This issue of McDermott’s Healthcare Regulatory Check-Up highlights regulatory activity for February 2025, including long-awaited proposed and final rules regarding the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act...more
4/1/2025
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Controlled Substances ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Executive Orders ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Fraud and Abuse ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Hospitals ,
OIG ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Freeze ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine ,
Trump Administration
This issue of McDermott’s Healthcare Regulatory Check-Up highlights regulatory activity for November 2024. We discuss several US Department of Justice (DOJ) enforcement actions involving the False Claims Act (FCA) and the...more
1/3/2025
/ Acute Facilities ,
Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Appeals ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Hospitals ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicare Payment Reform ,
OIG ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Price Transparency ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Stark Law
This issue of McDermott’s Healthcare Regulatory Check-Up highlights regulatory activity for June 2024. We discuss several US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) agency actions, including guidance regarding hospital...more
8/1/2024
/ AIDS ,
Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
HIV ,
Hospitals ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part B ,
MIPS ,
OIG ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmacies ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Stark Law
This issue of McDermott’s Healthcare Regulatory Check-Up highlights regulatory activity for February 2024. We discuss various regulatory developments, including guidance on the use of AI in coverage decisions and texting...more
3/15/2024
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Confidential Information ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Enforcement ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Hospitals ,
Machine Learning ,
Opioid ,
Patient Confidentiality Breaches ,
Substance Abuse ,
Telehealth ,
Texting
This issue of McDermott’s Healthcare Regulatory Check-Up highlights regulatory activity for November 2023. We discuss several US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) agency actions, including the new General...more
1/15/2024
/ Ambulatory Surgery Centers ,
Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Final Rules ,
Fraud and Abuse ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Hospitals ,
No Surprises Act (NSA) ,
Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) ,
Payment Systems ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Skilled Nursing Facility
This issue of McDermott’s Healthcare Regulatory Check-Up highlights significant regulatory activity for March 2023. We discuss several criminal and civil enforcement actions that involve Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) and...more
5/3/2023
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Criminal Convictions ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Durable Medical Equipment ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
False Statements ,
Florida ,
Fraud ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Hospitals ,
Kickbacks ,
OIG ,
Physicians ,
Remand ,
Settlement ,
Voluntary Disclosure ,
Whistleblowers
This issue of McDermott’s Healthcare Regulatory Check-Up highlights significant regulatory activity and developments occurring in January 2023, including several criminal and civil enforcement actions related to the federal...more
3/9/2023
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fraud ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
Manufacturers ,
Medical Devices ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Physicians ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Self-Referral ,
Stark Law
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
OIG has a long history of scrutinizing laboratory arrangements because of the agency’s view that these arrangements are particularly susceptible to fraud and abuse. Much of OIG’s past guidance focused on laboratory...more
This issue of McDermott’s Healthcare Regulatory Check-Up highlights notable enforcement activity between April 21 and May 20, 2022, including a telemedicine case involving $64 million in false and fraudulent claims. We also...more
6/14/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Competition ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Hospitals ,
Information Technology ,
Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) ,
Medical Devices ,
Nursing Homes ,
OIG ,
Payment Systems ,
Physicians ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Skilled Nursing Facility ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
The US Department of Justice recently intervened in an qui tam alleging false and fraudulent claims involving the acquisition of physician practice locations by a health system and subsequent management of the health system’s...more
4/19/2022
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Asset Purchase Agreements ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
Medicare ,
Physicians ,
Professional Services Contract ,
Qui Tam ,
Reimbursements ,
Reversal ,
Section 340B
[co-authors: Mara McDermott and Katie Waldo, McDermott+Consultants]
This report from McDermott Will & Emery and McDermott+Consulting provides a detailed analysis of the latest Provider Relief Fund (PRF) distributions,...more
