Category Archives: Physicians

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Stop – Go – Stop Again – Now GO… Surprised by the No Surprises Act?

We are not surprised by the continued stop-and-go regarding guidance surrounding the No Surprises Act. Most recently, a Texas court vacated portions of the No Surprises Act’s updated final rule (the final rules were discussed in our most recent blog on the subject). This created a domino effect, leading to the Departments of the Treasury, … Continue Reading

May Resident Physicians Use Hospital DEA Registration Numbers Off-Site?

A Florida “resident physician” is someone who has completed their internship and graduated from medical school but is not yet licensed as a Florida medical doctor or osteopathic physician and who registers with the Department of Health as a resident physician. Resident physicians have to complete at least a one-year residency before they can take the … Continue Reading

Fix Your Weak Links in Your Medicaid Claims

Medicaid providers and suppliers have likely discovered this the hard way. A provider’s or supplier’s enrollment in the Medicaid program may be insufficient to assure that their provision of a covered and medically necessary good or service to a Medicaid patient will be deemed reimbursable. That is because the Medicaid program will also look at … Continue Reading

Finally, More Certainty and Fewer Surprises – Final Rules Issued Under the No Surprises Act

The Departments of the Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services (the Departments) issued final rules related to the No Surprises Act on August 26, 2022, to be effective October 25, 2022 (Final Rules).  These Final Rules come after months of uncertainty and legal battles regarding the Federal Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR) process, as we … Continue Reading

Florida Medicaid Providers: Action is Required by October 1, 2022

Check your mailboxes.  AHCA is sending out postcards to existing Florida Medicaid providers (Providers) alerting them to upcoming changes in the Florida Medicaid program.  These changes require Providers to pay certain of their employees a minimum wage of at least $15.00 per hour.  Governor Ron DeSantis’s “Freedom First Budget for Fiscal Year 2022-2023” includes funding … Continue Reading

More Turbulence for the No Surprises Act Thanks to Air Ambulance Providers

Given the trajectory, it is no longer surprising that the No Surprises Act (the Act) continues its turbulent path through implementation. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, on July 26, 2022, again vacated provisions of the Federal Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR) process, this time relating to air ambulance payment disputes. (LifeNet, … Continue Reading

Don’t Just Phone It In – Avoiding Fraud in Telehealth Contracts

To facilitate the provision of care during the pandemic, the federal government and many state governments enacted changes that encouraged physicians and other nonphysician practitioners (collectively, Practitioners) to use telehealth services. While this new flexibility increased access to care, it also increased opportunities for fraud. On July 20, 2022, the U.S. Department of Health and … Continue Reading

Healthcare Providers: Add OCR’s Latest Right of Access Settlements to Your Summer Reading List

The Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) announced on July 15, 2022, that it has resolved 11 investigations conducted under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”) Right of Access Initiative. These settlements remind providers that, as OCR Director Lisa J. Pino stated, “OCR is … Continue Reading

Healthcare Cyber Insurance? Fortify Your Defenses

Healthcare breaches, including ransomware attacks, continue to increase. As a result, many healthcare organizations seeking cyber coverage to help defray the costs associated with a ransomware attack or other data incident may find that carriers have increased premiums, reduced coverage, and tightened underwriting requirements. Healthcare organization leaders should understand that implementing reasonable administrative, technical, and … Continue Reading

Biden Administration Signals MHPAEA Enforcement a Priority with Fiscal 2023 Budget

The Biden Administration’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2023 serves as a warning to all plan issuers and administrators that enforcement of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) is a top priority for the federal government. The proposed budget reflects a substantial and sustained commitment to ramp up enforcement efforts, with specific … Continue Reading

“The No Surprises Act” a/k/a “The Act that Continues Surprising Providers”

The No Surprises Act (the “Act”) continues muddling through its implementation period. We have discussed the Act in prior posts, and most recently on March 8, 2022. The surprises have continued, with new updates coming out almost daily! There has been legal movement as health care providers and facilities (collectively, “Providers”) have brought lawsuits against … Continue Reading

UPDATE: No Surprises Here – Portions of the No Surprises Act Regulations Invalidated

The No Surprises Act (the Act) continues to bump through its initial implementation phase. As we discussed in our prior blog, out-of-network physicians and facilities (OON Providers), and their allies, are pushing back against portions of the recently issued interim final rule with comment period (the Interim Rule). Most recently, they succeeded in doing so … Continue Reading

Healthcare Discrimination Based on Disability – Still Prohibited in the Pandemic!

