5 Questions is a periodic feature produced by Cornerstone Research, which asks our professionals, senior advisors, or affiliated experts to answer five questions. We interview Mike DeCesaris, vice president of Cornerstone...more
Eligible hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) must demonstrate meaningful use of certified electronic health record technology (CEHRT) to avoid negative Medicare payment adjustments under the Promoting...more
Last week the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a $57 million settlement with electronic health record (EHR) software vendor Greenway Health LLC (Greenway). According to DOJ, Greenway violated the False Claims Act (FCA)...more
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released the hardship exception instructions and application form for the Medicare Electronic Health Records (EHR) Incentive Program (now called the Promoting...more
On April 24 and 27, 2018, CMS launched its annual gaggle of proposed regulations – each with the theme of "Patients over Paperwork" – with the stated goal of "advanc[ing] the agency's priority of creating a patient-driven...more
As we have discussed in an earlier blog post, the federal administrative agencies have been placing greater emphasis on being more transparent and promoting “interoperability”....more
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma announced on March 6, 2018, at the Health Information and Management Systems Society conference that CMS is planning to overhaul the meaningful use...more
Beginning in 2018, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is commencing an annual “Call for Measures” initiative to allow interested parties (i.e., Medicare eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals...more
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently extended the meaningful use attestation deadline for the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program from February 28, 2018, to March 16, 2018....more
The CMS EHR Incentive Program attestation for Medicare eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) has moved to a new platform, the QualityNet Secure Portal (QNet). Starting this year, eligible hospitals and CAHs...more
Uncertain. What better word to describe a year in which a new administration came to power and began to chart a new course for health policy, the fate of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) hung in the balance, and courts grappled...more
Last week, a number of health care industry associations sent letters to Congress detailing ways in which the government could relieve them of the burdens associated with “red tape.” The letters are in response to the first...more
In July 2017, the United States Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General ("OIG") revealed two new Work Plan items related to digital health: first, a review of Medicare incentive payments for...more
It is something of an understatement to note that the U.S. healthcare legal landscape is currently experiencing a degree of transition and uncertainty. There is no shortage of changes to discuss, debate, and, perhaps, grow...more
The Electronic Health Records (EHR) Incentive Program run by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) garnered attention again last week following the release of a report by the Office of Inspector General of the US...more
The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act ("HITECH Act") established financial incentives under Medicare and Medicaid for eligible health care providers that adopt, implement, and demonstrate use...more
Providers participating in the Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program now have an additional thirteen days to register and attest to meeting the meaningful use requirements for 2016. The Centers for...more
President Trump has been clear in his intention to repeal the ACA. In fact, among President Trump’s first executive orders was one seeking to “minimize the economic burden” associated with the Patient Protection and...more
The American Hospital Association, after having been “nice” all year, penned its letter to Santa Claus with its wish list for Christmas. Its four page letter (actually addressed to President-Elect Donald Trump at 1717...more
On December 7, 2016, lawyers from Arnall Golden Gregory LLP’s Healthcare Technology team attended the annual Health IT Leadership Summit. While there, we noted several overarching themes. At the forefront were the topics of...more
On November 1, 2016, CMS published its final policy changes, quality provisions, and payment rates for 2017, as they relate to the Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center...more
On November 14, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published the 2017 Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) final rule in the Federal Register. The rule finalizes changes to the Electronic...more
On Oct. 14, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a final rule with comment period implementing the bipartisan Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). The nearly 2,400 pages of...more
Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. Recently, the Federal Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) issued a Final Rule clarifying...more
In Depth - The House Ways and Means Committee next week is expected to consider and approve the Helping Hospitals Improve Patient Care Act of 2016, legislation that would create broader exceptions under much maligned...more