The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York has blocked the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from enforcing a new rule that limited sex discrimination in healthcare to discrimination based on gender as determined by biology. The rule, discussed in detail here in June, did not recognize sexual orientation

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic since mid-March, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) worked quickly to issue emergency guidance that allowed temporary expansion of payment for telehealth services and provided certain flexibility in providing telehealth services. The COVID pandemic has significantly increased awareness of the benefits of telehealth, as many patients have

After a long quiet period, the second HIPAA settlement to be announced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in an orchestrated one-two punch was far more costly to the second violator. Lifespan Health System Affiliated Covered Entity paid $1,040,000 to HHS’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in June for failing to

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Department of Justice (DOJ) have released the 2019 annual report for their Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program. The government recovered almost $3.6 billion, of which about $2.5 billion was returned to the Medicare trust fund. The recoveries included judgments and settlements from fraud

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on July 17 that it will begin distributing a second round of funding to hospitals in “high impact COVID-19 areas.” The funding is intended to address the recent surge in COVID-19 cases across the country.

The funding is based on data submitted by hospitals about

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is adding $198 million in funding to the Rural Health Care Program to help healthcare providers acquire telecommunications and broadband services. The funding is in addition to $200 million that was allocated to the FCC’s COVID-19 Telehealth Program by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). About

Eric Fader, Jeff Kaiser, Chris Kutner, Ada Kozicz and Ben Malerba are authors of the newly released book, “The Federal Anti-Kickback Statute and Safe Harbors: A Practical Guide.”

Published by the American Bar Association, the book covers all safe harbors currently in place, as well as the interplay between the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) and other

On June 23, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled against the American Hospital Association and other associations and individual hospitals that had sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to block a new price transparency rule that will take effect on January 1, 2021. The rule, which was finalized

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has finalized a new rule under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act in an effort to enforce civil rights laws and protect against discrimination in healthcare. The rule, entitled “Nondiscrimination in Health and Health Education Programs or Activities: Delegation of Authority,” attempts to restore civil

On May 28, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that its COVID-19 Telehealth Program has now approved a total of over $68 million in funding for 185 hospitals and other healthcare providers in 38 states plus Washington, DC. The program, whose full title states its goal of “Promoting Telehealth for Low-Income Consumers,” was adopted on