Posts tagged Access to Health Care.
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On November 12, 2021, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) released final guidance confirming that hospitals can be co-located with other hospitals or healthcare providers.

CMS’ aim for the guidance is to balance flexibility in service provision for providers with ensuring patient confidence in CMS’ quality of care oversight functions.

The final guidance provides direction to state surveyors in the evaluation of a hospital’s compliance with the Medicare Conditions of Participation (“CoPs”) when it is sharing space or contracted staff through service arrangements with another co-located hospital or healthcare provider.  CMS also reiterated a key tenet of co-location arrangements: that each provider must independently meet its applicable CoPs, but, overall, the final guidance is less prescriptive than the draft guidance CMS released in May 2019, and in its wake raises new questions for providers.

Blogs
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Our colleague David A. Clark at Epstein Becker Green was recently quoted in The New York Times, in “Did Your Doctor Disappear Without a Word? A Noncompete Clause Could Be the Reason,” by Michelle Andrews. Read more about the article here.

Blogs
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On December 14, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to remove regulations that prohibit providers from blocking websites or charging for high quality service to access specific content. Many worry that allowing telecommunications companies to favor certain businesses will cause problems within the health care industry. Specifically, concerns have risen about the effect of the ruling on the progress of telemedicine and the role it plays in access to care. Experts worry that a tiered system in which service providers can charge more for speed connectivity can be ...

Blogs
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There has been a growing trend of strategic joint ventures throughout the healthcare industry with the goal of enhancing expertise, accessing financial resources, gaining efficiencies, and improving performance in the changing environment. This includes, for example, hospital-hospital joint ventures, hospital-payor joint ventures, and hospital joint ventures with various ancillary providers (e.g., ambulatory surgery, imaging, home health, physical therapy, behavioral health, etc.). Extra precautions need to be taken in joint ventures between tax-exempt entities ...

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After July 1, 2017, optometrists and ophthalmologists ("Ophthalmic Providers") in Virginia will be able to practice through telehealth. Va. Code § 54.1-2400.01:2 permits Ophthalmic Providers to establish a bona fide provider-patient relationship "by an examination through face-to-face interactive, two-way, real-time communication" or through "store-and-forward technologies." Licensed Ophthalmic Providers may establish a provider-patient relationship so long as the provider conforms to the in-person standard of care.  To the extent that an Ophthalmic Provider ...

Blogs
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[caption id="attachment_1475" align="alignright" width="113"] Robert E. Wanerman[/caption]

Even after the Secretary of HHS admitted that the current backlog of Medicare Part B appeals would take ten years to adjudicate at current staffing and funding levels, that was not enough for a hospital to obtain any relief from a court. Cumberland County Hospital System, Inc. v. Burwell, No. 15-1393 (4th Cir., Mar. 7, 2016).  In that case, a North Carolina hospital had initially been paid for over 900 claims, but those claims were subsequently determined to be ineligible after a ...

Blogs
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By Gretchen Harders and Michelle Capezza

On May 8, 2013, the Employee Benefits Security Administration of the Department of Labor (the “DOL”) issued Technical Release 2013-02 (the “Release”) providing important guidance under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (the “Affordable Care Act”) with regard to the requirement that employers provide notices to their employees of the existence of the Health Insurance Marketplace, generally referred to previously as the Exchange. These ...

Blogs
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Our colleagues at Epstein Becker Green have issued a client alert: "Federally Facilitated Exchanges Are Almost Ready," by Linda V. Tiano.

Following is an excerpt:

On March 1, 2013, the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight ("CCIIO") and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ("CMS") released lengthy and detailed draft guidance regarding the federally facilitated exchanges ("FFEs") that will operate in the 26 states that have chosen not to establish their own exchange or partner with CMS. Although the guidance was issued in draft form, CCIIO and CMS allowed ...

Blogs
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Our Epstein Becker Green colleagues Jane L. Kuesel, Jackie Selby, and Linda V. Tiano have released a client alert titled "New York Issues 'Invitation to Participate in the New York Health Benefit Exchange,' Clarifying Application Process and State Requirements."

The alert describes a number of the more significant requirements by New York on applicants that want to become eligible for certification as a Qualified Health Plan and to participate in the New York Exchange, as well as applicable time frames and processes.

Following is an excerpt:

The New York Department of Health’s ...

Blogs
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by Brandon C. Ge

In the months leading up to Election Day 2012, the pace of health reform implementation slowed considerably as the Obama administration held off on releasing regulations to avoid pre-election controversy. With the 2012 elections now in the books, health reform has scored two major victories: the re-election of President Barack Obama and the preservation of a Democratic majority in the Senate. Although the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is now safe from repeal, implementation still faces hurdles, such as state resistance, the fiscal cliff, and pending lawsuits ...

Blogs
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In addition to the work that states are doing (or purposefully not doing) to implement State Health Insurance Exchanges for operation in 2014, states have also been given the task of choosing a benchmark plan for purposes of defining the essential health benefits (“EHB”), a minimum package of benefits that must be offered by all insurance policies sold in the small group and individual markets beginning in 2014. 

Section 1302(b) of the Affordable Care Act directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the “Secretary”) to define the EHB. The scope of the EHB must equal the ...

