On Friday, Congressional lawmakers approved an extension to the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012,1 which contains a “doc fix” preventing a 27.4% cut in Medicare physician payments that was set to begin on March 1, 2012.
Continue Reading Lawmakers Approve the “Doc Fix” Freezing
Michael Cassidy
Congress Postpones SGR 27% Cut For 10 Months
By Michael Cassidy on
Posted in Medicare & Reimbursement
Congress approves measure averting 27 percent physician cut through 2012
A House-Senate Conference Committee tasked with identifying a compromise to avoid the pending 27.4 percent Medicare physician payment cut reached a 10-month deal that would maintain current physician payment rates through the end of the year. The measure was approved this afternoon by both…
HIPAA Privacy and Security Rule Audits and Enforcement
By Michael Cassidy on
Posted in HIPAA, HIT, and EHR
Contributed by Lee Kim, Esq.
412.594.3915
The HITECH Act mandates HIPAA audit and enforcement. In that vein, the US Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced a pilot program to perform audits of covered entities to assess their HIPAA Privacy and Security compliance. The covered entities to be audited include a…
Mobile Devices Roundtable: Safeguarding Health Information
By Michael Cassidy on
Posted in HIPAA, HIT, and EHR
Mobile Devices Roundtable: Safeguarding Health Information
Friday, March 16, 2012, 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. EST
Location:
Hubert H. Humphrey Building
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Great Hall
200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC
Or via webcast (please see the HealthIT.gov link below)
The Roundtable will include…
USPTO Webinar on New Patent Fees and America Invents Act
By Michael Cassidy on
Posted in Intellectual Property
USPTO to Host February 21 Webinar with Senior Agency Officials
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will host a free public webinar with senior agency officials on Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. USPTO Director David Kappos and other agency leaders will outline proposals for new patent fees, as well…
HHS Announces Intent to Delay ICD-10 Compliance Date
By Michael Cassidy on
Posted in Compliance, Medicare & Reimbursement
HHS announces intent to delay ICD-10 compliance date
As part of President Obama’s commitment to reducing regulatory burden, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen G. Sebelius today announced that HHS will initiate a process to postpone the date by which certain health care entities have to comply with International Classification of Diseases, 10th…
Another Temporary Fix For Medicare Physician Fee Schedule SGR Problem
By Michael Cassidy on
Posted in Medicare & Reimbursement
Congress will probably slap another temporary fix on the looming Medicare Physician Fee Schedule SGR Cuts by postponing the cuts again through the end of the calendar year, and past the elections as well. There will be no Monday morning political quarterbacks wishing they had punted – because this team, as has every team for…
Washington Court Denies HCQIA Immunity for Inadequate Investigation
By Michael Cassidy on
Posted in Credentialing and Peer Review
The cases where hospitals are denied HCQIA immunity are few and far between, especially when that denial is predicated upon the due process requirement of HCQIA, because of the due process exception condoning procedures that are fair under the circumstances.
In Smigaj v. Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital Association, the Washington Court of Appeals reversed…
MARCH 8-9, 2012: Canada – US Healthcare Technology Summit: Improving Care through Innovation
By Michael Cassidy on
Posted in HIPAA, HIT, and EHR
MARCH 8-9, 2012: Canada – US Healthcare Technology Summit: Improving Care through Innovation
Thursday evening networking 3/8/12 & Educational Seminar Friday 3/9/12 Doubletree Pittsburgh
As total annual U.S. healthcare costs continue to soar, the role of healthcare and technology has taken over discussions in Washington and on Wall Street – and now Pittsburgh. On March…
https://www.medlawblog.com/2012/02/articles/credentialing-and-peer-review/876/
By Michael Cassidy on
Posted in Credentialing and Peer Review
In what is becoming well settled law, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts ruled that a medical resident is entitled to seek production of the evaluations and records of other residents as part of a federal discrimination claim, regardless of the confidentiality rules of state peer review statutes.
In Gargiulo v. Baystate …