The Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published an advisory opinion regarding the Anti-Kickback Statute. The OIG concluded that the Anti-Kickback Statute would not be implicated where a charitable donation is made in the name of a healthcare provider, so long as…
On July 28 the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of California granted the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) motion for summary judgment in the case, Palomar Medical Center v. Sebelius. The case, filed on May 26, 2010, challenged a magistrate judge’s recommendation that HHS is correct…
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on July 29 that it will make available $51 million in grants to help states initiate health insurance exchanges, mandated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Grants of up to $1 million will be made available to each state. …
The Detroit Free Press reported that an effort to give Michiganians a constitutional right to opt-out of participation in the Federal healthcare program failed to obtain enough signatures to place the proposal on the November ballot. The group, Michigan Citizens for Healthcare Freedom, estimated that it turned in between 145,000-170,000…
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) hosted a press conference today to announce changes to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996, Privacy, Security and Enforcement Rules. The rule proposed by HHS will be in a notice and comment period for the next two months,…
Last week, Michigan’s Governor Jennifer Granholm announced that Michigan could have a $560 million budget gap if Congress does not provide the funding promised in last year’s stimulus package. The Detroit News reported that Governor Granholm was concerned that without the mandated Medicaid funding programs and services would have to…
On June 11 we posted that the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) had immediately suspended the board certifications of 139 physicians. Since that time, our office has submitted a series of written submissions and had other communications with the ABIM’s counsel in order to clarify that the “suspensions” were…
The Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (OIG) released a report of its review of inpatient rehabilitation facilities’ transmission of patient assessment instruments for 2006 and 2007. Inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) are required to submit patient assessment instruments for each stay to the…
President Obama signed the “Preservation of Access to Care for Medicare Beneficiaries and Pension Relief Act of 2010.” The law includes a provision that clarifies Medicare’s position for payment of hospital outpatient services provided on either the day of or the three days prior to an inpatient admission. The 3-day…
Three Recovery Audit Contractors (RACs) posted new issues. The RAC for Region A, DCS Healthcare, posted 23 new approved issues. One new issue applies to DME supplier claims and applies to providers in all Region A states. Connolly Healthcare, the RAC for Region C, posted 3 new issues for non-medical…