Community Health Network (CHN) in Indiana has agreed to pay $345 million to settle false claims allegations that it paid over-the-top salaries to hundreds of physicians and rewarded them for their referrals in violation of...more
2/20/2024
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Compensation ,
Competition ,
Compliance ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Employment Contract ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Fraud and Abuse ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Hospitals ,
OIG ,
Physicians ,
Stark Law ,
Whistleblowers
H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute Hospital Inc. in Tampa, Florida, has agreed to pay $19.564 million to settle false claims allegations over claims submitted to federal health care programs for items and...more
2/20/2024
/ Clinical Trials ,
Compliance ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Billing ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
HIPAA Privacy Rule ,
Medical Records ,
Medicare ,
OCR ,
Provider Self-Disclosure Protocol ,
Settlement
In a case that may hit a raw compliance nerve, Ascension Macomb Oakland Hospital in Michigan has agreed to pay $100,000 in a settlement with the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) over free services provided to certain...more
1/31/2024
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Compliance ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Hospitals ,
Litigation Strategies ,
OIG ,
Popular ,
Self-Disclosure Requirements ,
Settlement ,
Stark Law
The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) on Sept. 7 announced a proposed rule to bar discrimination based on disability.[1] “The rule, Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal...more
1/31/2024
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Compliance ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Disability ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Medicare ,
Non-Discrimination Rules ,
OCR ,
OIG ,
Patients ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Rehabilitation Act
Report on Medicare Compliance Volume 32, no 25 (July 2023)
The former chief hospital executive of Bayonne Medical Center (BMC) in New Jersey has filed a False Claims Act (FCA) lawsuit alleging the hospital and two others...more
7/18/2023
/ CARES Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Compliance ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Hospitals ,
HRSA ,
Overpayment ,
Provider Relief Fund ,
Whistleblowers
Report on Medicare Compliance Volume 32, no 25 (July 2023)
Hospices in four states will face heightened oversight. “CMS is placing newly enrolling hospices located in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Texas in a provisional...more
7/18/2023
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Compliance ,
False Billing ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Fraud and Abuse ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Hospice ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Physicians ,
Settlement
Report on Medicare Compliance 30, no. 32 (September 13, 2021) -
Saint Francis Medical Center in Missouri agreed to pay $1.625 million in a civil settlement of allegations it violated the Controlled Substances Act, the...more
9/17/2021
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Compliance ,
Controlled Substances ,
Controlled Substances Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
FBI ,
Government Investigations ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Hospitals ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Opioid ,
Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) ,
Outpatient Services ,
Phishing Scams ,
Physicians ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Ransomware ,
Vaccinations
Report on Medicare Compliance 30, no. 32 (September 13, 2021) -
John Peter Smith (JPS) Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas, agreed to pay $3.3 million to settle false claims allegations in a case with a hot risk area, a...more
9/16/2021
/ Billing ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Chief Compliance Officers ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Integrity Agreement ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
Medicare ,
OIG ,
Overpayment ,
Personal Liability ,
Physicians ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Whistleblowers
Report on Medicare Compliance 30, no. 17 (May 3, 2021) -
In a new provider compliance audit, the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) said Visiting Nurse Association of Maryland (VNA) received overpayments of $2.1...more
5/6/2021
/ Audits ,
CCJR ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Compliance ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Final Rules ,
Health Care Providers ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
OIG ,
Overpayment
Report on Medicare Compliance 30, no. 15 (April 19, 2021) -
CMS’s supplemental medical review contractor (SMRC) has added outpatient therapy claims to its list of postpayment reviews, according to its website. The SMRC,...more
4/22/2021
/ BFCC-QIOs ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Compliance ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
HRSA ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
OIG ,
Physicians ,
Skilled Nursing Facility ,
SMRC ,
Vaccinations ,
Work Plans
Report on Medicare Compliance 30, no. 2 (January 18, 2021) -
Recovery audit contractors (RACs) may soon be auditing positron emission tomography (PET) for initial treatment strategy in oncologic conditions for compliance...more
1/22/2021
/ Compliance ,
Covered Entities ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Electronic Medical Records ,
False Billing ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
HIPAA Privacy Rule ,
HIPAA Violations ,
Hospitals ,
Medical Necessity ,
Medical Records ,
Medicare ,
OCR ,
Physicians ,
