On July 26, 2022, Judge Jeremy Kernodle of the Eastern District of Texas affirmed that certain parts of the Interim Final Rule Part II implementing the No Surprises Act (the Act) were invalid. This ruling is nearly identical...more
The Price Transparency Rule (the Rule) became effective on January 1, 2021. By October 2021, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) had issued warnings to over 300 hospitals deemed not in compliance with the...more
On February 23, 2022, Judge Jeremy Kernodle of the Eastern District of Texas ruled that certain parts of the Interim Final Rule Part II (the Rule) implementing the No Surprises Act (the Act) are invalid. Specifically, the...more
Governor Abbott’s Executive Order-
On October 11, 2021, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued Executive Order GA-40 (the Texas Order) banning COVID-19 vaccine mandates by any entity, including private employers, in Texas....more
As reported in a previous blog post, the Texas 87th Legislature passed S.B. 809, an Act adding Chapter 81A entitled “Coronavirus Disease Public Health Emergency Reporting” to the Texas Health and Safety Code...more
This Spring, the Texas 87th Legislature passed S.B. 809, an Act adding Chapter 81A entitled “Coronavirus Disease Public Health Emergency Reporting” to the Texas Health and Safety Code. This Act requires “health care...more
On June 11, 2021, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued new guidance on Provider Relief Fund (PRF) reporting and the deadline for providers to use their funds. Provider recipients can now begin...more
On Friday February 26, 2021, several agencies including The Departments of Labor, health, and Humans Services (HHS) published FAQs regarding health insurance issuers’ obligations under the FFCRA and CARES Act for governing...more
CMS has issued a new rule clarifying that its daily Covid-19 reporting via the HHS Teletracking portal is mandatory as a condition of participation in the Medicare program...more
In light of the public health emergency and the urgent need to help individuals and small employers experiencing economic hardship, CMS announced on August 4, 2020 that it has adopted a temporary policy to allow health plan...more
On May 12, 2020 the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued additional 1135 blanket waivers which are applicable to a wide variety of health care providers. These COVID-19 Emergency Declaration Blanket Waivers...more
On Friday April 10, 2020, the US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) began distributing $30 billion in grants to healthcare providers as part of the $100 billion in relief included in the CARES Act. As discussed in...more
If you received an unexpected payment on or about Friday, April 10, 2020, via Optum Bank with "HHSPAYMENT" as the payment description, that payment was from the Public Health and Social Services Emergency (Relief) Fund...more
Within the vision space there has been some question regarding the authority of Texas Optometry Board (“TOB”) over retailers of ophthalmic goods and optometrists that are in business with or employed by a physician licensed...more
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued blanket waivers of sanctions under the federal Physician Self-Referral Law (also known as the Stark Law) with respect to specific...more
This is the third and final blog in our Surprise Billing series. Our first two blogs addressed legislation in Texas and California limiting “surprise” or “balance” billing. This article will briefly touch on surprise billing...more
This is the second blog of our Surprise Billing Series. This article will look at California’s Assembly Bill No. 72 which added sections to the California Health and Safety Code and to the California Insurance Code. This bill...more
This is the first of three blogs in a series discussing the shift many states are beginning to make towards limiting “Surprise” or “Balance Billing.” This first blog will focus on Texas Senate Bill 1264, which looks to end...more
This is the third article in our series on the new “Pathways” rules for Accountable Care Organizations.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its anticipated final rule revising the Medicare Shared...more