Anti-markup rule delayed by CMS
March 17, 2008
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has decided to delay for one year the application of an “anti-markup” provision that primarily affects groups that purchase interpreting services, such as the reading of X-rays and MRIs. Read more
FDA: Drug makers can provide details on ‘off-label’ uses
March 17, 2008
The Food and Drug Administration has issued draft guidelines that would allow drug and device companies to distribute medical or scientific journal articles about unapproved uses of FDA-approved drugs and devices to physicians.
Coalition seeks to reduce drug marketing
March 17, 2008
Members of the newly-formed Massachusetts Prescription Reform Coalition have unveiled a plan to reduce the pharmaceutical industry’s marketing efforts, which it says are contributing to the rising cost of medical care, according to The Boston Globe. Read more
Doctors must screen kids for mental health problems
March 17, 2008
Doctors performing annual checkups for Massachusetts children on Medicaid now must offer questionnaires to detect warning signs of possible mental health problems, including autism in toddlers and depression in teenagers. Read more
Reporting on hospital infections required
March 17, 2008
State regulators unanimously approved a regulation requiring Massachusetts acute care hospitals to report infections acquired by patients in the hospital, according to the State House News Service. Read more
Bill would protect doctors who apologize
March 17, 2008
A bill pending in the state Legislature would allow physicians to apologize for a medical mistake without fearing that what they say could be used against them in a lawsuit, according to the Springfield Republican. Read more
Doctors urged to review referral practices
December 10, 2007
Physicians must review their contracts and professional arrangements immediately to make sure they comply with the new Stark self-referral rules, experts tell Massachusetts Medical Law Report.
The Stark law prohibits physicians from referring Medicare patients to hospitals or other entities in which they have a financial relationship, unless the arrangement fits into one of a number of specific exceptions. Read more
State identity theft bill in the works
October 15, 2007
A new bill working its way through the state legislature that applies to general identity theft may also help victims of medical identity theft.
Answering the door: How to respond to government regulators
October 15, 2006
By Paul Cirel
When regulators come knocking, the most common type of contact is a notice of audit.
Just like there is no such thing as a routine traffic stop, there is no such thing as a routine audit. When CMS (the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services) or the OIG (Office Inspector General) or DMA (Division of Medical Assistance) sends a request for certain patients’ medical records, the provider should assume there is a common denominator to those claims that leads the government to suspect fraud or abuse.
A knock on the door: What do government regulators want from providers?
October 15, 2006
By Paul Cirel
Not many days go by that I don’t hear from a health care provider who has just been contacted – or worse yet, visited – by government agents, demanding the production of medical charts, billing and payment ledgers, appointment books and/or every other sort of record that providers regularly maintain.
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