On July 13, 2010, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a proposed rule that would make several changes to the current composite rate system of reimbursement for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) facilities. Some changes were also made to the Monthly Capitation Payment for physician services to ESRD patients. The changes were contained [...]

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 [...]

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 Winston-Salem Journal is reporting that it appears the state is no longer considering cutting about $10 million from the Medicaid dental budget. Sen. Linda Garrou, D-Forsyth, the Senate’s head budget writer, said yesterday that the proposal, which was in Gov. Bev Perdue’s budget, is no longer being pursued. “The cuts will not be taken,” [...]

With the recent passage of a sweeping overhaul of the U.S. health care system, many businesses, consumers, providers and insurers find themselves scratching their heads and asking the question: “What happens next?” This half-day event will educate and inform attendees on what to expect with a timeline of implication and details on regulation changes.  Legal [...]

Several of our colleagues have collaborated to draft a short piece on the impact of healthcare reform on hospitals and health systems. Their contact information is at the bottom of this post. You can see a full length copy of the article here. Also, a brief summary of the article is below: On March 23, [...]

Here is a pithy and concise commentary by Scott Becker on some of the key takeaway points from the Massachusetts special election: http://www.beckersasc.com/news-analysis-asc/business-financial-benchmarking/republican-wins-senate-seat-in-massachusetts-8-quick-thoughts-by-scott-becker.html I view this as a fair and non-partisan analysis that echoes many of the comments we have been hearing from both sides of the aisle. It is worth a quick read. document.getElementById(“post-794-blankimage”).onload();

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 [...]

A growing number of states are expanding restrictions on gifts to physicians from pharamceutical and medical device companies. In one recent example, Vermont has enacted  new legislation that forbids almost all medical device manufacturer gifts to physcians. A brief summary of the new law is below. The following piece was authored by several of my [...]

     McGuireWoods is proud to sponsor the Charlotte Chamber Health Care Summit  Your…employee’s, region’s, state’s health: it affects us all.  Wednesday, May 20, 2009 Hilton Charlotte University Place 8629 J M Keynes Drive Charlotte, NC 28262 REGISTRATION: $25/advance & $30/door for members and nonmembers (Includes breakfast) For addition information and to register, please click [...]

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();

On March 30, Rep. Jason Altmire (D-PA) introduced the Quality FIRST Act of 2009 (H.R. 1776) and the bill was promptly referred to the House Ways and Means Committee. This is the first step in the legislative process. Once reviewed, discussed, commented upon and revised in committee, the bill, if approved by the committee, will [...]

The April 8, 2009 issue of the North Carolina Healthcare Report is now available. Please click here to download. document.getElementById(“post-655-blankimage”).onload();

    The North Carolina Senate passed the North Carolina Health Plan (the “Plan”) fix by a vote of 28 to 18 on Tuesday.[1]  The Senate vote had been delayed for over a week due to objections from independent pharmacists over the proposed requirement that Plan members must obtain drugs for chronic conditions (i.e., diabetes [...]

Physician/ASC Self-Referral Law Signed by New Jersey Governor By: Bart Walker and Amber Walsh  On March 21, Governor Jon Corzine of New Jersey signed into law a bill that amends the State’s existing physician self-referral statute in order to provide greater clarity in the area of ambulatory surgery center referrals and to make several other [...]

Following is a news alert I co-authored with two of my colleagues at McGuireWoods: On March 6, 2009, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a transmittal implementing a final rule from the hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) for fiscal year 2008 requiring disclosure of physician ownership or investment in physician-owned hospitals. Beginning [...]

  On March 11, 2009 the North Carolina Senate Appropriations Committee approved legislation that would appropriate $250 Million from the State’s Health Benefit Reserve Fund for the 2008-2009 fiscal year (ending June 30, 2009) and another $609 Million for the next two fiscal years.  According to Senate Bill 287 (the “Bill”), these funds will be [...]

Three of our colleagues at McGuireWoods have collaborated to author a white paper titled “11 Key Concepts from the Stark Law.” This paper was written by Scott Becker, Ji Hye Kim and Jessica Smith. A copy of the white paper can be found here: http://www.mcguirewoods.com/news-resources/publications/health_care/11%20Key%20%20Concepts.pdf  Author Contact Information: Scott Becker, Partner 312.750.6016 | sbecker@mcguirewoods.com Ji [...]