Most Physicians Not Using the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program
By Danielle M. Murray, J.D. The Florida Prescription Drug Monitoring Program is apparently collecting dust as physicians are choosing not to use it. The Tampa Bay Times reported on October 5, 2012, that as few as one in twelve doctors have ever used the database. That is about eight percent (8%) of all physicians. Approximately […]
American Hospital Association (AHA) Sues U.S. Government for Denied Medicare Payments by RACs, ZPICs and Other Auditors
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On November 1, 2012, the American Hospital Association (AHA) filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) claiming that private auditors hired to crack down on improper Medicare payments are denying hospitals millions […]
Posing as Physician Assistant Lands Kissimmee Teen Behind Bars for One Year
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law The Kissimmee, Florida, teen found guilty in August 2012 for impersonating a physician assistant (P.A.) faced up to 20 years in prison for two counts of impersonation and two counts of practicing without a license. On November 14, […]
Industry Trend: Hospital Systems Merging and Acquiring Private Practices All Over the Country
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law There’s a structural shift that is sweeping the health care system – hospitals are acquiring private physician practices. It is happening all over the U.S., including right here in Central Florida. On December 31, 2012, Orlando Health – […]
Ex-Hospital Employee Admits to Stealing and Selling Confidential Patient Information
By Lance O. Leider, J.D., and George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On October 22, 2012, a former Florida Hospital employee admitted to stealing patient information that was used to target customers for lawyers and chiropractors, according to a number of sources. The man allegedly […]
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Nabs New York Doctor Allegedly on Drug Charges
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law A raid by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on November 27, 2012, at a New York home led to the arrest of an emergency room (ER) doctor, according to a number of sources. Once inside, agents allegedly found […]
Nationwide Telephone Scam: Phony DEA Agents Extorting Money from Victims
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is warning the public to be aware of a prescription drug scam. This telephone scheme is extorting money from people all over the country. On November 28, 2012, the DEA released a press […]
Ohio Hospital Settles Whistleblower Case to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations
By Lance O. Leider, J.D., Attorney, The Health Law Firm A group of doctors accused of performing an unusually high number of heart procedures on patients at an Ohio hospital has settled a whistleblower lawsuit, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). The settlement agreement covers accusations that the doctors and the hospital billed Medicare […]
Is It Legal to Make Flu Shots Mandatory for Health Care Professionals?
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law The warnings have been loud and clear from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This influenza season is off to an early and serious start. With that in mind, a number of states are requiring all […]
Medicare Put the Hospice Industry Under the Microscope
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law It’s no surprise to anyone that Medicare is cracking down on hospices around the country. According to a report by the Office of Inspector General (OIG), eighty-two percent (82%) of hospices’ claims did not meet Medicare coverage requirements. […]
Update: Fake DEA Agents Calling Citizens, Claiming to Have Arrest Warrant
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law Health care providers beware, there is a scam making its rounds in Central Florida. Con men are telephoning citizens, including physicians, and pretending to be Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents in the hope of extorting money from them. […]
Lehigh University Student Sues Grad School for $1.3 Million for Bad Grade
By George F. Indest, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law While in school, we all received grades that we believed to be unfair or unwarranted. One graduate of Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, has taken her bad grade to court. She is suing the university over a “C+” grade. In […]
Florida Woman Arrested for $400,000 Medicaid Fraud Scheme
By Lance O. Leider, J.D., The Health Law Firm The owner of Homecare Unlimited, LLC, in Jacksonville, Florida, has allegedly been arrested for defrauding Medicaid out of more than $400,000, according to the Florida Office of the Attorney General (AG). The owner is charged with billing Florida’s Aged and Disabled Adult Waiver Program for services […]
