicare: (1) a redesign to the Provider Enrollment, Chain and...more
This issue of McDermott’s Healthcare Regulatory Check-Up highlights significant regulatory activity between August 21 and September 20, 2022, including a guilty plea from a telemedicine physician who wrote prescriptions for...more
10/7/2022
/ Advisory Opinions ,
Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Biotechnology ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Hospitals ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Shared Savings Program ,
Nurses ,
OIG ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Physicians ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Price Transparency ,
Technology ,
Telehealth ,
TRICARE
This issue of McDermott’s Healthcare Regulatory Check-Up highlights significant enforcement activity between July 21 and August 20, 2022. Key updates include a case in which the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit...more
9/1/2022
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
Long Term Care Facilities ,
Medicare ,
OIG ,
Payment Systems ,
Section 1557 ,
Skilled Nursing Facility
This issue of McDermott’s Healthcare Regulatory Check-Up highlights significant activity between June 21 and July 20, 2022. During this period, the Supreme Court of the United States overturned Roe v. Wade, which historically...more
8/8/2022
/ Advisory Opinions ,
Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
CLIA ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Disproportionate Share Adjustments ,
Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Hospitals ,
Long Term Care Facilities ,
Medicare ,
Nursing Homes ,
OIG ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmacies ,
Roe v Wade ,
Skilled Nursing Facility
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has started phasing out certain program flexibilities granted during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Beginning in October 2021, CMS will resume several provider and...more
On April 21, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued explanatory guidance on the scope and application of a series of nationwide Section 1135 waivers of the physician self-referral law (Stark Law)...more
This On the Subject was updated on April 7, 2020, to address the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s (OIG’s) April 3, 2020, Policy Statement and its potential impact as well.
The Centers...more
On April 3, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued Quality, Safety & Oversight memorandum QSO-20-24-ASC (the QSO Memo), addressed to state survey agencies to provide guidance on processing attestation...more
The updated waivers build upon the more limited set of Section 1135 waivers issued on March 13, 2020, and address common concerns among Medicare providers and suppliers as they deal with the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic....more
4/1/2020
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Emergency Response ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Medicare ,
OCR ,
Physicians ,
Public Health ,
Relief Measures ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine ,
Waivers
Accelerated or advance Medicare payments can provide some cash flow as providers and suppliers combat the effects of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This program requires a one-page application and funds may be available...more
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is expediting Medicare enrollment applications and allowing certain categories of practitioners to temporarily enroll in Medicare Part B to increase the number of healthcare...more
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released several fact sheets on COVID-19 coverage and benefits, and announced a second Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) code, U0002, for billing COVID-19...more
3/11/2020
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Diagnostic Tests ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Administrative Contractors (MAC) ,
Medicare Part A ,
Medicare Part B ,
Medicare Part D ,
Physicians ,
Provider Payments
A few days before Thanksgiving, the news media published an internal memo by the Office of General Counsel (OGC) at the US Department of Health and Human Services (Department) to officials at the Centers for Medicare and...more
12/6/2019
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Azar v Allina Health Services ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Local Coverage Determination (LCD) ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part C ,
New Guidance ,
Notice and Comment ,
OGC ,
Overpayment ,
Provider Payments ,
Rulemaking Process ,
SCOTUS ,
Social Security Act
On September 10, 2019, the US Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a final rule (Final Rule) expanding Medicare, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program...more
10/1/2019
/ Affiliates ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Comment Period ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Document Retention Policies ,
Enrollment ,
Final Rules ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Opt-Outs ,
Physicians ,
Public Comment ,
Reporting Requirements
On July 29, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published the CY 2020 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule, which included substantial changes to the physician self-referral law (Stark Law)...more
8/16/2019
/ Advisory Opinions ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Certification Requirements ,
Comment Period ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Fees ,
Health Care Providers ,
Medicare ,
Physician Fee Schedule ,
Physicians ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Self-Referral ,
Stark Law
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently posted revisions to the Voluntary Self-Referral Disclosure Protocol (SRDP). In an attempt to streamline the self-disclosure process, CMS requires the use of new...more
On December 7, 2016, the US Congress enacted the 21st Century Cures Act, substantial legislation intended to accelerate “discovery, development and delivery” of medical therapies by encouraging biomedical research investment,...more
1/21/2017
/ 21st Century Cures Act ,
Ambulatory Surgery Centers ,
Digital Health ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Information Technologies ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Hospitals ,
Long Term Care Facilities ,
Manufacturers ,
Medical Devices ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Advantage ,
MedPAC ,
Mental Health ,
Mental Health Parity Rule ,
National Institute of Health (NIH) ,
Off-Campus Departments ,
Opioid ,
Patients ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Research and Development ,
Small Business ,
Substance Abuse ,
Telehealth ,
Transparency
On December 8, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published the Medicare Outpatient Observation Notice (MOON), which educates Medicare beneficiaries on the effect of outpatient status, particularly as...more
On December 7, 2016, the Office of Inspector General of the US Department of Health and Human Services published a final rule containing revisions to both the federal Anti-Kickback Statute safe harbors and the beneficiary...more
12/14/2016
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Ambulance Providers ,
Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Cost-Sharing ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Healthcare ,
Medicare ,
OIG ,
Pharmacies ,
Remuneration ,
Safe Harbors
The 21st Century Cures Act encourages biomedical research investment and facilitates innovation review and approval processes, but also serves as a vehicle for a wide variety of other health-related measures, including...more
In Depth -
On December 7, 2016, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a policy statement increasing its thresholds for gifts that are considered...more
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the calendar year 2017 final rule implementing changes to the Medicare hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System, or OPPS, including provisions implementing Section...more
In Depth -
The Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on July 7, 2016, (the Proposed Rule) requires certain providers and suppliers furnishing health...more
7/26/2016
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Enrollment ,
General Services Administration (GSA) ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Advantage ,
Medicare Advantage Organizations (MAOs) ,
Medicare Part D ,
OIG ,
Physician Fee Schedule ,
Prescription Drug Coverage