The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA or the Agency) recently issued a new proposed rule that would require all “providers” licensed by AHCA to have a “continuity plan” for data and information technology disruptions. The proposed rule would also mandate the reporting of certain information to AHCA upon the occurrence of an “information … Continue Reading
Don’t sit on those patient credits. Effective January 1, 2026, a new Florida law (CS/CS/SB 1808) requires licensed health care facilities, providers, and practitioners (each, a “Licensed Provider”) to refund any overpayment made by a patient no later than 30 days after the Licensed Provider determines that the patient made an overpayment.… Continue Reading
The Florida Legislature recently passed a bill, called the CHOICE Act, that augments Florida’s laws governing restrictive covenants to make it significantly easier for employers to enforce two new types of noncompete agreements: (1) “covered garden leave agreements” and (2) “covered noncompete agreements.” However, these new types of agreements and the employer-friendly mechanisms available to … Continue Reading
Practitioners who want to prescribe controlled substances via telehealth to patients in Florida must meet the requirements of both federal and state law. The federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Florida legislature have recently amended the applicable federal regulations and state laws, respectively, to allow the prescribing of controlled substances via telehealth[*] without conducting … Continue Reading
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently rescinded its policy dating back to 1971 to now allow its agencies and offices to quickly alter certain rules and regulations without public notice and comment. The Nixon-era policy had waived the statutory exemption from procedural rulemaking requirements for rules and regulations relating to public property, … Continue Reading
As harsh winter weather swept the nation’s capital, President Donald Trump commenced his second term by signing a blizzard of Executive Orders (EOs) that span many hot-button issues. Several of the EOs signal President Trump’s agenda for the U.S. healthcare system. These EOs rescind former President Joe Biden’s directives aimed at expanding healthcare coverage under … Continue Reading
The latest Special Fraud Alert from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) warns about marketing schemes involving questionable payments and referrals among Medicare Advantage plans, health care professionals, and third-party marketers, such as agents and brokers. Issued on December 11, 2024, this new Special Fraud Alert focuses on … Continue Reading