Major Medicare Offender Sentenced to Prison for Multi-Million Dollar Health Care Fraud Scheme
By Lance O. Leider, J.D., The Health Law Firm The former owner of four mental health facilities in South Florida and North Carolina was sentenced to fourteen (14) years in federal prison on February 25, 2013. The former business owner pleaded guilty to defrauding Medicare out of tens of millions of dollars from 2004 through […]
Stryker Orthopaedics Facing Dozens of Hip Implant Lawsuits
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law As of February 2013, more than 80 lawsuits have been consolidated into multicounty litigation (MCL) in the Superior Court in New Jersey against Stryker Orthopaedics. Patients are claiming the company’s Rejuvenate and ABG II modular-neck femoral hip systems […]
First Trial Over DePuy Hip Implants Finished – Plaintiff Receives $8.3 Million
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law and Carole C. Schriefer, R.N., J.D., The Health Law Firm On March 8, 2013, a California jury ruled that Johnson and Johnson’s DePuy unit designed a defective metal-on-metal ASR XL hip implant and was negligent, according to Bloomberg News. The […]
Two National Recalls Prompt Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to Update Metal-on-Metal Hip Implant Safety Concerns
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law and Carole C. Schriefer, R.N., J.D., The Health Law Firm On January 17, 2013, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an updated public health communication about hip replacement components that have both a metal ball and a […]
Two More Compounding Pharmacies Recall Drugs
By Carole C. Schriefer, R.N., J.D., The Health Law Firm and George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law Two different compounding pharmacies have recently recalled products due to concerns from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The New Jersey compounding pharmacy, Med Prep Consulting, and Clinical […]
Colorado Surgeon Accused of Botching Multiple Robotic Arm Surgeries
By Carole C. Schriefer, R.N., J.D., The Health Law Firm and George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law A Colorado surgeon allegedly faces 14 counts of unprofessional conduct associated with the use a robotic arm used during surgeries, according to the formal administrative complaint. The Colorado […]
Florida Man Sentenced to Prison for Role in Florida Hospital Data Theft
By Lance O. Leider, J.D., The Health Law Firm A Davenport, Florida, man was sentenced to four years in prison for paying off two Florida Hospital employees to illegally access patient records, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). A judge sentenced Sergie Kusyakov on April 10, 2013. He was charged with conspiracy and wrongful […]
Poll Shows Majority Supports the Legalization of Marijuana
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law For the first time in four decades, a majority of Americans support the legalization of marijuana, according to a national survey conducted by Pew Research. The results from the survey, released on April 4, 2013, show fifty-two percent […]
Two Separate Lawsuits Against Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation Allege Illegal Kickbacks and False Claims
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation (NPC) is currently fielding two different lawsuits, filed just days apart from each other, by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). The first lawsuit was filed on April 23, 2013, alleging the company gave illegal […]
Department of Justice Seeks up to $600 Million in Whistleblower Case Against Halifax Health in Daytona Beach, Florida
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is asking for between $350 million and $600 million in damages and penalties from Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach, according to The Daytona Beach News-Journal. A Halifax employee filed the […]
Texas Oncologist Accused of Poisoning Coworker/Boyfriend’s Coffee
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law A Houston, Texas, doctor is accused of spiking her co-worker’s coffee with a toxic chemical. Both the female doctor and the male co-worker she allegedly tried to poison worked as oncologists at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson […]
Drug Enforcement Administration Agents Raid Central Florida Pain Management Clinic
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents along with local police and sheriffs’ deputies raided a Longwood, Florida, pain management clinic on June 14, 2013. According to the Orlando Sentinel, agents searched for evidence at the clinic associated with multiple […]
Supreme Court Rules that Government Regulators Can Sue Over Pay-for-Delay Agreements Between Brand and Generic Drug Manufacturers
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on June 17, 2013, that pay-for-delay agreements between brand name and generic drug manufacturers are subject to anti-trust scrutiny. These pay-for-delay agreements, or reverse payments, are usually a form of settlement between the […]
