http://www.healthcarelawyerblog.com/ Published by David L. Haron and Mercedes L. Varasteh of Frank, Haron, Weiner P.L.C. en-us 2012-02-01T09:13:21-05:00 http://www.healthcarelawyerblog.com/2012/02/state_of_michigan_intervenes_i.html The State of Michigan has intervened in a state false claims act suit filed against clinical laboratory company Quest Diagnostics, Inc., alleging that the company defrauded the state Medicaid program by overcharging for lab tests. The suit was originally filed... Medicaid Mercedes Varasteh Dordeski 2012-02-01T09:13:21-05:00 http://www.healthcarelawyerblog.com/2012/01/drug_companies_must_report_pay.html Under a new federal reporting requirement, drug companies must now disclose all payments made to physicians – or else risk getting hit with hefty penalties. The new “sunshine” provisions were included as part of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable... PPACA Mercedes Varasteh Dordeski 2012-01-15T16:26:09-05:00 http://www.healthcarelawyerblog.com/2012/01/hhs_rejects_michigans_request.html The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has rejected Michigan’s request to be exempted from a provision of the health reform law that would require insurers to spend a certain percentage of each dollar collected on premiums for... PPACA Mercedes Varasteh Dordeski 2012-01-04T11:01:30-05:00 http://www.healthcarelawyerblog.com/2011/12/ge_healthcare_to_pay_30m_to_re.html GE Healthcare, a global provider of medical technologies and pharmaceuticals, has agreed to pay $30M to resolve allegations that it knowingly provided false or misleading information to the federal Medicare program in connection with the distribution of Myoview. For the... Firm News Mercedes Varasteh Dordeski 2011-12-28T14:27:53-05:00 http://www.healthcarelawyerblog.com/2011/12/court_holds_florida_statute_pr.html A federal court in Florida recently held that a state statute requiring nursing homes to furnish patient information to an individual’s “representative” was overly broad and pre-empted by the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”). The case is... HIPAA Mercedes Varasteh Dordeski 2011-12-19T11:09:22-05:00 http://www.healthcarelawyerblog.com/2011/12/deadline_for_meaningful_use_of.html Today's post is authored by FHW member Suzanne D. Nolan The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is taking two steps to make it easier for eligible professionals, such as physicians, dentists, oral surgeons, optometrists, podiatrists and chiropractors, to... Health Technology Mercedes Varasteh Dordeski 2011-12-09T11:44:23-05:00 http://www.healthcarelawyerblog.com/2011/11/us_supreme_court_will_hear_arg.html Today the Supreme Court of the United States agreed to hear arguments on whether or not the provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), which require all individuals to obtain health insurance coverage by 2014, are constitutional.... Health Care Reform Mercedes Varasteh Dordeski 2011-11-14T12:48:22-05:00 http://www.healthcarelawyerblog.com/2011/11/government_restores_public_acc.html An agency from the Department of Health and Human Services has restored the public use database to the National Practitioners Data Bank, two months after removing the data amid concerns of inappropriate usage. However, individuals who use the public access... NPDB Mercedes Varasteh Dordeski 2011-11-10T13:45:27-05:00 http://www.healthcarelawyerblog.com/2011/11/walmart_announces_plan_to_beco.html This morning’s announcement from retail giant Wal-Mart provided an interesting glimpse of what the future of primary care may look like. Specifically, according to a press release, Wal-Mart plans to begin offering a range of primary health care services such... Health Care Industry Issues Mercedes Varasteh Dordeski 2011-11-09T10:08:39-05:00 http://www.healthcarelawyerblog.com/2011/10/final_rule_on_medicare_shared.html Today's post was authored by FWH attorney Sue Nolan The final rule implementing provisions of the Medicare Shared Savings Program for Accountable Care Organizations (“Final Rule”) was released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ("CMS") on October 20,... ACOs Mercedes Varasteh Dordeski 2011-10-24T11:06:40-05:00