http://mamedicallaw.com Just another weblog Sat, 23 Aug 2008 04:57:51 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Join us for a special breakfast and ceremony to celebrate the Rx for Excellence award winners at the Taj Boston on October 31, 2008. Click here to register now. http://mamedicallaw.com/blog/2008/08/10/rx-for-excellence-nominate-now/ Physicians and health care administrators whose attention has undoubtedly been focused on the financial implications of the Commonwealth’s health insurance initiative must put a new legislative mandate on their radar screen.In April, the state Legislature passed a bill that will soon make violations of the Massachusetts Wage Act subject to ... http://mamedicallaw.com/blog/2008/06/15/why-are-health-care-employers-worries-tripling/ Physicians and other health care professionals should take heed: the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Health and Human Services, which is responsible for rooting out health care fraud, recently announced its areas of focus for 2008. The OIG’s “Work Plan” for fiscal year 2008 was released on ... http://mamedicallaw.com/blog/2008/06/15/what-is-the-government-investigating-in-health-care-fraud-this-year/ Click on the links below to read past issues of the Medical Law Report. Spring 2008 Winter 2008 Autumn 2007 Summer 2007 Spring 2007 Winter 2007 Autumn 2006 Summer 2006 Spring 2006 Winter 2006 Autumn 2005 http://mamedicallaw.com/blog/2008/06/15/past-issues-of-massachusetts-medical-law-report/ A rising trend of medical identity theft – where a patient’s personal information is used fraudulently to obtain or to bill for medical services – is raising tricky legal issues for medical providers. When misinformation finds its way into the medical file of the identity theft victim, doctors and hospitals must ... http://mamedicallaw.com/blog/2008/06/15/how-can-i-prevent-medical-identity-theft/ According to Boston attorney Paul Cirel, a partner at Dwyer & Collora who represents physicians and other health care providers:There is a veritable alphabet soup of health care regulators and weaponry: CMS (the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services); DMA (Division of Medical Assistance); OIG (Office of the Inspector General); ... http://mamedicallaw.com/blog/2008/06/15/why-would-the-government-audit-your-medical-practiceand-what-should-you-do/ Many physicians would consider termination of a noncompliant patient to be the nuclear option. But Cambridge attorney Martin Foster, who represents physicians, says they need to be willing to pull out of the physician-patient relationship when there are no clinical barriers to compliance, and the patient knows the risks of noncompliance, ... http://mamedicallaw.com/blog/2008/06/15/can-i-terminate-a-noncompliant-patient-without-being-sued/ The short answer is yes, under a recent ruling from Massachusetts' highest court, and it's still not clear how far this ruling could extend. In December, the court ruled in Coombes v. Florio that a woman could sue a doctor who prescribed a drug that allegedly caused the elderly driver of ... http://mamedicallaw.com/blog/2008/06/15/can-i-be-sued-if-my-patient-injures-someone-else/ As a result of the Stark III regulations, physicians must review their contracts and professional arrangements immediately to make sure they comply with the new self-referral rules. The Stark law prohibits physicians from referring Medicare patients to hospitals or other entities in which they have a financial relationship, unless the arrangement ... http://mamedicallaw.com/blog/2008/06/15/what-do-i-need-to-know-about-the-stark-iii-rules/ October 31, 2008 7:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Taj Boston Awards Ceremony and Breakfast Celebrating Safety *Quality Risk Management Gold Sponsor Silver Sponsors Tickets: $75 each $1000 for a Table Sponsorship   For more information on tickets, please contact Sharon Lee at sharon.lee@lawyersweekly.com.   For more information about sponsoring this event, please contact Charlene Smith at charlene.smith@lawyersweekly.com.   For more information about the nomination process, please contact Reni Gertner at reni.gertner@mamedicallaw.com.     Click here ... http://mamedicallaw.com/blog/2008/06/15/rx-for-excellence-presented-by-massachusetts-medical-law-report/