New Details Released on Drug Enforcement Administration’s Investigation of Central Florida Pain Management Clinic
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) investigation into a Longwood, Florida, pain management clinic continues. More details are being revealed about the case. DEA agents along with local police and sheriffs’ deputies raided the pain management clinic on June […]
Fifty-Five Hospitals Around the Country to Pay the Government $34 Million Settlement for False Claims Allegations
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law Fifty-five (55) hospitals in twenty-one (21) states have agreed to pay the Department of Justice (DOJ) more than $34 million to settle allegations of Medicare fraud in a whistleblower case, according to the DOJ on July 2, 2013. […]
CMS Fights Medicare Fraud With Ban on New Home Health Agencies and Ambulance Suppliers in Three Cities
By Lance O. Leider, J.D., The Health Law Firm and George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it will temporarily ban new home health providers and ambulance suppliers from enrolling in Medicare, Medicaid and the Children’s Health […]
Orlando Health’s Restructuring Efforts Might Mean Pay Cuts and Layoffs for Employees
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law Many employees at Orlando Health might be getting hit hard in the wallet with pay cuts schedule for later this year. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the eight-hospital health system notified its night-shift workers that their differential pay […]
Oncologist Accused of Billing Medicare for Unnecessary Chemotherapy-Employee Whistleblowers Filed First Claim
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law A Michigan oncologist is accused of deliberately misdiagnosing patients with cancer so he could allegedly administer chemotherapy treatments and bill the government for those treatments, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). For more than two years the […]
Grace Period Included in the Affordable Care Act Could Pose Financial Risk to Healthcare Professionals and Providers
By Michael L. Smith, R.R.T., J.D., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law, and George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law A little known rule published by CMS to implement the Affordable Care Act (ACA) could pose a significant financial risk for doctors, hospitals […]
Fake Doctor in Texas Accused of Injecting Patients with Silicone Instead of Botox
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law A South Texas woman was charged on October 31, 2013, for allegedly injecting people with silicone, that she claimed was Botox. The phony health professional, described in some media reports as an “unlicensed plastic surgeon,” has been charged […]
Fake Surgeon in Florida Accused of Performing Liposuction Without a License
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law A Kissimmee, Florida, man was arrested on December 18, 2013, on charges that he has been allegedly performing liposuction without a medical license in a Central Florida clinic. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation […]
Say Goodbye to Physicians United Plan and Hello to Changes
By Michael L. Smith, R.R.T., J.D., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law As of July 1, 2014, at 12:01 a.m., Physicians United Plan (PUP) will be liquidated. The insurance company was declared insolvent by a Florida circuit judge in Tallahassee on June 9, 2013. The judge turned the company over to the […]
CMS in the Hot Seat for Lax Oversight of Medicaid Managed Care Organizations
By Lenis L. Archer, J.D., M.P.H., The Health Law Firm For years, each state has kept an eye on its own Medicaid managed care plans, while the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is required to monitor how well each individual state is doing. However, a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report claims CMS […]
Pediatricians Who Are Targets of Medicaid Audits Should Request Hearings on the Final Audit Report Results
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law We have recently been contacted by several pediatric practices that were subject to Medicaid audits. In several cases, the pediatricians received the final audit reports (FARs) stating that they owed Medicaid refunds, because of overbillings, in the tens […]
Sexual Misconduct by Rogue Employees Can Cost Big Money: Your Responsibility as an Employer
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law Johns Hopkins Health System agreed to shell out $190 million to more than 7,000 women and girls, in one of the largest settlements ever in the United States involving sexual misconduct by a physician. A gynecologist, practicing in […]
Cyber Attack at Community Health Systems Affects 4.5 Million Patients-Could This be a New Trend?
