• In a matter of first impression, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida has ruled that a private right of action under the Medicare Secondary Payer Act (MSP Act), which provides for double damages in the...more
It’s been a long time since Orlando’s Halifax Hospital got any good news from the federal court hearing the whistleblower case brought by employee Elin Baklid-Kunz. Earlier this year the hospital had to agree to an $85...more
Avoiding the Regulatory Land Mines of Commercial ACOs - While providers are showing great interest in creating ACOs to participate in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP), they are showing even greater enthusiasm...more
Survey of ACA Navigators Finds 10.6 Million People Sought Enrollment Help — In a survey released this week, the Kaiser Family Foundation (“Kaiser”) estimates that approximately 10.6 million people received assistance...more
On July 1, 2014, a United States District Court in the Middle District of Florida granted in part, denied in part summary judgment in favor of Halifax Hospital Medical Center in connection with the non-intervened claims...more
E-discovery is especially challenging in healthcare related litigation due to the healthcare industry’s reliance on electronically stored information (ESI), the volume of medical records often at issue in health care...more
The Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced another multi-million dollar settlement of alleged False Claims Act violations on March 11, 2014. Specifically, Halifax Hospital Medical Center and Halifax Staffing, Inc. agreed to...more
It is a deceptively simple statement: Governmental employee benefit plans are exempt from ERISA. 29 U.S.C. § 1003(b)(1). But what about an employee benefit plan of an entity affiliated with a governmental entity, but whose...more
You probably didn’t think Florida’s Halifax Health could make its situation any worse. After all, only two months ago Halifax agreed to pay $85 million to settle just the first half of a Medicare fraud case. That still...more
On March 10, 2014, just days before trial, Halifax Hospital Medical Center and Halifax Staffing, Inc. (collectively “Halifax”) entered into an $85 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice resolving allegations...more
Since January 2009, the DOJ has recovered more than $13.4 billion through False Claims Act cases involving fraud against federal health care programs, and last month, Halifax Hospital Medical Center and Halifax Staffing, Inc....more
In This Issue: - Federal Updates - State Updates - HIPAA Updates - Excerpt from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Issues Guidance for Meaningful Use Hardship Exception: The Centers...more
One of the largest settlements, if approved by the Court, is a result of compensation and incentive programs to physicians who were “employed” at Halifax Hospital in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Halifax lawsuit was filed in...more