Like most budget bills, the new federal Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 includes a number of changes to Medicare fraud and enforcement requirements. One set of changes affects the current physician … [Read more...]
COMPLIANCE
Physician Referrals: New Rules Offer Some Stark Law Relief but Not Nearly Enough
April 11, 2018
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New Laws: Very Quietly, Congress Doubles Penalties for Medicare Fraud & Abuse
April 10, 2018
Sneaky may be too strong a word. But what is fair to say is that the new hikes in federal health care fraud violation penalties have flown totally under the radar despite their obvious and immediate … [Read more...]
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DOJ to Prosecutors: Show Tough Love to Whistleblowers with Weak Cases
March 19, 2018
A newly leaked internal Justice Department memo signals a new prosecution policy that may make it harder for whistleblowers to bring qui tam whistleblower lawsuits under the False Claims Act (FCA). … [Read more...]
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Medicare Reimbursement: CMS Launches New LVA Process for Settling Payment Appeals
March 12, 2018
While Part B lab reimbursements may be going down, the good news is that it just became easier to challenge Medicare payment denials. Here is an overview of the new CMS Low Volume Appeals settlement … [Read more...]
ANNUAL SURVEY
Outreach Survey Focuses on Clinical Laboratory Industry Trends Amidst Greatest Disruption in Three Decades
March 12, 2018
By Jeff Myers bio Accumen Inc. is pleased to announce the launch of the 17th Annual National Hospital and Health System Laboratory and Outreach Survey. The survey is designed to capture … [Read more...]
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Value Care: CMS Value Modifier Programs Ends Not with a Bang but a Whimper
March 5, 2018
Thanks for nothing. While CMS likes to congratulate itself for using provider pay adjustments to "transform the healthcare delivery system," more often than not, the rhetoric fails to live … [Read more...]
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Anti-Kickback Statute: OIG Eyes Changes to Safe Harbor Rules
February 27, 2018
As it does every year, the OIG is reviewing the federal Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) current safe harbor rules. The deadline to comment: end of business, Feb. 26. Here's a quick rundown of what's at … [Read more...]
HEALTH CARE REFORM
Medicare Reimbursement: Federal Government Funding Extension Includes a Boatload of Medicare Changes
February 26, 2018
The government shutdown fiasco is having an impact on Medicare spending and reimbursement. But the crucial details are being buried in the legislative paperwork. So we decided to ferret them out for … [Read more...]
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Lab Industry Report: The Year in Diagnostics Mergers & Acquisitions
January 17, 2018
Continuing recent trends, most of the wheeling and dealing that took place in the lab industry in 2017 involved strategic alliances rather than mergers and acquisitions. Thus alliances outpaced … [Read more...]
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CLIA: After 36 Years, CMS Gives Lab Accreditation a Good Hard Look
January 16, 2018
"May you live in interesting times." If you've been in the clinical labs business for a while, you probably appreciate the wisdom behind this ancient Chinese curse. 2018 is shaping up to be a very … [Read more...]
