2010 North Carolina Healthcare Provider Conference and Post-Acute & Senior Care Conference FULL AGENDA NOW AVAILABLE October 7 – 8, 2010 The Westin Charlotte 601 South College Street Charlotte, North Carolina The uncertainty surrounding the impact of healthcare reform requires providers to reexamine business models and attendant legal issues. McGuireWoods is hosting a two-day conference [...]

Recently we have seen a resurgence in four key areas in the healthcare arena as it relates to hospitals and physicians and the compensation and financial relationships between them.  There are a number of factors driving each of these four trends including: (i) consistent downward pressure on reimbursement, (ii) uncertainty about the future, (iii) efforts [...]

According to a press release issued on July 22, NC DHHS Secretary Lanier Cansler has named Drexdal Pratt the new Director of the Division of Health Services Regulation, effective August 1, 2010. For the past 12 years, Pratt has been the chief of the Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS). Jeff Hortonhas been the acting [...]

Last month, I had the opportunity to attend the outstanding Power Breakfast program presented by the Wilmington Business Journal on healthcare. Rob Kaiser, Publisher of WBJ did a tremendous job in planning and promoting this event. It was a packed house and one of the better panel discussions I’ve seen recently on healthcare. The panelists [...]

Thanks to all of you who attended our recent program here in Charlotte at the Ritz-Carlton titled “The State of Healthcare in North Carolina: Hospitals and Surgery Centers.” We had a full house for the complimentary event. We also wanted to thank our lead speaker – Howard Salmon, Vice President, Premier Consulting Solutions –  who [...]

Here is a link to some interesting remarks prepared by Assistant Attorney General Christine A. Varney for the American Bar Association/American Health Lawyers Association Antitrust in Healthcare Conference on May 24, 2010. This is a nice piece on enforcement and competition, which some mention of the development of Accountable Care Organizations (ACO’s). http://www.justice.gov/atr/public/speeches/258898.htm I usually [...]

The May 2010 newsletter has now been posted. You can access it here. In this issue: 1. North Carolina Healthcare Leaders Reception 2. Four Trends for Hospitals and Physicians – Management Arrangements, HOPD vs. ASC, Call Coverage and Mergers 3. Upcoming Events 4. Recent White Papers document.getElementById(“post-880-blankimage”).onload();

The State of Healthcare in North Carolina: Hospitals & Surgery Centers Complimentary Seminar Space is Limited May 26, 2010 3 – 6 p.m. The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte 201 East Trade Street Charlotte McGuireWoods invites you to join us for a limited-attendance event covering some of the top issues impacting ASC and hospital revenue streams as well [...]

As you may know, the 2010 State Medical Facilities Plan for North Carolina included a new Single Specialty Ambulatory Surgery Facility Demonstration Project.  The State Medical Facilities Plan essentially allows for three new single-specialty ambulatory surgery facilities in specific areas, each with two operating rooms.  The three eligible areas and their respective application deadlines and [...]

SAVE THE DATE The State of Healthcare in North Carolina: Hospitals & Surgery Centers Complimentary Seminar May 26, 2010 3 – 6 p.m. The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte 201 East Trade Street Charlotte CLE credit pending. McGuireWoods invites you to save the date to join us for an afternoon panel discussion highlighting some of our region’s leaders [...]

On March 29, the jury reached its long-awaited verdict in the case of U.S. ex. rel. Drakeford v. Tuomey Healthcare System. The jury decided that Tuomey did violate the Stark Law, but did not violate the False Claims Act. Now Judge Matthew Perry, Sr. must decide the damages no earlier than April 15. Although the [...]

On December 30, 2009 a U.S. district court in Illinois declined to grant summary judgment to Saint Francis Medical Center (the “Hospital”) in an antitrust suit initiated by Peoria Day Surgery Center (the “ASC”) (Peoria Day Surgery Center v. OSF Healthcare System d/b/a Saint Francis Medical Center, C.D. Ill., No. 06-1236, 12/30/09).  The ruling means [...]

The text of the proposed Senate Finance Committee Healthcare Reform Bill has been released. You can find a copy here: http://finance.senate.gov/press/Bpress/2009press/prb102009c.pdf document.getElementById(“post-752-blankimage”).onload();

A group of our colleagues at McGuireWoods have authored a short summary of the proposed final regulations related to notification of breaches of unsecured PHI under the recent HIPAA changes made by the HITECH Act. Please feel free to contact the authors directly for additional information: Kimberly J. Kannensohn 312.750.8649 kkannensohn@mcguirewoods.com Nathan A. Kottkamp 804.775.1092 [...]

SAVE THE DATE 2009 North Carolina Health Care Provider Conference: Confronting Quality & Cost Challenges September 24, 2009 The Westin Charlotte 601 South College Street Charlotte, North Carolina 11:30 a.m., Registration Noon, Program 5 p.m., Cocktail Reception (Sponsored by Marsh) Registration Fee – $35 McGuireWoods LLP invites you to save the date for our annual [...]

Several of our colleagues at McGuireWoods have published an updated FAQ on advance directives in ambulatory surgery centers. The update was authored by Nathan Kottkamp, Kara Friedman and Scott Becker. The authors can be reached at the following contact information: Nathan A. Kottkamp 804.775.1092 nkottkamp@mcguirewoods.com Kara M. Friedman 312.750.2781 kfriedman@mcguirewoods.com Scott Becker 312.750.6016 sbecker@mcguirewoods.com Click below [...]

I will be speaking at the upcoming South Carolina ASC Association Meeting on July 14th from Noon til 2pm in Columbia, SC. More information about the meeting can be found here. You can visit the SC ASC Association website at: http://www.scasca.org/events.html document.getElementById(“post-735-blankimage”).onload();

The new ASC Condtions of Coverage became effective on May 18, 2009. One of the more significant changes is the addition of certain requirements that ASCs inform all patients about advance directives. Below is a short summary authored by several of my colleagues. Health Care 5/18/2009 Revised ASC Conditions of Coverage & Advance Directives Effective [...]

I recently gave an interview to Becker’s ASC Review about a few current trends in lending that are affecting many healthcare borrowers. The article focuses on ASCs but many of the principles are common to other types of healthcare borrowers. You can find a copy of the article here. document.getElementById(“post-721-blankimage”).onload();

The April 20, 2009 issue of the North Carolina Healthcare Report is now available. Please click here to download. document.getElementById(“post-694-blankimage”).onload();