In February, the Department of Justice (DOJ) successfully leveraged a new weapon to target pharmacies as it battles the nation’s opioid crisis. The new approach utilizes court-ordered temporary restraining orders (TROs) that result in an immediate suspension of a pharmacy’s ability to dispense controlled substances at the outset of a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration…… Continue reading this entry

Ambulatory surgery center (ASC) development and ownership has made a comeback after a number of years of stagnation due to an oversupply of centers and poor income growth. However, with significant changes in payment methodology, whether under Medicare or commercial third party insurance, the industry has seen a shift in surgical procedures toward less expensive…… Continue reading this entry

Momentum and support continues to build for telehealth commercial coverage laws across the United States, designed to ensure that covered members of health insurance plans can enjoy the full scope of their medical benefits – whether in-person or virtually.  Last summer, the Massachusetts Legislature considered a sweeping telehealth bill that would have instituted certain requirements…… Continue reading this entry

We have posted previously in Healthcare Law Today related to physician private equity transactions, commonly called “recapitalizations.” Most of the discussions have been about the “who,” the “why” and the “how” of these transactions.  What we haven’t yet discussed are the issues that may arise following the closing of one of these transactions.  While the…… Continue reading this entry

CMS just announced a clarification that remote patient monitoring under CPT code 99457 may be furnished by auxiliary personnel, “incident to” the billing practitioner’s professional services.  An “incident to” service is one that is performed under the supervision of a physician (broadly defined), and billed to Medicare in the name of the physician, subject to…… Continue reading this entry

Website accessibility under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Rehabilitation Act) is an issue of which health care providers and other health care companies should be aware. There have been lawsuits filed that include claims for website accessibility under these Acts. A number of entities, including health care…… Continue reading this entry

The Massachusetts Medicaid Program (known locally as MassHealth) issued a new All Provider Bulletin in January, setting forth new policies for certain behavioral health services delivered to MassHealth covered patients.  The guidance received mixed responses from the telehealth industry. The good: MassHealth-participating Community Health Centers, Community Mental Health Centers, and Outpatient Substance Use Disorder providers…… Continue reading this entry

In response to the opioid crisis, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is cracking down on pharmacies, pharmacists, and prescribers by leveraging an old enforcement weapon: revocation of controlled substance registrations. The DEA actively revived this enforcement mechanism in February and March of 2018 when it arrested 29 people and revoked 147 controlled substance registrations throughout…… Continue reading this entry

On February 27, 2019, CMS will hold its first webinar to provide an overview on its new Emergency Triage, Treat, and Transport (ET3) Model for suppliers of emergency medicine services (EMS) and ambulance suppliers. On February 14, 2019, CMS’ Innovation Center announced ET3’s upcoming availability, which emphasizes the need for EMS suppliers to partner with…… Continue reading this entry

Co-Author: Nina Zhang, Stephenson Acquisto & Colman This article addresses the high-level challenges of tackling drug pricing policy related to prices that seniors and government programs pay, as well as the potential effects that the Trump administration’s policy efforts could have on those prices.1 Starting in January 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services…… Continue reading this entry