Articles and Blogs

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) has reevaluated the revalidation requirements in the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”), and believe the ACA allows for the extension of the revalidation period for an additional two years.  This will extend the deadline for revalidation through March of 2015.  Providers are reminded that if they have... READ MORE

The National Supplier Clearinghouse (“NSC”) has recently indicated it is aware that numerous Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (“DMEPOS”) suppliers are having issues with viewing and/or submitting revalidation information through the web-based Provider Enrollment Chain Ownership System (“PECOS”). NSC has indicated that the majority of these issues are due to information discrepancies... READ MORE

Pursuant to Section 6111 of the Affordable Care Act enacted on March 23, 2010, and the final rule published on March 18, 2011 in the Federal Register, a nursing facility must be offered the opportunity to request an Independent Informal Dispute Resolution (IIDR) if the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) imposes a... READ MORE

CMS has just released the highly anticipated final regulations for accountable care organizations (ACOs) under Section 3022 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  The ACA requires accountable-care agreements to be offered under Medicare, starting in 2012.  READ MORE

On October 18, 2011, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) initiated two sets of regulatory reforms and finalized a third that are designed to improve transparency and allow providers to operate with increased efficiency. One set proposes updates to Medicare Conditions of Participation (CoPs) for hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) and... READ MORE

Just weeks after ongoing development of the CLASS Act stalled, Secretary Sebelius announced today the implementation of the CLASS Act has been completely halted.  Reflecting concerns over the sustainability of the program and the potential for the development of a new entitlement program, the Department of Health and Human Services determined the financing plans related to the Act... READ MORE

Representative John Kline of Minnesota introduced the Workforce Democracy and Fairness Act last week in response to recent NLRB actions affecting employers.  One aspect of this Bill is the reversal of the NLRB’s Specialty Healthcare decision which altered the established standard for determining collective bargaining units in non-acute care health facilities.    READ MORE

On October 5, 2011, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) published its proposed Work Plan for Fiscal Year 2012. As in the past, the Work Plan continues to identify compliance risk areas that subject Medicare and Medicaid providers to audit and enforcement initiatives. The 2012 Work Plan contains several new areas of focus by... READ MORE

After October 31, 2011, DMEPOS suppliers will no longer be permitted to use the 07/09 version of the CMS-855S application and will be required to utilize the updated 07/11 version. The 07/11 version is available and may be used for submissions now. The newest version of the application has been updated to capture additional... READ MORE

The NLRB announced last week that it has postponed the implementation date for its new notice-posting rule (previously discussed here and here) by more than two months in order to allow for “enhanced education and outreach to employers”, particularly those who operate small and medium sized businesses.  The posting requirement for most private employers... READ MORE