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On August 18, 2014, Community Health Systems, a Tennessee-based hospital chain that has 206 hospitals in 29 states, announced that its computer system was hacked. According to a number of news reports, an outside group of hackers, originating […]
“Doctor of Death” Trial Could Ignite Stricter Oversight in the Healthcare Industry
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On paper, one Detroit-area oncologist appeared to be a wildly successful professional with impeccable medical credentials. According to his medical practice’s website, he went to medical school at Cornell Medical College, did an internal medicine residency at Maimonides […]
The Ins and Outs of Florida’s 2015 Legislative Session for Health Care Providers
George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in the Legal Specialty of Health Law Committees are busy in Tallahassee as the 2015 Legislative Session is set to begin on March 3, 2015. For Florida physicians and other health care providers, now is the time to review the legislative bills […]
New MCAT Will Put the Social Skills of Potential Doctors to the Test
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law The 8,200 aspiring doctors expected to take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) this year will be seeing a different exam than their predecessors. The doctor-patient dynamic is changing. So, to stay on top of this shift in […]
Chinese Nationals Indicted in Alleged U.S. Test-Taking Scheme
By George F. Indest, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law Fifteen Chinese citizens living in the United States reportedly conspired to take college entrance exams for others so they could obtain student visas, according to the Associated Press. The frauds allegedly took standardized exams including the Scholastic Aptitude Test […]
Guilty Plea to Research Misconduct Results in 4 1/2 Year Prison Sentence
By Michael L. Smith, R.R.T., J.D., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law and George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law Dong-Pyou Han, a former Iowa State University scientist was sentenced to four-and-a-half (4 ½) years in prison on Wednesday July 1, 2015, for […]
GOP Close to Repeal of Medical Device Tax: Will Elimination of this Key Funding Also Eliminate the Affordable Care Act?
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M, Board Certified by the Florida Bar in Health Law With the support of Democrats, Congressional Republicans may be close to getting the votes they want to push President Obama to accept a repeal of the medical device tax, which helps fund the Affordable Care Act. Some Republican […]
Individual Prescribers of Controlled Substances Should Know the CSA Requirements
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law and Shelby Root Congress devised a regulatory system to help prevent prescription drug abuse and control both the legitimate and illegitimate traffic of controlled substances. The system makes it unlawful to manufacture, distribute, dispense or possess any controlled […]
Federal Health Officials Propose Medicare Paying Doctors to Discuss End-of-Life Issues
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a new plan for doctors to discuss end-of-life issues with their patients. The plan is part of the CMS annual Medicare physician payment rule. This comes six years after […]
Author Recommends Medicare Use ‘Procedural Triage’ to Eliminate Backlog of Appeals and Restore Faith in the System
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law In a recent law journal article being considered for publication, Author Matthew J. B. Lawrence of the Harvard University Petrie-Flom Center, makes some bold recommendations for Medicare. His hypothesis seems to be that the extremely long delay that […]
Promoting Research Subject Compliance: Six Tips for Investigators
By Lenis L. Archer, J.D., M.P.H. and George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law Investigators who manage clinical trials involving human subjects rely on their participants to comply with research study parameters. However, ensuring this compliance is much easier said than done. Following are several tips […]
Report: Florida Received an F in Medical Pricing Transparency
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law In Florida, it’s difficult to compare prices for medical services and procedures because the various prices are not made public. In part because of this, a recent study by a health-care advocacy group gave Florida an F for […]
Medical Staff Involved in Peer Reviewers Can Receive Compensatory and Punitive Damages for Violations of their Confidentiality: Part 1 of 2
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by the Florida Bar in Health Law and Shelby Root An important decision was delivered by the Supreme Court of New Mexico involving peer reviewers’ statutory right to confidentiality. In the decision, the New Mexico court allowed peer reviewers to recover compensatory and punitive damages […]
Apopka Woman to Serve 18-Month Prison Sentence After $47K Medicaid Scam
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law An Apopka businesswoman was recently sentenced to 18 months in prison after she was found guilty of a Medicaid scam. According to the Florida Attorney General’s Office, Shanqual Marshall-Gunn was arrested in September on suspicion of submitting more […]
