K&L Gates Triage: An Insider’s Perspective on the Health Care Debate in Washington, DC
When COVID-19 was declared a Public Health Emergency (PHE), the Secretary of HHS was authorized to waive or modify certain Medicare, Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program, HIPAA, and EMTALA requirements. Many...more
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has sent a clear message to states and providers: they already have the tools to improve healthcare. Through a combination of value-based arrangements and already existing...more
On March 30, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) swept aside dozens of federal healthcare requirements using its emergency waiver authority under Section 1135 of the Social Security Act. The waivers—addressing...more
On April 3, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued Quality, Safety & Oversight memorandum QSO-20-24-ASC (the QSO Memo), addressed to state survey agencies to provide guidance on processing attestation...more
On March 30, 2020, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services ("Secretary") announced a blanket waiver ("Waiver") of sanctions for violations of Section 1877 of the Social Security Act, also known as the...more
Responding to the Coronavirus public health emergency, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) has waived certain requirements of the Medicare, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), including...more
On October 17th, the Administration released its semiannual forecast of the rules that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will be churning out over the next year. The list includes nearly 200 rules, 23 of which...more
Hospitals operating in regions affected by the recent hurricanes and other natural disasters may be able to obtain temporary regulatory relief. During times of disasters and emergencies, CMS can provide some flexibility...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
ALERT: "No Contract" Disclaimer in Employee Handbook Upheld by Illinois CourtAuthor: Employee handbooks have long been a trap for the unwary employer that desires merely to establish a set of rules and policies without...more
There appears to be momentum on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC to modify and/or repeal the Ethics in Patient Referrals Act of 1989, more commonly known as the Stark Law, which was enacted to curb overutilization of certain...more
Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), both federal and state policies have promoted the adoption of alternative payment models (APMs), providing financial incentives for groups of providers to improve care...more