Modern Healthcare (10/31, Lubell) reports, "Physicians will receive a 1.1 percent increase to their Medicare payments in 2009 under a final rule issued by" the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS). This "update reflects a provision included in the…
The Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) is an electronic system for screening
Visa Waiver Program passengers before they begin travel to the United States without a visa. It is anticipated that ESTA will become mandatory for Visa Waiver Program travelers on January 12, 2009.
www.medlawblog.com/uploads/file/Visa waiver – passport reqts.pdf
Lisa Ventresca
There has been some consternation whether the FTC Red Flag rules applied to medical practices as creditors. Organized medicine has been seeking clarification. which has not been forthcoming. Fortunately, this 6 month delay should allow somtime to review this issue.
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Advisory Opinion 08-16, the text of which is linked below, involved a nonprofit hospital’s Pay for Performance (P4P) program with a commercial insurer and certain physicians on the hospital’s medical staff. Under the P4P program, the insurer pays the hospital bonus compensation calculated as percentage of the annual base compensation it otherwise pays to the …
The Pennsylvania legislature has enacted the attached law, called the "Prohibition of Excessive Overtime in Health Care Act," that is expected to be signed by Governor Rendell. The law prohibits hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, and long-term care providers from requiring nurses and other clinical-care workers to work overtime. This ban excludes doctors, physician assistants, and…
On October 6, 2008 CMS announced its intent to aggressively enhance its efforts to find and prevent waste, fraud and abuse in Medicare. In particular, CMS indicated that it intends to work directly with beneficiaries to insure that they are properly receiving the durable medical equipment and home health services for which Medicare was billed and…
The Wall Street Journal published an insightful article on Special Needs Planning in its Family Finances Section on October 9, 2008."An Estate Plan Built for Special Needs" highlights the emotional and financial challenges facing parents with special needs children and commonly employed planning methods. Special Needs Planning and Special Needs Trusts are not…
On Friday, April 27, 2007, the Insurance Department received two transactional filings, known as Form A filings, for the acquisition of Highmark, Inc. and Independence Blue Cross Pennsylvania domestic insurance company subsidiaries by NEWCO, a yet to be
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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ("HHS") recently entered into a Resolution Agreement with Providence Health & Services ("Providence") of Seattle to settle potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 ("HIPAA") Privacy and Security Rules. Under the Resolution Agreement, Providence agrees to pay $100,000 and implement a corrective…
On September 26, 2008, President Bush signed into law the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 ("ADAAA"). The ADAAA are a significant change to the ADA, designed to reverse rulings handed down by the courts that Congress believed had limited the ADA in ways that were not intended when that landmark legislation was passed.
Perhaps the most…
