Articles
DOJ Doubles Health Care Civil Fraud Penalties
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) published an interim final rule on June 30th that dramatically increased potential civil penalties under the Civil False Claims Act and the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute. Currently, violations of the …..
Desk Audits. HIPAA Audits Are Underway!
BA Desk Audits Right Around the Corner On July 11, 2016, HHS Office of Civil Rights (OCR) notified 167 Covered Entities (CE) of their selection, via a random sampling process, to participate in HIPAA desk …..
La. DHH Proposes New Rules to Limit Freestanding Emergency Departments
The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) published two notices of intent in the July 2016 edition of the Louisiana Register related to free-standing emergency departments (EDs). One proposed rules would prohibit free-standing EDs from operating …..
Final 60-Day Rule for Reporting and Returning Overpayments
Quantification Required as Part of “Identifying” and Overpayment Six years after issuing its Proposed Rule, CMS released its final 60-Day Rule for reporting and returning overpayments. The Final 60-Day Rule is more industry-friendly, but still …..
CMS to Enforce 20 Hours per Week Therapeutic Services
Patients admitted to a partial hospitalization program (PHP) must be under the care of a physician who certifies the need for partial hospitalization and that the patient requires a minimum of 20 hours per week …..
Business Associates the Target of HIPAA Audits
For the first time since HIPAA was enacted in 1996, vendors and other business partners such as law firms and billing companies who handle health information on behalf of healthcare providers can be held directly …..