Articles and Blogs

In an important development for 340B participating providers (“Covered Entities”), the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) Office of General Counsel (“OGC”) published an Advisory Opinion stating its view that drug manufacturers must honor 340B program discounts under contract pharmacy arrangements. The Advisory Opinion was remarkable in the clarity and forcefulness of HHS’s... READ MORE

Noncompliance cited as immediate jeopardy (“IJ”) is one of the most severe survey findings for certified Medicare and Medicaid provider entities. According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”), IJ “represents a situation in which entity noncompliance has placed the health and safety of recipients in its care at risk for serious... READ MORE

NATIONAL 13 patient data breach lawsuits in the past year 26 hospitals on Forbes’ list of best large employers Biden administration in talks with Amazon, more tech giants to assist vaccine rollout Biden to nominate Chiquita Brooks-LaSure as CMS chief CMS inpatient only policy threatens patient access to appropriate surgical setting CMS pulls back... READ MORE

With the transition towards value-based care, more health care providers recognize environmental factors play a significant role in health outcomes. As highlighted in a recent Hall Render article, these environmental factors, otherwise known as social determinants of health (“SDOH”), are the conditions in which people are born, live and age that affect one’s quality-of-life... READ MORE

Hospitals and health care systems that successfully defend against frivolous FCA actions may oftentimes recover fees and expenses incurred as part of their defense. Recently, however, the United States District Court for the District of Utah broadly connected this “frivolous” standard with Rule 9(b)’s pleading requirements—a decision that may stave off whistleblowers who have... READ MORE

NATIONAL Athenahealth to pay $18.25M for alleged False Claims Act violations Biden administration to begin shipping vaccines directly to pharmacies next week Biden exec order reopens ACA insurance marketplaces: What ASCs need to know Biden signs healthcare executive actions Biden’s healthcare picks: 35 notes COVID-19 hospitalizations drop 3,000 in 1 day Despite Availability Of... READ MORE

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) published numerous updates to its rules for graduate medical education in 2020, many of which take effect in the early part of 2021. This client alert is Part 2 of our series providing insight into these CMS changes and more recent statutory changes. Part 1, which... READ MORE

NATIONAL 3 healthcare executive actions expected from Biden this week 33% of orthopedic surgeons burned out in 2020: 10 findings 1,900 Moderna vaccine doses spoiled at Boston hospital after freezer is unplugged Almost half of older adults aren’t using patient portals, prompting concerns for vaccine scheduling Biden appoints Rear Admiral Susan Orsega as acting... READ MORE

Recently, the EEOC updated its COVID-19 employment practices guidance (Section K, specifically) to include information on how employers can approach the newly released COVID-19 vaccines under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (“GINA”). As we previously discussed here (“EEOC Provides COVID-19 Guidance Via Webinar (Part... READ MORE

Hall Render is pleased to announce Macauley Rybar has joined the firm in its Detroit office. Macauley focuses his practice on a variety of health law matters. Macauley advises clients on hospital and health system matters, including regulatory and compliance issues, Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, and licensure and certification. Prior to joining Hall Render,... READ MORE