The recent settlement between Coffey Health System in Kansas and the U.S. government is a cautionary tale to other healthcare providers: false attestations related to government incentive programs could lead to False Claims Act liability.
Coffey Health System operates a 25-bed critical access…
On May 30, 2019, the Indiana Health Coverage Programs (“IHCP”) released a bulletin (BT201929) stating that it is modifying coverage of crisis intervention, intensive outpatient treatment (“IOT”) and peer recovery services for Indiana Medicaid, effective July 1, 2019. The two notable changes are…
The Indiana General Assembly recently passed legislation (“SB 586”), related to the regulation of physical therapists (“PTs”). Health care providers who utilize physical therapists should be aware of the administrative, licensing, and scope of practice changes included in SB 586. These regulatory…
Various healthcare providers use the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) in connection with credentialing medical staff and reporting adverse corrective actions involving professional competence or conduct of practitioners.
On a monthly basis, NPDB publishes an online report – NPDB Insights –…
On June 12, 2019, the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (“FSSA”) issued an announcement that it is suspending development of the new enrollment and credentialing system (“EnCred”) for Indiana Medicaid providers.
Prior to this announcement, FSSA had been developing EnCred in…
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) is seeking public comment on draft guidance regarding hospital co-location with other hospitals or healthcare facilities. The draft guidance, published on May 3, 2019, is CMS’s long awaited attempt to clarify shared space and shared staff…
On May 24, 2019, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Civil Rights (OCR) issued a new fact sheet. It compiles the various provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) that impose direct liability on business associates. The fact sheet aims to…
Indiana embarks on a bold, new planning strategy on July 1, 2019. As of that date, individuals will be able to avail themselves of “Legacy Trusts” as an additional method by which they can lawfully protect assets against creditors. Indiana residents have long been able to make gifts during life or…
The Indiana General Assembly recently enacted legislation (“Bill 1248”) that changes the relationship between physicians and physician assistants (“PAs”) from that of a supervisory relationship to one of collaboration. Health care providers should be aware that Bill 1248 affects the form of…
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced its decision to significantly reduce the maximum annual penalties it will impose on health care providers for violating the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). HHS previously applied the same maximum…
CMS recently announced new value-based care payment models aimed at transforming primary care in order to deliver better value for patients across the healthcare system. Participation in the payment models will be available starting in January 2020 and is anticipated to attract 25% or more of…
Measuring corporate compliance program “effectiveness” is recommended by several authorities, including the United States Sentencing Commission[1] and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (“OIG”)[2]. The goals of an assessment process should be: (1) to identify…
