Lee Kim, an intellectual property and healthcare technology attorney at Tucker Arensberg, PC, will be a panelist for a session entitled, "Policy & Regulatory Environments: A Mobile Perspective" at the international mHealth Summit which will be held in National Harbor, MD. The 4th Annual mHealth Summit is the largest event of its kind and more
Michael Cassidy
OIG Approves Per Diem Call Pay
OIG Advisory Opinion No. 12-15 has approved an existing arrangement under which a hospital pays physicians a per diem fee for providing on call ER coverage.
Under the arrangement, the hospital pays per diem fees to 130 specialty physicians on staff who provide on-call services, including:
· telephone consultations;
· in-person consultations, as…
National Foundation for American Policy Recommends Immigration Reform to Meet Needs of U.S. Healthcare
National Foundation for American Policy released its November 2012 policy recommendations recognizing immigration reform for health care workers as a broad measure to deal with increasing labor demand and shortage in the health care industry arising from the needs of the aging U.S. population and the Affordable Care Act. These policy recommendations are necessary at…
2013 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized the Medicare physician fee schedule for 2013. Unless Congress intervenes, the rule implements a 26.5 percent reduction in Medicare physician payments in 2013 based on the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula. MGMA will continue its steadfast advocacy efforts to repeal the flawed SGR formula, and…
Western Pennsylvania 2012 Cybersecurity Conference
Contributed by Lee Kim, Esq.
412.594.3915
Yesterday, I attended the Western Pennsylvania 2012 Cybersecurity Conference. It was a unique opportunity to learn about cyber-threats, including cyber-attacks and cyber-crime. As a healthcare technology attorney, I asked the panelists about their thoughts on these issues as they pertain to the healthcare industry. In response, I was told that…
Physician Groups Asking for Elimination of SGR Formula and Proposing Transition Plan
Contributed by Lee Kim, Esq.
412.594.3915
In a letter to the Senate Finance Committee, more than one-hundred physicians’ groups have urged the elimination of the Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula, asserting that the formula is an impediment to successful health care delivery and payment reforms that can improve the quality of patient care while…
Patent Enforcement and the Healthcare Industry
Contributed by Lee Kim, Esq., USPTO Reg. No. 53,125
412.594.3915
MMRGlobal is targeting the healthcare entities that have an electronic health record system with claims that its "foundational patents" limit the entities’ ability to communicate protected health information without potentially infringing its patents. Through its outside counsel, it has begun sending 250 letters to entities…
The 2013 Limits for Qualified Retirement Plans
As they do every year, The Internal Revenue Service released the dollar limits that apply to qualified retirement plans.Continue Reading The 2013 Limits for Qualified Retirement Plans
Court Allows Complaint Alleging Wrongful Data Bank Report as Intentional Infliction of Distress
Sheikh v. Grant Regional Health Center is another case in a growing body of evidence that courts are granting less leeway and protection to hospitals which abuse the HCQIA immunity and reporting protections.
This is not a final decision awarding damages! It is only a decision by a Wisconsin federal district court rejecting the hospital’s motion…
CMS Response to Breaches and Medical Identity Theft
Contributed by Lee Kim, Esq.
412.594.3915
CMS has reported that it had 14 breaches of protected health information between September 23, 2009, and December 31, 2011. CMS notified the 13,775 Medicare beneficiaries affected by the breaches. However, according to the Office of Inspector General of HHS (OIG), it did not meet several ARRA requirements.