Recovery Audit Contractors (RACs) ,
Required Documentation ,
Right of Access ,
Settlement Agreements
Report on Medicare Compliance 29, no. 45 (December 21, 2020) -
CMS said Dec. 18 it will audit a sample of hospitals for compliance with price transparency requirements, which take effect Jan. 1, according to MLN Connects....more
12/29/2020
/ American Hospital Association ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Compliance ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Home Health Care ,
Hospitals ,
Medicare ,
Noncompliance ,
Physical Therapists ,
Price Transparency ,
Section 340B ,
TRICARE
Report on Medicare Compliance 29, no. 45 (December 21, 2020) -
When an orthopedic surgeon demanded very generous compensation, the hospital weighed its clinical and business needs against the compliance risks. It had to...more
Report on Medicare Compliance 29, no. 39 (November 2, 2020) -
Medtronic USA Inc., a medical device maker, has agreed to pay $8.1 million to settle allegations it violated the False Claims Act by paying kickbacks to induce...more
11/9/2020
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Compliance ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Home Health Agencies ,
Home Health Care ,
Kickbacks ,
Medical Devices ,
Medicare ,
Settlement ,
Telecommunications ,
Telehealth
Report on Medicare Compliance 29, no. 35 (October 5, 2020)
- In a major national enforcement action, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and other federal agencies said Sept. 30 they have charged 345 people, including more...more
10/15/2020
/ Compliance ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI) ,
Employee Misconduct ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Federal Health Care Programs (FHCP) ,
Fraud ,
Hackers ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Medicare ,
Physicians ,
Sentencing ,
Telemedicine
Report on Medicare Compliance 29, no. 35 (October 5, 2020) -
A California physician on Sept. 18 received a letter from a Medicare administrative contractor (MAC) that ordered him to stop sharing pricing information about...more
Report on Medicare Compliance Volume 29, no. 32 (September 14, 2020)
- In an audit of 100 outlier payments, the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) said Baylor Scott & White – College Station, a hospital in Texas, didn’t...more
Report on Medicare Compliance Volume 29, no. 32 (September 14, 2020) -
Wheeling Hospital in West Virginia has agreed to pay $50 million to settle a False Claims Act (FCA) lawsuit over physician compensation, the Department...more
Report on Medicare Compliance 29, no. 30 (August 24, 2020)
- A federal court on Aug. 17 blocked HHS from enforcing its revised definition of sex discrimination in Sec. 1557, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of...more
8/26/2020
/ Amended Rules ,
Appeals ,
Bostock v Clayton County Georgia ,
Compliance ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Gender Identity ,
Health Care Providers ,
Home Health Care ,
Hospice ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Medicare ,
Pregnancy Discrimination ,
SCOTUS ,
Section 1557 ,
Settlement ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Stays
Report on Medicare Compliance 29, no. 30 (August 24, 2020) -
Mission Home Health of San Diego Inc. was overpaid $61,718 in 2015 and 2016, which was extrapolated to $5.9 million, according to the latest Medicare home health...more
Report on Medicare Compliance 29, no. 28 (August 3, 2020)
- The HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) has given the green light to a plan by a charitable organization to “purchase or receive donations of unpaid medical...more
8/17/2020
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Charitable Donations ,
Charitable Organizations ,
Compliance ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Debt Forgiveness ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Medical Coding ,
Medical Debt ,
Medicare ,
OIG ,
Physician Payments ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Relief Measures
Report on Medicare Compliance 29, no. 28 (August 3, 2020) -
The 2017 theft of an unencrypted laptop is at the heart of a new HIPAA settlement with Lifespan Health System Affiliated Covered Entity (Lifespan ACE) in Rhode...more
8/14/2020
/ Business Associates ,
Compliance ,
Electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI) ,
Encryption ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
HIPAA Privacy Rule ,
HIPAA Security Rule ,
Laptop Computers ,
Medicare ,
OCR ,
PHI ,
Settlement ,
Stolen Goods ,
Third-Party Relationships
Report on Medicare Compliance 29, no. 25 (July 13, 2020)
- Ophthalmic Consultants PA in Sarasota, Florida, agreed to pay $4.8 million to settle false claims allegations that it billed Medicare and other federal payers...more
7/21/2020
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Compliance ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Durable Medical Equipment ,
False Billing ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Fraud ,
Guidance Update ,
Guilty Pleas ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
Medical Billing Codes ,
Medicare ,
OIG ,
Settlement ,
Telemedicine ,
Work Plans
Report on Medicare Compliance 29, no. 25 (July 13, 2020) -
When a physician’s telehealth visit with a Medicare patient on FaceTime cut out after five minutes, they shifted to an audio-only visit, with the physician and...more
7/20/2020
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Compliance ,
Controlled Substances Act ,
Electronic Prescribing ,
Home Health Care ,
Medicare ,
OIG ,
Physician Fee Schedule ,
Provider Payments ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Telehealth ,
Work Plans
Report on Medicare Compliance 29, no. 24 (June 29, 2020) -
CMS said June 23 it has created an Office of Burden Reduction and Health Informatics to “unify the agency’s efforts to reduce regulatory and administrative burden...more