Blog - Archive for Health Care Law News

Establishing Medical Necessity as DOJ Ramps-Up COVID-19 Related Enforcement

Posted on Health Care Law News, Medicare Reimbursement April 20, 2022 by Erin Ferber

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”), which was enacted in March of 2020, requires insurers to provide benefits without imposing any cost-sharing in connection with certain items and services related to the testing and treatment for COVID-19.  Curiously, the legislation is silent as to the concept that is well-known in the healthcare industry today Read more →

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HRSA Abruptly Announces Discontinuation of COVID-19 Testing Reimbursement For Uninsured People

Posted on Health Care Law News April 7, 2022 by Erin Ferber

The HRSA COVID-19 Uninsured Program (UIP) has recently announced it will stop accepting claims for reimbursement due to the program’s lack of sufficient funds. This unexpected announcement has caused significant concern and confusion for businesses operating in this space, as it has historically been one of the primary and most reliable payors. As background, the Read more →

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The Ins and Outs of the No Surprise Act

Posted on Health Care Law News April 7, 2022 by Erin Ferber

The No Surprise Act (“NSA”) went into effect January 1, 2022, and impacts billing, and in particular balance billing, for emergency services as well as certain non-emergency services.  Generally speaking, a patient cannot be balance billed for emergency services.  Instead, the patient is only responsible for in-network cost share.  The NSA specifies how the insurers Read more →

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D.C. Circuit Court Reverses Directives to HHS Regarding Appeals Backlog

Posted on Health Care Law News September 16, 2017 by Robert Nicholson

In a 2-1 Decision, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the district court’s order to HHS to clear the backlog of administrative appeals within four years. The appellate court found that the district court failed to adequately test HHS’s assertion that this mandate was impossible. After considering the merits of a group of hospitals Read more →

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CMS Announces New Audit Strategy

Posted on Health Care Law News August 16, 2017 by Robert Nicholson

On August 14, 2017, CMS announced a significant change in its claims audit strategy for Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs).  Under the new strategy — called Targeted Probe and Educate — MACs “will select claims for items/services that pose the greatest financial risk to the Medicare trust fund and/or those that have a high national error rate.”  Read more →

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