By Danielle Sloane bio and Chris Climo bio In a recent piece of federal legislation intended to address the opioid crisis across the United States, Congress enacted a new all-payor kickback … [Read more...]
LEGISLATION
New Broad All-Payor Kickback Law Impacting Laboratories, Commission-based Compensation and more
January 14, 2019
HEALTH CARE REFORM
Compliance Perspectives: PAMA Pitfalls & Survival Strategies
December 31, 2018
PAMA's deep Medicare reimbursement cuts have had a devastating impact on the lab industry. Recent CMS changes in the 2019 Final Rule should provide a degree of pricing relief but not until 2021. In … [Read more...]
MANAGING STAFF
Compliance Perspective: The Duty to Accommodate the Religious Beliefs of Employees & Job Applicants
November 12, 2018
YOU MAKE THE CALL SITUATION: A worker notifies management that he can't comply with hospital policy requiring all workers to get an annual flu shot because of his religion. He asks for permission to … [Read more...]
MANAGING STAFF
Compliance Perspective: Keeping Employee from Damaging Your Lab on Social Media
August 27, 2018
In the cyber age, protecting your lab from the potential threat posed by employee blogging, tweeting, Instagramming and other social networking is a business imperative. But how? To find out, keep … [Read more...]
GENETIC TESTING
Compliance Perspectives: Genetic Test Labs Face Growing Risk of Medical Malpractice Liability
August 6, 2018
Compliance managers of lab involved in the $3 billion consumer-based genetic testing business need to safeguard their flank against a growing legal risk: the threat of liability for malpractice. As … [Read more...]
COMPLIANCE PERSPECTIVES
The 10 Policies You Need to Stop Lab Employee PHI Breaches
July 30, 2018
Safeguarding personal health information (PHI) data from hackers, identity thieves and other cyber threats isn't just a legal obligation but a business imperative. Yet, with so much on the line, … [Read more...]
LAB SAFETY
Compliance Perspectives: The 12 Things to Include in Your Drug & Alcohol Testing Policy
June 11, 2018
MYTH Employee drug testing is illegal in states where it's legal to use recreational or medical marijuana WHAT'S AT STAKE No! No! No! The truth is that state laws on marijuana use and … [Read more...]
COMPLIANCE PERSPECTIVES
PAMA Reimbursement: CMS Tells Labs How to Secure ADLT Status for New Tests
April 30, 2018
Although the 2018 market-based Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS) is officially in effect, implementation of the new PAMA Part B payment rules for lab tests remains a work in progress. On March … [Read more...]
ANTI-KICKBACK
Compliance Perspectives: New Stark Rules Offer Some Physician Kickback Relief but Not Nearly Enough
April 24, 2018
As a lab compliance officer, you have better things to do with your time than read government budget bills. But what you do need to know is that the new federal Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 includes … [Read more...]
MANAGING STAFF
Compliance Perspectives: Avoid Privacy Pitfalls in Pandemic Planning & Response
March 5, 2018
Although not officially a pandemic, the 2018 flu season has been the worst in nearly a decade. So why not use it as an opportunity to review your lab's pandemic preparations—or, if you haven't already … [Read more...]