9/14/2020
/ Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Dental Practice ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Fund Distribution ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
Indian Health Service (IHS) ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Nursing Homes ,
Provider Relief Fund ,
Rural Health Care Providers ,
Skilled Nursing Facility
In this installment of the Healthcare Enforcement Roundup we cover new and longstanding issues impacting the healthcare enforcement landscape. First, we explore the impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) on the healthcare...more
7/27/2020
/ 1135 Waivers ,
Compliance ,
Continuing Legal Education ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
e ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Guidance Update ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
Objective Falsity ,
Physicians ,
Split of Authority ,
Stark Law ,
Whistleblowers
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
Hospitals and health systems are facing consumer demand for innovation, the need to expand and enhance streams of revenue and the push for improved quality, all while navigating changing regulations, federal enforcement,...more
2/6/2020
/ Antitrust Litigation ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
CMIA ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Hospitals ,
Medicare ,
No-Poaching ,
OCR ,
Popular ,
Ransomware
The final quarter of 2019 brought forward new guidance and proposed rules with major implications for healthcare companies, enforcement developments in healthcare private equity investing and opioid litigation matters, among...more
1/28/2020
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Continuing Legal Education ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Fraud and Abuse ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Hospitals ,
Investors ,
Medical Necessity ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Advantage Organizations (MAOs) ,
New Guidance ,
Opioid ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Physicians ,
Private Equity ,
Proposed Rules ,
Stark Law ,
Webinars
The Department of Health & Human Services’ (HHS) proposed changes to the Stark Law, the Anti-Kickback Statute, and the Civil Monetary Penalty Law, released today as part of the Regulatory Sprint to Coordinated Care, would...more
10/11/2019
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Beneficiary Inducement ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Comment Period ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Exceptions ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Hospitals ,
OIG ,
Physicians ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Safe Harbors ,
Stark Law ,
Value-Based Care
The US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit endorsed two controversial interpretations of the Stark Law’s “volume or value” standard, known as the correlation theory and the practice “loss” theory in U.S. ex rel. J. William...more
10/3/2019
/ Appeals ,
Compensation Agreements ,
Dismissal With Prejudice ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
Medical Centers ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Patient Referrals ,
Petition For Rehearing ,
Physician Compensation Arrangements ,
Physician Medicare Reimbursements ,
Physicians ,
Pleading Standards ,
Relators ,
Reversal ,
Rule 9(b) ,
Stark Law ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
Statutory Violations
Frequent regulatory and policy changes, increasing government scrutiny and private whistleblower activity pose greater risks to health care organizations more than ever before. McDermott’s Q2 Health Care Enforcement Roundup...more
7/30/2019
/ Compliance ,
Continuing Legal Education ,
Cooperation ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Freedom of Religion ,
Health Care Providers ,
Home Health Agencies ,
Home Health Care ,
Hospitals ,
Opioid ,
Opt-Outs ,
Physicians ,
Stark Law ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Telemedicine ,
Webinars ,
Whistleblowers
After the federal government’s victory against Tuomey Hospital, we have seen an increasing number of large False Claims Act (FCA) settlements with hospitals involving Stark Law allegations. Relators are even citing, as...more
9/28/2015
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Corporate Integrity Agreement ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Fair Market Value ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Hospitals ,
Individual Accountability ,
OIG ,
Patient Referrals ,
Physician Compensation Arrangements ,
Physicians ,
Qui Tam ,
Relators ,
Self-Referral Disclosure Protocol ,
Settlement ,
Stark Law ,
Tuomey ,
Yates Memorandum
In This Issue:
- Background
- Tuomey’s Second Appeal to the Fourth Circuit
- The Trial Court’s Grant of a New Trial
- Tuomey’s Request for Judgement as a Matter of Law on the Stark Law and FCA...more
7/13/2015
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Appeals ,
Employment Contract ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Hospitals ,
Jury Instructions ,
Medicare ,
New Trial ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Patient Referrals ,
Physicians ,
Stark Law ,
Treble Damages
A 2008 rule change from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS)—which effectively prohibited referring physician-owned companies from furnishing hospital services “under arrangements”—has withstood a challenge by a...more
The legislation repealing the Medicare sustainable growth rate formula (SGR), signed by President Obama on April 16, 2015, contained several anti-fraud related provisions that affect the health care industry. The provision...more