The Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (the OIG) recently released an updated General Compliance Program Guidance document (GCPG). The GCPG has been anticipated since the OIG...more
When the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (“PHE”) ended on May 11, 2023, many physician groups furnishing certain medical equipment, devices, and/or supplies to their Medicare patients became in violation of the federal...more
Effective March 1st, certain providers choosing to self-disclose Stark Law violations must use forms updated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”)....more
In this week’s episode, Mary Beth Johnston, Carolyn Merritt and Leah Richardson discuss the ways in which the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) response to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak is easing certain...more
On March 30, 2020, the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) exercised his authority to waive certain Medicare requirements during an emergency and issued blanket waivers of sanctions...more
A physician-owned hospital with operating rooms at a second campus that have been inactive since before March 23, 2010 received approval from CMS to include such spaces within the hospital's aggregate capacity limits,...more
Last summer The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) solicited input on potential amendments to the federal Physician Self-Referral Law (the Stark Law)....more
On May 6, 2016, CMS published a notice (Notice), required under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), seeking public comment on its plans to revise the information collected under the Medicare Self-referral Disclosure Protocol...more
On February 12, 2016, CMS published a final rule addressing compliance with Section 1128J(d) of the Social Security Act. Section 1128J(d), which was added when the Affordable Care Act was enacted on March 23, 2010, imposes a...more
Nearly four years after publishing their joint interim final rule with comment period, effective November 2, 2011 (IFC), the OIG and CMS (Agencies) have finalized the waivers of various fraud and abuse laws in the context of...more
On July 15, 2015, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) published proposed regulations governing policies and payments made under the Physician Fee Schedule for calendar year 2016 (the “Proposed Rule”). In...more
On July 2, 2015, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed a $237 million judgment against Tuomey Healthcare System, Inc. (“Tuomey”), in a federal False Claims Act (“FCA”) case arising out of...more
After reading through the hundreds of pages of the District Court's and Appeals Court's decisions, including the recent Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals decision that was filed on July 2, 2015, one thing is certain: Mixing one...more
More than four years after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) issuance of the Stark Self-Referral Disclosure Protocol (SRDP), it's time to assess the results. The SRDP was designed by Congress to resolve...more
On May 2, 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) published a request for comments relating to the Self-Referral Disclosure Protocol (“SRDP”). The SRDP is a voluntary self-disclosure instrument that...more
In 2012, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) issued much-anticipated guidance on the Self-Referral Disclosure Protocol (SRDP) through its publication of thirteen settlements and its statutorily-mandated “Report to...more