Beginning on January 1, 2025, employment-based non-compete covenants will be unenforceable against physicians, certified registered nurse practitioners, physician assistants and certified registered nurse anesthetists (each,...more
Last month, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) kicked off a rulemaking process that, if enacted, would reshape the credit reporting and debt collection landscape and could have a detrimental effect on medical and...more
The federal No Surprises Act went into effect on January 1, 2022. The Act is aimed at reducing “surprise bills” to patients in the context of services provided at hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers, and includes...more
A nationwide telemedicine kickback scheme led to fraudulent Medicare reimbursements for durable medical equipment and genetic testing. The full Department of Justice press release can be found here... ...more
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) generally requires employers to report and record workplace injuries. OSHA has published revised guidance regarding its recordkeeping...more
In Guidance issued May 8, 2020 and May 9, 2020, the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) has now permitted medical and dental practices across the Commonwealth to re-engage in the provision of non-urgent or elective care,...more
In the continued fight against opioid addiction, Pennsylvania enacted a new law, effective November 27, 2019, that requires prescribers in Pennsylvania to implement additional steps prior to treating a patient’s chronic pain...more
The Pennsylvania Department of Health has issued revised Guidance effective April 27, 2020, permitting ambulatory surgery facilities (ASFs) to resume the performance of elective procedures, if the ASF makes an affirmative...more
In a severe act, Pennsylvania Gov. Wolf has ordered all health care providers, facilities, manufacturers, distributors and suppliers to report their inventory of personal protective equipment (PPE), certain pharmaceutical...more
Over the last several weeks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued and updated specific guidance on the COVID-19/Coronavirus pandemic for health care professionals and advised health care facilities...more
With the recent outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the significant governmental actions being taken at federal, state and local levels, physicians and dentists around the country are seeking guidance on how to...more
Beginning on October 24, 2019, every licensed health care practitioner in Pennsylvania (excluding veterinarians) will be required to electronically prescribe controlled substances (regardless of the dosage) by sending the...more
Any practice (whether medical, dental or orthodontic) that provides patients with the opportunity to log-on to the practice’s website for scheduling, bill payment or other information should note that, as of July 1, 2019, the...more
The New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance (DOBI) has issued an 18-page Bulletin on implementation of the Out-of-Network Consumer Protection, Transparency, Cost Containment and Accountability Act by health care...more
On October 24, 2018, Congress enacted a new anti-kickback law that applies to many commercial health insurance plans, as well as Medicare and Medicaid. The law, known as the “Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act of 2018”...more
The New Jersey Out-of-Network Consumer Protection, Transparency, Cost Containment and Accountability Act takes effect today – August 30, 2018 – and requires all licensed health care professionals in the state who bill health...more
CMS recently issued its proposed changes to the 2019 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, which include a controversial change to the reimbursement rates for Level 2-5 evaluation and management (E/M) services and some notable...more
This is the second installment in a new series on the Physician Law Blog entitled “Small Doses” designed to provide you with quick updates on meaningful issues. We will continue to provide you with detailed updates on...more
This is the first installment in a new series on the Physician Law Blog entitled “Small Doses” designed to provide you with quick updates on meaningful issues. We will continue to provide you with detailed updates on...more
In April, the FDA released its “Medical Device Safety Action Plan,” a short to mid-term vision for increasing the safety of medical devices. In it, the FDA acknowledges that enhancements and changes in its approach to device...more
Last month, CMS Administrator Seema Verma announced several initiatives to innovate the delivery of patient care at the ground level. In collaboration with the Trump Administration and other federal agencies, CMS is taking...more
In our most recent post, the Top 5 Common HIPAA Mistakes to Avoid in 2018, we noted that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has recently published guidance on disclosing protected...more
CMS recently issued an Advisory Opinion suggesting that physicians who refer diagnostic tests reimbursable under Medicare to a laboratory may, under certain circumstances, receive electronic pop-up notifications in the...more
Gov. Christie’s Administration recently proposed a regulation to curtail the prescription of unnecessary opioid painkillers. Christie, who serves as the Chairman of President Trump’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction...more
As first reported on our sister blog, “In the Weeds”, on July 26, 2017, the Pennsylvania Department of Health opened its Medical Marijuana Practitioner Registry. Physicians licensed in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania may...more