On June 24, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a final rule establishing stringent financial penalties, referred to as “disincentives,” for healthcare providers found to have committed information blocking.
In instances where the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) finds a healthcare provider has committed information blocking and refers the
The American Health Law Association (AHLA) recently published the Third Edition of its popular treatise “Corporate Practice of Medicine: A 50 State Survey.” The publication provides helpful guidance on each state’s corporate practice of medicine (CPOM) doctrine, including discussions of how each state interprets the law when dealing with unlicensed individuals and plenary
On May 20, 2024, the American Medical Association and more than 100 other organizations issued a joint letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra concerning the February 21, 2024 reported cyber incident involving Change Healthcare. The letter requested clarity from the HHS Office of Civil Rights (OCR) “around reporting responsibilities and [to]
On May 9, 2024, the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee advanced legislation to extend pandemic-era telehealth flexibilities through 2026. The bill, referred to as the Preserving Telehealth, Hospital, and Ambulance Access Act, would extend the ability of Medicare beneficiaries to access care via telehealth through December 31, 2026, among other things.
During the
In August, Governor Murphy signed into law Senate Bill 3929 (approved P.L. 2023, c. 139), which amended the involuntary commitment process and added, among other things, a mechanism by which hospitals could request an additional 72 hours to hold patients when having difficulty locating a short-term care or psychiatric facility, or special psychiatric hospital with
John W. Kaveney, a partner in the firm’s Healthcare and Litigation Departments, will present the program “The Conclusion of the Public Health Emergencies: What This Means for Healthcare Providers and the Accommodations Put in Place by the Federal and State Governments” at the New Jersey & Metro Philadelphia HFMA 47th Anniversary Annual Institute. The
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government and many state governments went to great lengths to relax many of the restrictions on telehealth that had historically limited this medium in the provision of healthcare services to patients. However, in an effort to ensure that patients could continue to access necessary healthcare during this time period
As recently reported by HealthITSecurity, IBM Security’s 2023 Cost of a Data Breach Report revealed that the average cost of a healthcare data breach was almost $11 million in 2022, an $800,000 increase from the prior year and a 53% increase from 2020. The report further revealed that the global average cost of a
On June 15, 2023, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), a nonpartisan independent legislative branch agency that was created to advise Congress on a range of issues affecting Medicare, issued its 2023 Report to Congress. Included therein was a report, mandated by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, on the usage of telehealth services during the public
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Civil Rights (OCR) announced on April 11, 2023 that the Notifications of Enforcement Discretions issued during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) would be expiring at 11:59 p.m. on May 11, 2023 due to the expiration of the PHE. A copy of the notice of