On February 8, 2013, CMS published the Final Rule with respect the Physician Payment Sunshine Act (PPSA), signed into law as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act. PPSA is intended to prevent improper influence on research, education and clinical decision-making in order to avoid compromising clinical integrity and patient care and […]
On January 7, 2013, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) published Advisory Opinion 12-22, addressing a non-exclusive cardiology co-management agreement between a hospital and a private cardiology practice. The OIG concluded the arrangement would not warrant sanctions under the Civil Monetary Penalty law (CMP) or the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS). Under the proposed arrangement, the hospital […]
On January 3, 2012 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released an announcement regarding implementation of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. The law prevents the scheduled 26.5% sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula cut for 2013 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS). CMS also clarified the 2013 conversion factor will be $34.0230. As […]
Elizabeth Ortmann Vincenzo will be speaking in Maryland Heights from 11:30-1:30 to the St. Louis MGMA Chapter on January 9, 2013 on “Compliance Program Mandated By Healthcare Reform.” The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) mandates that all Medicare providers and suppliers must, as a condition of enrollment in Medicare, Medicaid or CHIP, establish […]
On November 1, 2012, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced the final rule implementing the part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) that delivers higher payments to primary care physicians serving Medicaid beneficiaries. The new rule raises rates to ensure doctors are paid the same for treating Medicare and […]
A question coming up more and more these days is whether the use of texting patients and other healthcare providers is a valid and HIPAA-compliant means of communication. Obviously texting can offer physicians the same advantages it offers in general: texting is fast, efficient, and readily available (as compared to access to a computer and […]
Authored by: Elizabeth Vincenzo On October 2, 2012, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General (OIG) issued its Work Plan for Fiscal Year 2013, which instructs healthcare providers of some of the primary activities and practices the OIG will be targeting for enforcement action. The coming year’s Work Plan […]
Authored by: Elizabeth Vincenzo As technology moves forward at a dizzying rate, physicians are faced with more and more information about HIPAA compliance; it is imperative physicians attend to updates about how to protect patients’ PHI and what are the biggest threats. The latest and greatest include: On September 17, 2012, updated risk assessment guidance […]
Authored by: Elizabeth Vincenzo Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), providers who have been enrolled in Medicare since before March 25, 2011, will be required to submit complete enrollment revalidation information within 60 days of request from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Failure to respond to the request will place […]
Authored by: Elizabeth Vincenzo According to a newly released 2011 survey from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), fifty-five percent of office-based physicians have adopted electronic health records (EHR) systems. CDC surveyed over 3,000 physicians across specialties and practice sizes and found: Stand-alone systems offer faster response times than web-based systems, have […]
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