It may seem as though the pandemic is coming to an end, but while COVID cases are declining,  they have not ceased. As the pandemic continues, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights issued new guidance on February 4, 2022 to remind healthcare providers that federal disability laws remain in … Continue Reading

Florida Continues Pursuit of Improved Patient Safety

Florida is continuing its efforts to improve patient safety in hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs).  The Florida Legislature previously approved a requirement that hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) conduct patient safety surveys and tasked the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) with implementing a rule specifying the submission process for these surveys.  AHCA’s … Continue Reading

CMS Is Here To Help Healthcare Entities Comply with Its Vaccination Rule

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) recently published an infographic to help Medicare and Medicaid facilities and providers determine if they or some members of their workforce are subject to the Omnibus Health Care Staff Vaccination Interim Final Rule (“Vaccine Rule”).  CMS has also issued FAQs to assist healthcare providers in assessing whether … Continue Reading

Surprised Providers Seek Changes to Latest Provisions of the No Surprises Act

Effective January 1, 2022, new billing protections went into effect that have the goal of providing greater protections for patients against surprise medical bills. As we discussed in our prior blog, the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury, and the Office of Personnel Management (collectively, the Departments) implemented these additional protections that … Continue Reading

Medicare & Medicaid Facilities Are Put On Notice: Employees Must Be Vaccinated

Medicare and Medicaid certified facilities will be required to ensure that their employees are vaccinated for COVID-19, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced on September 9, 2021. Healthcare providers with 100 or more employees also may be subject to a forthcoming Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”) from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational … Continue Reading

Should You Consider Offering Cheaper Health Plan Coverage in 2022 for Vaccinated Employees?

If you still have unvaccinated workers in January, might you provide a financial incentive for employees to be vaccinated, by charging them higher healthcare insurance premiums? That is the question facing exhausted but dedicated corporate Human Resources leaders as they approach annual open enrollment season, in which employees are asked to lock in their 2022 … Continue Reading

Decision Reminds Providers of Limits on Restricting Employee Communications with Media

Hospitals and medical groups that bar staff from communicating with the media should take another look at those prohibitions following a recent federal appellate decision finding such a policy unlawful under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Multiple news accounts have detailed incidents where doctors and nurses were disciplined or fired for speaking out about … Continue Reading

Have Paper Prescriptions Gone the Way of the Horse and Buggy? Almost.

For most Florida prescribers whose licenses haven’t renewed since 2019, it’s time to commence electronic prescribing. In 2019, the legislature enacted legislation that required electronic prescribing. However, this requirement became effective on the earlier of the prescriber’s license renewal date or July 1, 2021. Section 456.42(3), Florida Statutes requires health care practitioners to “electronically transmit … Continue Reading

New Florida Laws Focus on Health Care

Before closing its 2021 session, the Florida Legislature passed several bills that impact health care, summarized below. The first bill discussed below regarding civil liability became effective on March 29, 2021. The majority of the other bills became effective on July 1, 2021.… Continue Reading

Pelvic Examination Law – Florida Takes a Second Look

The Florida medical community was left concerned and confused by the passage of the original 2020 pelvic examination law. As we discussed in our past blog, practitioners believed the law was overly burdensome, and they were unsure how to implement it. Senator Lauren Book’s new bill, SB 716, sought to make consent clear through an … Continue Reading

Group Health Plan Sponsors are Getting Serious About Pricing Transparency – Are You Keeping Up?

In early July, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Labor (Labor), and the Department of the Treasury (Treasury) (collectively, the Departments), along with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released an interim final rule related to the No Surprises Act, legislation designed to protect patients from unexpected medical bills. The … Continue Reading

Not Without Their Parents – No Pharmacy Services to Florida Minors without Parental Consent

Pharmacists and other providers should beware of a medical consent requirement buried in the new “Parents’ Bill of Rights” signed by Governor Desantis. The law will be codified at Fla. Statutes § 1014.06 and became effective on July 1, 2021. While most see it as an educational bill that allows parents to be more involved … Continue Reading
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