The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) proposed changes to regulations regarding general acute care hospital (GACH) licensing requirements related to clinical laboratory, dietetic, and pharmaceutical services....more
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced the release of updated model signage for use by Medicare-participating hospitals to inform patients of their rights under the Emergency Medical Treatment...more
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the US Department of Justice (DOJ) recently published new proposed rules that update and create various requirements under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973...more
The Illinois attorney general (IL AG) has released its much-anticipated Healthcare Transaction Notice Form (the Form), which parties must submit before undertaking certain “Covered Transactions” that are not otherwise...more
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has changed its joint-employer rule, making it easier for entities doing business with each other to be deemed joint employers, and so jointly subject to union organizing campaigns,...more
On November 6, 2023, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) published the General Compliance Program Guidance (GCPG) as a revised reference guide for the healthcare compliance...more
11/16/2023
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Compliance ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
OIG ,
Patients ,
Stark Law
On August 11, 2023, Governor J. B. Pritzker signed Illinois House Bill 2222 into law (Public Act 103-0526). Public Act 103-0526 amends certain provisions of the Illinois Antitrust Act, the State Finance Act and the Illinois...more
8/17/2023
/ Antitrust Division ,
Covered Transactions ,
Enforcement ,
General Assembly ,
Governor Pritzker ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
New Legislation ,
State Attorneys General ,
State Legislatures
At the onset of the COVID-19 PHE, CMS was permitted to issue several temporary emergency statutory and regulatory waivers to help providers appropriately respond to the pandemic. On May 1, 2023, the Secretary released a memo...more
5/11/2023
/ Acute Facilities ,
Ambulatory Surgery Centers ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Health Care Providers ,
Home Health Care ,
Hospice ,
Hospitals ,
Long Term Care Facilities ,
Mental Health ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Skilled Nursing Facility ,
Waivers
On March 24, 2023, the Illinois House of Representatives passed legislation (HB 2222) that, if passed by the Illinois Senate and signed by Governor J.B. Pritzker, would increase oversight of certain “covered transactions” for...more
4/18/2023
/ Antitrust Division ,
Covered Transactions ,
Governor Pritzker ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Legislative Agendas ,
New Legislation ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures
In a country that is still struggling with an opioid epidemic, and where there are enough rules and laws regulating the dispensing of medication to fill a tome, it makes sense that medical providers across the nation are...more
4/4/2023
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Biometric Information ,
Biometric Information Privacy Act ,
Data Collection ,
Data Privacy ,
Employees ,
Facial Recognition Technology ,
Fingerprints ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
Physicians ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Prescription Drugs ,
State and Local Government ,
State Privacy Laws
Effective January 1, 2023, The Joint Commission (TJC) eliminated 168 (or 14%) of its accreditation standards across all of its accreditation programs and revised 14 other standards. To further streamline its standards, TJC is...more
2/15/2023
/ Accreditation ,
Ambulance Providers ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Certifications ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Access Hospitals ,
Health Care Providers ,
Home Health Care ,
Hospitals ,
Laboratories ,
Mental Health ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Skilled Nursing Facility ,
The Joint Commission
In late January 2023, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued two updates relevant to provider and supplier organizations enrolled in Medicare: (1) a redesign to the Provider Enrollment, Chain and...more
Starting July 1, 2023, The Joint Commission (TJC) will set health equity as a National Patient Safety Goal for certain TJC-accredited organizations and roll out a new Health Care Equity certification program to recognize and...more
2/1/2023
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Ambulatory Surgery Centers ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Certifications ,
Critical Access Hospitals ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
Mental Health ,
Patients ,
Proposed Rules ,
The Joint Commission
Rural emergency hospitals (REHs) are a new provider type that will allow Medicare to pay for emergency department and other outpatient hospital services in rural areas beginning on January 1, 2023, without requiring the...more
11/29/2022
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Emergency Rooms ,
Final Rules ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
Medicare ,
Outpatient Services ,
Provider Payments ,
Rural Areas ,
Rural Health Care Providers ,
Stark Law
CMS released guidance for surveyors that provides leeway in surveying for compliance with the November 2021 interim final rule with comment that imposed a vaccination mandate for most staff at certain covered provider types....more
Beginning in 2023, Medicare will recognize a new provider type: the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH). The establishment of REHs is intended to preserve access to emergency departments and other outpatient services in rural...more
8/11/2022
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Critical Access Hospitals ,
Emergency Rooms ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
Medicare ,
Outpatient Services ,
Physician Ownership ,
Physicians ,
Proposed Rules ,
Provider Payments ,
Rural Areas ,
Rural Health Care Providers ,
Stark Law ,
Statutory Requirements ,
Webinars
Rural emergency hospitals (REHs) are a new Medicare provider type that will allow Medicare to pay for emergency department and other outpatient hospital services in rural areas beginning on January 1, 2023, without requiring...more
7/21/2022
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Conditions of Participation (CoP) ,
Dedicated Emergency Departments ,
Enrollment ,
Hospitals ,
Medicare ,
Mental Health ,
Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) ,
Outpatient Services ,
Proposed Rules ,
Rural Health Care Providers
Tucked into the recent proposed rule establishing Rural Emergency Hospital Conditions of Participation (CoPs) is a proposal to change the CoPs for critical access hospitals (CAHs). The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services...more
On June 30, 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the long-awaited proposed rule establishing the Conditions of Participation (CoPs) that Rural Emergency Hospitals (REHs) would be required to meet...more
Employers are amending their vaccine policies in the wake of US Supreme Court opinions. Michelle Strowhiro, Sandra DiVarco and Abigail Kagan discuss the three vaccine rules at play - OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS),...more
Hospital and health systems rely on vendors and other partners to provide vital services that support patient care, efficient operations and smooth administrative functions. However, the regulations governing different types...more
Hospital and health systems rely on vendors and other partners to provide vital services that support patient care, efficient operations and smooth administrative functions. However, the regulations governing different types...more
Hospital and health systems rely on vendors and other partners to provide vital services that support patient care, efficient operations and smooth administrative functions. However, the regulations governing different types...more
On January 13, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States released two emergency opinions that change the landscape of the three federal vaccine rules. In summary:
A 5-4 Court majority let the Centers for Medicare &...more
On December 28, 2021, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Quality, Safety and Oversight Group released a memorandum (QSO-22-07-ALL) providing guidance and details on survey procedures for assessing and...more
12/30/2021
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Deadlines ,
Disability ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Essential Workers ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Interim Final Rules (IFR) ,
Religious Accommodation ,
State and Local Government ,
Vaccinations