A recent study published by Bailit Health Purchasing, has revealed that bundled payment programs are an effective option for organizations interested in an alternative to fee-for-service reimbursement for providers. Bundled payment differs from fee-for-service reimbursement by compensating a provider for all of the services a patient receives during a single…
HHS this week announced that it would again delay publishing rules implementing the Physician Payments Sunshine Act (“PPSA”), established in last year’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“PPACA” or “health reform”). PPSA requires drug and medical device manufacturers to publicly report gifts and payments made to physicians and teaching…
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia ruled that Section 1501 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is unconstitutional. Shortly after PPACA was passed in March 2010, Virginia passed a state statute that conflicted with the individual mandate found in Section 1501 of PPACA…
The United States Supreme Court refused to hear a legal challenge to the healthcare reform law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). The Court declined without comment to hear the case originally filed in federal court in California by Steve Baldwin and the Pacific Justice Institute. The plaintiffs…
On October 4, 2010 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a letter that was sent to state Medicaid directors as part of a series of letters that will provide guidance for the implementation of provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), including the expansion…
On October 8, U.S. District Judge George Steeh refused to grant an injunction that would prevent the implementation of the federal health reforms enacted through the Affordable Care Act. Judge Steeh also dismissed several substantive portions of the suit, determining that Congress did not exceed its constitutional authority by requiring…
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a proposed rule implementing provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) that help tackle Medicare and Medicaid fraud. According to Peter Budetti, the Director of the new anti-fraud office at CMS, the proposed rules will provide federal authorities…
U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson indicated last Tuesday that he will likely allow a lawsuit to proceed that challenges the Constitutionality of the Healthcare Reform law. The lawsuit, filed by 20 states, the National Federation of Independent Business and two individuals, challenges whether the Constitution permits the federal government to…
Physicians Health Plan will be the insurer to offer subsidized health coverage for chronically-ill Michigan residents. The insurer, based in Lansing, will offer health coverage through the health insurance pool that was created to provide an avenue for the uninsured chronically ill to buy coverage until state exchanges are active…
As part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), i.e., health care reform, states received more than $46 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Crain’s Detroit Business reported that Michigan has received $1 million of grants from HHS to go towards…