The Texas Medical Board and Teladoc have been battling for seven years, and through several rounds of litigation over whether a patient relationship can be established for purposes of providing telemedicine services without an initial face-to-face or in-person visit. This all changed when Texas governor, Greg Abbott, signed Senate Bill 1107, which will take effect
Pennsylvania Releases Temporary Regulations for Physicians
On April 11, the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) released Practitioner Temporary Regulations for physicians and practitioners (those physicians, pharmacists, physician assistants and certified registered nurse practitioners to be employed by a licensed dispensary). In a press release issued yesterday, DOH Secretary Dr. Karen Murphy stated that “[t]he process for a patient to obtain
Western Pennsylvania Hospital Stark/Whistleblower/False Claims Case Provides Real World Guidance For Medical Directors’ Contracts
Emanuele v. Medicor Associates, was presented to the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania as cross motions for summary judgment, and provides some guidance regarding the Stark requirements for bona fide personal service contracting arrangements.
The case originated as a whistleblower allegation that Hamot Hospital had not complied with all
Macranomics III: APMS
I am inserting a link to the third in a series of articles published by the Allegheny County Medical Society regarding Medicare Payment Reform pursuant to the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA).
This article deals with Advanced Alternative Payment Models, and provides basic information on how provider groups can qualify for
HHS Issues Rules Expanding OIG’s Exclusion Authorities
On January 12, 2017, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued final rules implementing permissive exclusion authorities authorized by the Affordable Care Act expanding exclusion authority under Section 1128 of the Social Security Act. The changes were first proposed on May 9, 2014 at 79 Federal
FDA Issues Guidance on December 28, 2016 for Postmarket Management of Cybersecurity in Medical Devices
I am repeating the Introduction of the FDA Guidance, and attaching a link to the 30 page document.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is issuing this guidance to inform industry and FDA staff of the Agency’s recommendations for managing postmarket cybersecurity vulnerabilities for marketed and distributed medical devices. In addition to the specific recommendations
Macranomics: Summary and Timetable
Use this link to view the article “Macranomics Summary and Timetable” that appeared in a recent edition of the Allegheny County Medical Society Bulletin.
For additional information contact Mike Cassidy.
2017 Medicare Telehealth Changes
The 2017 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule finalizes the CMS changes for Telehealth reimbursement and coverage for 2017. The CMS fee schedule document also provides a comprehensive explanation of Medicare Telehealth reimbursement and coverage. I have excerpted those 35 pages and linked them as a PDF to this post: Medicare Telehealth Services.
The essential takeaways
Pennsylvania 2017 Medical Record Costs
The Pennsylvania Department of Health published the approved 2017 medical record cost for production of medical charts and records. The notice is attached in the link below. It addresses both electronic health records and the production of records in other types of formats.
Pennsylvania’s New Opioid Laws and How They Impact Physicians
Use this link to view the article “Pennsylvania’s New Opioid Laws and How They Impact Physicians” that appeared in a recent edition of the Allegheny County Medical Society Bulletin.
For additional information contact Lauren Rulli (lrulli@tuckerlaw.com) or Mike Cassidy (mcassidy@tuckerlaw.com).