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The OCR Settles another Investigation under the HIPAA Right of Access Initiative
OCR has settled its thirteenth enforcement action under the HIPAA Right of Access Initiative, which involved a primary care physician practicing in the State of Georgia.…
Patient Recruiter Convicted in $2.8 Million Telemedicine Scheme Against Medicare
The owner of an Orlando-area telemarketing call center was convicted for his role in a kickback scheme involving expensive genetic tests and fraudulent telemedicine services that…
Hospital Price Transparency Rule in Effect
The Hospital Price Transparency Rule went into effect on January 1, 2021. The Rule requires all hospitals operating within the United States to make public a…
Proposed Changes to HIPAA Privacy Rule
HHS has proposed several important changes to the HIPAA Privacy Rule to bring it in line with HHS’s Sprint Toward Coordinated Care initiative. These proposed changes…
CMS Provides Additional Expansion Opportunities for High Medicaid Physician-Owned Hospitals
Under the Affordable Care Act’s amendments to the Stark Law, a Physician Owned Hospital (POH) cannot expand the aggregate number of operating rooms, procedure rooms or…
Texas Hospice Owner Sentenced for Fraud Scheme
A jury found Rodney Mesquias guilty last week on charges of: conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to obstruct justice, conspiracy…
Texas Heart Hospital and Subsidiary Management Company to Pay $48 Million to Settle False Claims Act Allegations Related to Alleged Kickbacks
Huge qui tam settlement where the qui tam plaintiffs will recover $13.9 million. The underlying action involves allegations that the Heart Hospital violated the Stark Law…
Two area home health agency owners charged in health care fraud and illegal kickback scheme
A federal grand jury indicted two home health agency on allegations that they fraudulently billed Medicare more than $10 million. The indictment alleges that Tataw and…
HHS Proposes Modifications to the HIPAA Privacy Rule to Empower Patients, Improve Coordinated Care, and Reduce Regulatory Burdens
The proposed changes to the HIPAA Privacy Rule include strengthening individuals’ rights to access their own health information, including electronic information; improving information sharing for care…
Former Owner of Health Care Staffing Company Indicted for Wage Fixing
A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Neeraj Jindal, the former owner of a therapist staffing company, for participating in a conspiracy to fix prices…