Federal courts continue to grapple with applying the “materiality” standard that is needed to cause a Stark Law violation or other underlying compliance matter to trigger False Claims Act liability. Although we have recently begun to gain a clearer view
September 2017
US Senators Graham and Cassidy revise Affordable Care Act repeal legislation prior to Finance Committee hearing; AHA requests CMS guidance on hospital co-location and shared space arrangements
On Sunday evening, September 24, U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) released a revised version of their Affordable Care Act (ACA) repeal legislation in advance of the Senate Finance Committee hearing scheduled for Monday, September 25,…
CMS clarifies when hospitals are primarily engaged in inpatient care; U.S. Republican Senators introduce ACA repeal legislation while Democrats promote Medicare for all
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued Survey and Certification Letter 17-44, clarifying what it means for a facility to be “primarily engaged” in inpatient care for purposes of meeting the definition of a hospital and…
Ontario announces sales of recreational cannabis framework
On September 8th, Ontario announced its much-anticipated framework for the distribution and sale of recreational cannabis. This announcement makes Ontario the first province to outline a comprehensive response to the Federal government’s plan to legalize cannabis by July 2018. Ontario’s…
U.S. Senators continue ACA stabilization and repeal efforts
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee has held three hearings in the past few days attempting to reach a bipartisan agreement on stabilizing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance markets and will hold a fourth hearing later…
CMS issues blanket waivers as a result of Hurricane Harvey; health care reform efforts continue
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued several blanket waivers of Medicare requirements as a result of Hurricane Harvey. Examples of requirements that CMS may waive include those relating to conditions of Medicare participation or certification, preapproval…