Breach of HIPAA Privacy Regulations May be a Basis for Negligence Actions
By Shelby Root and George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by the Florida Bar in Health Law Given the advances in information technology, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) was enacted by Congress as a comprehensive legislative and regulatory scheme to ensure basic protections of patients’ right of […]
Appeals Court Upholds Medical Malpractice Law Changes
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On July 21, a state appeals court in Tallahassee upheld the constitutionality of a controversial change in Florida’s medical malpractice law. It ruled that some privacy rights are waived when patients pursue medical malpractice lawsuits. A federal appeals […]
Employers are Liable in Tort Actions for HIPAA Violations
By Shelby Root and George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Omnibus Rule, implemented in 2013, modified HIPAA’s privacy and security rules. However, solutions aimed at health privacy challenges such as data and information collected by mobile apps […]
Foreign Massage Therapists Win First Round Against Private College in Class Action Lawsuit
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law A federal court judge in Orlando, Florida, ruled on July 30, 2015, that a class action lawsuit filed on behalf of a group of foreign licensed massage therapists could proceed against the FCNH, Inc., which does business as Florida […]
New Recreational Marijuana Amendment Being Pushed in Florida
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law There is a new effort to legalize the use of marijuana for adults in Florida and not just for medical purposes. The two groups, The Florida Cannabis Action Network and Floridians For Freedom, are pushing for a new […]
Detroit Medical Center to Pay $42M to End Nine-Year Class Action Lawsuit
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law A month before trial was set to begin, Detroit Medical Center (DMC) agreed to pay $42 million to end a nine-year antitrust class action lawsuit. The long-running suit was brought by nurses accusing eight Detroit area hospitals of […]
HIPAA Basics For Licensed Health Care Professionals: Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Rules
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently issued a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) fact sheet for health care professionals and organizations. The overview is titled “HIPAA Basics for Providers: Privacy, Security and Breach […]
Five Defendants Admit Guilt in $580 Million Referral Billing Scheme; Investigation Continues in “Operation Spinal Cap”: This Is Not Spinal Tap
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law Federal prosecutors filed two cases on November 24, 2015, and a federal judge unsealed three others, all in correlation to the same fraudulent health care scheme. The former Chief Financial Officer (CFO), two orthopedic surgeons, a chiropractor and […]
New Board of Medicine Rule on Disposition of Medical Records Upon Death of Physician
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law Rule 64B8-10.001, Florida Administrative Code, was recently updated by the Florida Board of Medicine for the Department of Health (DOH). The final adopted rule was implemented on November 11, 2015. This latest version of the rule entitled, “Medical […]
758 Hospitals to Get Less in Medicare Payments in 2016 Due to High Rates of Patient Safety Incidents: Florida Hospital Among Them
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law Medicare will be lowering its payments by one percent in 2016 to 758 hospitals nationwide with high rates of potentially avoidable patient safety incidents. The penalties are based on an assessment of the frequency of several types of […]
California Attorney Ordered By Court To Pay Donation to Women Lawyers’ Professional Group As Sanction For Sexist Comments
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health A medical group defense attorney in California, Peter Bertling, was ordered on Tuesday, January 12, 2016, by U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul S. Grewal, to pay a $250 donation to the Women Lawyers’ Association. The ruling was in response to a sexist […]
AHA Medicare Backlog Lawsuit Back on Track as D.C. Circuit Reverses Dismissal
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On February 9, 2016, the D.C. Circuit ordered the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to reconsider a lawsuit seeking to compel the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to meet statutory deadlines for reviewing […]
New Draft Guidance on Use of Electronic Health Record Data in Clinical Investigations Announced By FDA
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On May 17, 2016, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a draft guidance titled “Use of Electronic Health Record Data in Clinical Investigations” (Draft Guidance) which emphasizes interoperability and outlines other best practices for effectively […]
Have You Received a Notice of Termination of Your Medicare Provider Number?
By Danielle M. Murray, J.D. Have you received a notice of termination of your Medicare provider number? Medicare has been revoking the Medicare provider numbers of many different Medicare providers including psychologists and other mental health providers, based on returned mail sent to old addresses which have not been updated or based on inspection team […]