Health Law Attorney Blog

"Focuses on developments in health care law-related issues including RACs, Stark law, anti-kickback law, HIPAA, compliance, health law news, and recent proposed and enacted legislation and regulations."

Author: The Health Law Partners is based in Southfield, Mich.

Blawg Related Categories: Health Law • States • Law Firm

Recent Posts from Health Law Attorney Blog

New HIPAA Rules Posted Today
HIPAA enforcement will be strengthened by an interim final rule posted today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The new rule increases significantly the penalties that may be imposed for HIPAA…
Physician Tax? No, Thank You
Governor Granholm's proposal to impose the Quality Assurance Assessment Program ("QAAP") fee (A.K.A tax) on physicians--HB 5386--was defeated in the Michigan Senate by a 32-4 vote on Wednesday, October 28. The bill proposed that "the…
Part B Physicians Must Sign Dictated Medical Records
Wisconsin Physician Services (WPS) issued guidance yesterday clarifying the importance of physician signatures on dictated notes, which emerged as a national issue identified by the Comprehensive Error Rate Testing Program (CERT). Regardless of whether dictation…
HIPAA Violators Sentenced
In Little Rock, Arkansas, Dr. Jay Holland, Sarah Miller, and Candida Griffin were sentenced this week for violating the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). According to the U.S. Department of Justice press release,…
Red Flags Exceptions Passed in House
Representative John Adler's proposed Red Flags exceptions--H.R. 3763--passed in the House on October 23. Passing with a 400-0 vote, the bill exempts small businesses with 20 or fewer employees that meet certain requirements. The bill…
Bill Introduced to Exempt Category of Small Businesses from Compliance with Red Flags Rule
Representative John Adler introduced H.R. 3763 on October 8 to amend the definition of "creditor" in the Fair Credit Reporting Act to reflect the following exclusions: (A) a health care practice with 20 or fewer…
$8.3 Million Settlement between University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Alleging Stark and Anti-Kickback Violations
Alleging False Claims Act, Stark Law, and Anti-Kickback violations, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) settled with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)…
OIG Work Plan for FY 2010 Has Been Released
The OIG released its Work Plan for the 2010 fiscal year (FY) this week, to be effective beginning October 2009. The OIG's Work Plan "describes the specific audits and evaluations that [the OIG has] underway…
Billing Claims Involving Hospice Coverage
When a beneficiary elects hospice care, s/he waives any Part B coverage related to that hospice care except for services rendered by an "attending physician." An attending physician is defined as either a doctor of…
America's Healthy Future Act of 2009
On September 22, 2009, the U.S. Senate's Chairman's Mark released a draft legislation regarding the future of healthcare in the United States. Some notable points include: - Limiting physician referrals only to permit hospitals that…