Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement
OIG SHINES LIGHT ON ADVISORY OPINIONS
What to expect if you want an OIG stamp of approval on your business needs. The anti-kickback law is so complicated that even your good faith efforts to craft compliant business arrangements could land you in legal hot water. And if you're in a kickback gray area, the only way to know for sure that you're safe from penalties is to secure a favorable advisory opinion from the HHS Office of Inspector General. The OIG made what to expect from the advisory opinion process a little bit clearer in a Frequently Asked Questions document posted to its Web page Oct. 20. In the FAQ, the watchdog agency outlines what are - and aren't - appropriate topics for advisory opinions, what kind of information you'll be asked to hand over, how long the process will take and what sort of fees and costs are involved. The agency also notes that while identifying information is removed when advisory opinions are made public, material submitted in connection with an advisory opinion request may be subject to the Freedom on Information Act. To see the FAQ, go to http://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/advisoryopinions/aofaq.html. Lesson Learned: Securing an advisory opinion is the safest route to take if a potential business plan could fall into and anti-kickback gray area.
Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement
- Medicare Reform:
LEGISLATORS STILL DISAGREE ON ROLE OF PRIVATE PLANS
Past the initial deadline for a final bill, experts say process could go until December. As [...] - Hospitals:
TURF BATTLE OVER SPECIALTY HOSPITALS CONTINUES
GAO weighs in on the debate. The growing popularity of specialty hospitals has general hospitals [...] - Home Health:
COPAY THREAT PERSISTS AS HOME CARE INDUSTRY STRIKES BACK
Medicare home care funding is more vulnerable to cuts than ever as negotiations continue over [...] - Labs:
CLIA SURVEYORS AWAIT GREEN LIGHT FROM FEDS
Find out how surveyors intend to handle deficiencies in the meantime. CLIA inspectors may be [...] - Long-Term Care:
SENIORS' HOME EQUITY EYED AS KEY TO PAYING LTC BILLS
Well-off seniors benefitting from Medicaid while state budgets languish, Scully says. Seniors have $1.5 trillion [...] - Rehab:
REHAB PROVIDERS LAUNCH NEW SALVO AGAINST 75-PERCENT RULE
IRFs will shut down unless CMS acts, rehab hospitals argue. Inpatient rehabilitation facilities are in [...] - Business Arrangements:
OIG SHINES LIGHT ON ADVISORY OPINIONS
What to expect if you want an OIG stamp of approval on your business needs. The anti-kickback [...] - Pharmaceuticals:
DRUGMAKER RECORDKEEPING RULE SPARKS GRASSLEY'S IRE
False Claims Act architect says Medicaid rebate rule will foil whistleblowers. Drugmakers who thought the [...] - Medicaid:
CMS TO HIRE 100 MEDICAID-MAXIMIZATION COPS
The White House Office of Management and Budget has approved hiring 100 new federal employees [...] - Hospitals:
IS MANDATORY QUALITY REPORTING ON THE HORIZON FOR HOSPITALS?
CMS chief Tom Scully isn't happy about early results on voluntary reporting. Last December's agreement [...] - EMTALA:
IMPROPER PSYCH TRANSFERS PROMPT INVESTIGATION
ED docs fired as health department probes EMTALA problems. The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active [...] - BILL WATCH
Bills introduced in the House: HR 3299. A bill to provide for prescription drugs at [...] - MANUAL UPDATE ROUNDUP
A common working file edit flagging too many immunosuppressive drug claims should soon get fixed [...]
