Although courts have yet to weigh in on the issue, guidelines from the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and other regulatory agencies indicate that employers may implement vaccine passports … [Read more...]
Compliance Perspectives
The 5 Things to Do When Implementing a Vaccine Passport Policy at Your Lab
September 6, 2021
Like many labs and other health providers, you might have been undecided about whether to mandate that your employees get the COVID-19 vaccine. However, now that the FDA has fully approved a … [Read more...]
Enforcement Trends
Federal False Claims Act Recoveries Hit 5-Year High
August 26, 2021
For more than a decade, enforcement of the federal false claims act was a government cash cow. But in recent years, investment returns on the activity actually declined. That trend came to an end last … [Read more...]
Compliance Alert
OSHA Orders Inspectors to Use the Hammer to Enforce New COVID-19 Protocols
August 10, 2021
On June 21, OSHA issued a new Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) requiring labs, hospitals and other providers to take extensive measures to protect frontline workers against risk of COVID-19 … [Read more...]
Genetic Testing
Three Common PGx Compliance Traps for Laboratories to Avoid
August 5, 2021
By Adam M. Walters Walters Law, P.C. In recent years, many clinical laboratories have started offering Pharmacogenetics Testing (PGx) to assist physicians in avoiding prescribing medication … [Read more...]
WORKPLACE SAFETY
CMS Couldn’t Verify Hospital Safety During COVID and Won’t Be Able to Do So in Next Pandemic
July 29, 2021
CMS was unable to determine whether hospitals were maintaining quality and safety standards during the COVID-19 crisis. And unless changes are made to its regulatory powers, it won’t be able to make … [Read more...]
Compliance Alert
Take 15 Steps to Comply with New OSHA Emergency Health Care Worker Protection Requirements
June 28, 2021
During the Trump administration, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) came under heavy criticism for not doing enough to protect health care and other essential workers … [Read more...]
Compliance Perspectives
Beware of Privacy Pitfalls When Remotely Monitoring Lab Telecommuters
May 26, 2021
Before the pandemic, 80 percent of U.S. employees worked primarily from an external workplace; today, only 21 percent do. Coaxing employees to return to the workplace will be an uphill battle, with … [Read more...]
Reimbursement
MCIT Medicare Coverage Rule Could Be Reimbursement “Breakthrough” for Makers of LDTs
May 19, 2021
Medical device makers and members of Congress are growing impatient as CMS sends signals of still further delay on a final decision on a final rule that would automatically provide initial Medicare … [Read more...]
Compliance
New Laws: New HHS Policy Makes Labs Potentially Liable for LGBTQ Discrimination
May 19, 2021
While it doesn’t directly relate to billing and reimbursement, federal civil rights laws have an impact on certain aspects of lab operations. These laws ban your lab from discriminating on the basis … [Read more...]