Blogs
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by Lynn Shapiro Snyder and Shawn M. Gilman

Speculation abounds with respect to the decision that states will make on the issue of whether to expand Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act, now that the Supreme Court of the United States has made the option to abstain a meaningful one. This health reform alert highlights some key factors that may influence a state's decision on whether to implement such an expansion.

Read the full alert here

Danielle Steele, a Summer Associate (not admitted to the practice of law) in Epstein Becker Green's Washington, DC, office, contributed ...

Blogs
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On March 12, 2012, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ("HHS") released its final rule ("Final Rule") implementing the new Affordable Health Insurance Exchanges ("Exchanges") authorized under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Blogs
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Back in 1996, the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice, in providing antitrust guidance for multi-provider networks, considered financial integration and clinical integration as separate pathways for such networks to avoid per se violations of the antitrust laws and, instead, to be treated under the rule of reason, allowing for an assessment of their procompetitive vs. anticompetitive effects. With 65 organizations now participating in Medicare shared savings initiatives, including the 27 Medicare Shared Savings Program participants announced on April 10 ...

Blogs
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By Stuart M. Gerson

The three days of arguments about the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act are complete. The Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States have conducted their post-argument conference and are now turning their attention to the drafting and the discussions that will lead to a majority opinion and, likely, several dissents and concurrences. The Court's decision should be issued before the end of June. Health care companies and employers, like the rest of the population, await the ultimate decision. However, there are several ...

Blogs
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Kara Maciel, Member of the Epstein Becker Green Labor and Employment, Litigation, and Health Care and Life Sciences Practices, was recently interviewed by Employment Law360 concerning employer wellness programs

According to the article, businesses are turning to wellness programs to curb health care expenses, but programs that aren't carefully crafted can open employers up to costly privacy and discrimination litigation, attorneys say.  Wellness programs can lead to big savings for employers by targeting behaviors that can cause conditions that drive up their health ...

Blogs
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by Lynn Shapiro Snyder and Lesley R. Yeung

On December 16, 2011, the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight ("CCIIO") within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ("CMS") released a "bulletin" to provide information and solicit comments on the regulatory approach that the Department of Health and Human Services plans to propose to define essential health benefits ("EHB") under section 1302 of the Affordable Care Act. The "bulletin" provides information to stakeholders (i.e., consumers, states, employers, and health insurance issuers) about what ...

Blogs
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Expansion of the DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program; Legislative Inquiry Related to Fraud and Abuse Enforcement Actions; and Automated Pre-Enrollment Provider Screening

by George B. Breen, Amy F. Lerman, Emily E. Bajcsi, Deepa B. Selvam

In order to be prepared for upcoming changes and to respond to new initiatives, providers and suppliers participating in Medicare must be aware of recent Congressional activity that would hold the federal government accountable for its intended enforcement efforts designed to curb health care fraud, waste, and abuse, as well as an effort by the ...

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by Lynn Shapiro Snyder and Lesley R. Yeung

The Early Retiree Reinsurance Program (“ERRP”) was created by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to provide financial assistance to employers, unions, and state and local governments to help them maintain health insurance coverage for early retirees age 55 and older. A report published by the Department of Health and Human Services on March 2, 2011, states that almost 5,500 plan sponsors have been approved to participate in the ERRP and that $535 million in ERRP reimbursement payments have been made to date. It is important ...

Blogs
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by George B. Breen, Carrie Valiant, Emily E. Bajcsi, Anjali N.C. Downs, and Amy F. Lerman

On February 2, 2011, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ("CMS") published new rules ("Final Rule") authorized by the Affordable Care Act ("ACA") creating a vigorous screening process for new and existing Medicare, Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program ("CHIP") providers and suppliers; giving CMS authority to temporarily stop enrollment of new providers and suppliers; expanding the ability of CMS and States to temporarily suspend payments to providers and ...

Blogs
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by Shawn Gilman and Frank C. Morris, Jr.

A little-noticed provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) will significantly impact both health care manufacturers and providers.  The provision amends the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to require regulations by March 23, 2012, mandating that all medical diagnostic equipment and health care provider locations be able to accommodate the needs of individuals with disabilities.  This requirement would mean a redesign of both diagnostic equipment and locations for patient interactions to assure that individuals ...

Blogs
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Now that we have sweeping new health care legislation, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ("the Act"), let's look at the rollout of the accountable care provisions--i.e., those changes to the payment and delivery system that hold the most long-term promise of improving quality and cost-efficiency. They are discussed in my most recent article: "The Timeline for Accountable Care: The Rollout of the Payment and Delivery Reform Provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Implications for Accountable Care Organizations," published last week in ...

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In my most recent article in the series I have been writing for the BNA's Health Law Reporter on payment and delivery system reform, accountable care organizations and bundled payments, I comment on where things are now that federal reform has stalled. The article, titled "Payment and Delivery System Reform: It's Only a Matter of Time," argues that changes in payment and delivery are on the horizon regardless of the pace of federal reform and that providers (and payers as well) should continue their efforts toward accountable care to meet the cost and quality challenges that ...

Blogs
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Thursday's White House Forum on Health Reform brought together people who have a stake in our health care system with people who have the ability to change it. Prior to his inauguration, President Obama called on Americans to hold community discussions about health care. More than 9,000 Americans signed up to host discussions in all 50 states and more than 30,000 Americans attended these discussions. These community groups submitted reports to the White House that detailed their concerns about the health care system and their suggestions for reform. At the Forum, several of these ...

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