In a March 25, 2014 letter to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner responded to an inquiry from the AAFP asking whether, if all of the “incident to” rules are met, may a physician bill Medicare for a Part B covered service provided by a…
In a recently released proposed rule, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposes to eliminate the narrative requirement from the home health face-to-face encounter documentation requirement. Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) and implementing regulations, the certifying physician must document that the physician himself or…
On June 11, 2014, the Michigan Supreme Court issued its decision in Michigan ex rel. Gurganus v. CVS Caremark Corp., and ruled that Michigan law requires a pharmacist to pass on the difference in cost between the wholesale cost of a brand-name drug and the wholesale cost of a generic…
Technological advancements that allow for quicker and more secure electronic communication have encouraged telemedicine. The Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) defines telemedicine as “the practice of medicine using electronic communications, information technology or other means between a licensee in one location, and a patient in another location, with or…
Recently, the Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR), released its annual report on breaches of protected health information (PHI). Under the Breach Notification Rule, covered entities are required to issue notifications following breaches of unsecured PHI. Examples of covered entities include health care providers and…
In the past year, thousands of health care providers across the country have been excluded without cause from their insurance plan’s provider networks. The proliferation of narrow networks – defined as health insurance plans that limit the doctors and hospitals available to their subscribers – has caused a backlash amongst…
A Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) rule implemented in October of 2012, as the result of the Affordable Care Act, has some doctors very nervous. The rule, commonly dubbed the “grace period rule”, provides that individuals who purchased a government subsidized health insurance plan from the marketplace will…
Last week, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a Proposed Rule that changes its provider exclusion authority and significantly alters certain provider exclusion procedures and the substantive bases for exclusion from a Federal healthcare program. The Proposed Rule was released in conjunction with another Proposed Rule on the…
Wachler & Associates partner Andrew Wachler appeared on Fox 2 Detroit this morning to discuss the recent announcement that Beaumont Health System, Botsford Health Care, and Oakwood Healthcare have signed a letter of intent to form a new $3.8 billion nonprofit health system. In his interview, Mr. Wachler described the…
On January 14, 2014, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) modified their policy regarding the disclosure of physician payment information under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Effective March 18, 2014, CMS will now evaluate requests for individual physician payment information on a case-by-case basis. CMS Principal Deputy…