Archive for December 2021
Pharmacist Settles Whistleblower Case for $1M
A Michigan pharmacist and two specialty pharmacies that he formally owned have agreed to pay $1 million to resolve allegations that they submitted false claims to Medicare for the drug Evzio, an injectable form of naloxone commonly used to reverse opioid overdose. The government alleged that between August 2017 and June 2019, People’s Drug Store…
Read MoreFive More Targeted by Right of Access Initiative
As the year comes to an end, we thought we would revisit the HIPAA Right of Access Initiative. It’s a subject we have covered during the past two years that can hit providers in their wallet. The Privacy Rule generally requires HIPAA covered entities (health plans and most healthcare providers) “to provide individuals, upon request,…
Read MoreOIG Expects to Recover Nearly $4B from Audits, Investigations in 2021
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General’s fight against healthcare fraud, waste and abuse is paying off. The watchdog agency, in its Semiannual Report to Congress, noted that during the six-month period ended Sept. 30, 2021, it expects to make nearly $4 billion in recoveries as a result of…
Read MoreAre You Prepared for the Surprise Billing Ban?
A new law designed to limit surprise medical bills resulting from out-of-network care that goes into effect Jan. 1, 2022, is facing legal challenges from two organizations. In late October, the Texas Medical Association filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services alleging that the interim final rule on surprise billing…
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