Archive for December 2016
OIG’s New Safe Harbors, Civil Monetary Penalty Exceptions Set to Take Effect
On January 6, new safe harbors to the federal anti-kickback statute and amendments to the civil monetary penalty rules will take effect. The expansion of existing safe harbors, along with the addition of new ones, were issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General on Dec. 7, and are…
Read MoreJudge Orders HHS to Clear Medicare Claims Appeal Backlog by 2020
Four years, that’s how long a federal judge has given the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to clear through a huge backlog of Medicare claims appeals. The Dec. 5 ruling, from Judge James E. Boasberg grew out of a motion for summary judgment filed in October by the American Hospital Association. At issue…
Read MoreOIG Says Free Labeling of Test Tubes, Collection Containers Could Violate Anti-Kickback Laws
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently issued an advisory opinion suggesting that a laboratory’s proposal to label test tubes and specimen collection containers at no cost to dialysis facilities could constitute remuneration under the anti-kickback statute and result in potential sanctions. The opinion issued this month came at the request of an unnamed laboratory…
Read MoreFeds weigh in on competitive benefits of telemedicine
As telemedicine continues to grow in use and popularity, federal agencies are increasingly being asked to consider how it will affect competition in the healthcare arena. Recently, the Department of Justice offered its backing of a telemedicine bill winding its way through Michigan. Although the DOJ’s statement, in support of SB 753, was issued in…
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