It seems the efforts of telemedicine advocates to change federal law and allow greater prescribing of controlled substances are no longer falling on deaf ears. Congress just released a pair of draft discussion bills to amend the federal Ryan Haight Act. The “Improving Access to Remote Behavioral Health Treatment Act” would allow certain community mental…… Continue reading this entry
The Trump administration’s mark is certainly evident at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and health care employers are breathing a sigh of relief. The NLRB is a five member Board that decides cases governing most aspects of private sector labor relations in the health care industry. The manner in which Board members’ terms are…… Continue reading this entry
On January 22, 2018, the Georgia House of Representatives adopted a Resolution recognizing telehealth as an important tool to improving access to health care in Georgia. One week later, the Georgia Senate recognized January 30, 2018, as Telehealth Day at the State Capitol. The Peach State clearly remains an enthusiastic pioneer in its use of…… Continue reading this entry
Hospital-based telemedicine services continue to rapidly expand across the country, allowing providers to deliver care to rural areas and better allocate the staffing and availability of specialist physicians such as neurologists and emergency medicine. However, despite the uptick in telemedicine services at hospitals, many medical staff offices still use the traditional “primary source verification” process…… Continue reading this entry
While recent legislation impacting the Emergency Medical Services (EMS)/ambulance industry drew attention inside the industry for its reduction in Health and Human Services’ (HHS) spend on non-emergent dialysis transports and the five-year extension of the Medicare add-ons for the EMS industry, the legislation created a new forward-looking reporting obligation. Specifically, as part of the Continuing…… Continue reading this entry
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed late last year and became effective as of January 1, 2018. The Act includes a new provision that subjects certain “excess compensation” paid by exempt organizations (organizations exempt from income tax under section 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code (the Code)) to the corporate income tax. Corporate Income…… Continue reading this entry
The telemedicine industry has been abuzz upon learning that provider-friendly legislation was included in the new federal Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, signed into law by the President on February 9, 2018. But telehealth providers, hospitals, and entrepreneurs need to cut through the hype and understand what the provisions will really do for telehealth. This…… Continue reading this entry
The new year continues to offer big opportunities for telemedicine and digital health companies, and one of the most notable developments is CMS’ decision to reimburse providers for remote patient monitoring (RPM). Effective January 1, 2018, the Medicare program will pay providers for RPM services billed under CPT code 99091. The service is currently defined…… Continue reading this entry
Congress passed a funding bill early this morning just after the February 8th deadline. The new legislation will make several changes to the Medicare program, delay cuts to disproportionate share hospitals, provide two years of funding for community health centers, and renew certain expired or expiring health care programs. The legislation increases government funding caps…… Continue reading this entry
On January 25, 2018, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a memorandum limiting the use of agency guidance documents in affirmative civil enforcement (ACE) cases. Stating that “[g]uidance documents cannot create binding requirements that do not already exist by statute or regulation,” the memorandum strongly discourages DOJ litigators from using noncompliance with agency guidance…… Continue reading this entry