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HIPAA Privacy Rule and Disclosures of Information Relating to Reproductive Health Care
HHS Office of Civil Rights has proposed changes to HIPAA’s Privacy Rule which would prohibit disclosures to law enforcement related to obtaining or providing abortions. The…
DOJ Settlements Are a Stark Reminder
Arrangements with referring physicians are common in healthcare, but they can be very danagerous if not structured properly. Too often they are used to obfuscate the…
Can Actions Be Considered Remuneration Under the Anti-Kickback Statute?
When discussing the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS), it’s common to say that “remuneration” can be “anything of value.” That board definition has been called into question by…
Telemedicine Prescribing of Controlled Substances When the Practitioner and the Patient Have Not Had a Prior In-Person Medical Evaluation
When the public health emergency ends, so do many of the waivers that were created to facilitate healthcare during the pandemic. One such concession involves the…
OIG Expands Topics for Frequently Asked Questions
OIG has used various avenues to communicate its views on various healthcare compliance issues, such as advisory opinions, contractor self-disclosures, corporate integrity agreements, and exclusions. In…
Telehealth Expansion in Texas
The COVID-19 pandemic forced many patients and practitioners to find new ways to connect. The most obvious tool is telehealth, the use of audio-visual platforms to…
Hospice, home health agency and owners pay over $1.8M to resolve claims concerning physician payments
The founders of an Edinburg hospice and related home health agency have paid $1,847,279.36 to resolve allegations they submitted claims to Medicare that resulted from unlawful…
2020 Health Antitrust Year in Review
The federal antitrust enforcement agencies brought three hospital merger challenges and three criminal antitrust enforcement actions in health care in the past year. Combined with the…
Improper Billing of “P-Stim” Devices is Focus of Recent FCA Settlements
Improper billing for electro-acupuncture using a “P-Stim” device (or peri-auricular stimulation device) has been the subject of two False Claims Act (FCA) settlements already in 2021,…
Texas Company Agrees to Reimburse Medicare for Improper Billing Related to Neurostimulators
Spinal Decompression Clinic of Texas (“SDCT”) has agreed to pay $330,898.00 to resolve liability under the False Claims Act for the alleged improper billing of electro-acupuncture…