The utilization of telehealth has flourished over the last decade as innovative technologies and new Medicare regulations have fueled telehealth’s growth. Between 2001 and 2015, Medicare telehealth spending increased by nearly 300% as a result of this boom. However, as the utilization of telehealth services has surged, so have the compliance issues associated with these

On February 9, 2018, Congress passed the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, providing a two-year budget agreement that increases federal spending, funds disaster relief efforts, and amends a number of healthcare programs, among a host of other changes.

While the Act has broad implications for many aspects of U.S. law, one amendment in particular should

The Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services (OIG) issued a report last month regarding inappropriate payments made to acute-care hospitals for outpatient services provided to Medicare beneficiaries who were inpatients of other facilities. OIG’s findings highlight the need to diligently review claims before submitting them to Medicare.

In

On March 27, 2017, the U.S. Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) released a new compliance program guide, Measuring Compliance Program Effectiveness—A Resource Guide (the “Guide”). The Guide was developed by compliance professionals and staff from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and OIG, as an effort to help healthcare organizations measure the effectiveness

The U.S. Office of the Inspector General (“OIG”) recently issued Advisory Opinion No. 16-12 (the “Opinion”) regarding a proposed arrangement between a laboratory and a dialysis facility. Briefly stated, the laboratory proposed to offer the dialysis facility free labeling of test tubes and specimen collection containers, a task which is typically performed by the dialysis

For the first time in thirty years, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (“SAMHSA”), a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”), issued a final rule amending 42 CFR Part 2 (commonly referred to as “Part 2”) which governs the confidentiality of alcohol and drug abuse patient records. The

New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo, has signed a new legislation that may pave the way for outpatient clinics and diagnostic and treatment centers, which includes ambulatory surgery centers (“ASCs”), to provide primary care services to their patients off-site under limited circumstances. The new law, codified in the Public Health Law § 2803(11), requires that the

The Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) has released its Work Plan for Fiscal Year 2017 (the “Plan”). The Plan, available through the OIG website, summarizes new and ongoing audits, investigations and evaluations that OIG will prioritize in the upcoming year. Some of the new initiatives that OIG intends to

In December 2016, the Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services amended existing safe harbors and issued a number of new safe harbors to   protect certain business practices and arrangements of doctors, hospitals, and pharmacies from sanctions under the anti-kickback statute (42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(b)). Additionally, OIG amended

Since its enactment six years ago, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the ACA) has faced numerous challenges from Republicans attempting to repeal the law. Though previous efforts, through both legislation and litigation, have been unsuccessful, the election of Donald Trump and a Republican-controlled Congress likely portends at least a partial repeal of the