Medicare

Amniotic Fluid / Amniotic Membrane Tissue Audits, Investigations and Prosecutions are Continuing to Climb in 2022

(August 4, 2022): Over the past year, we have seen a significant increase in the number of Medicare administrative audits, False Claims Act investigations and criminal prosecutions by the Department of Justice (DOJ), related to the billing of allogeneic (harvested from someone else) stem cell products. Medicare and Medicaid claims stemming from amniotic liquid and […]

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Will Xiulu Ruan v. United States Finally Bring Some Sanity to Interpretations of the Controlled Substances Act?

(May 2, 2022): The Supreme Court last addressed violations of 21 U.S.C. §841 by a medical practitioner in 1975.[1] Since that time, several circuit courts have taken different approaches when construing the scienter requirements to prove a Controlled Substance Act violation, and how a jury may be instructed when deciding a case.  Hopefully, clarification of

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The Criminalization of Pain – In 2022, DOJ is Aggressively Investigating and Prosecuting MDs, NPs and PAs for Violations of the Controlled Substances Act

(April 19, 2022): Despite our government’s best efforts, opioid overdose deaths in America are continuing to spiral out of control. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), during the period April 2020 through April 2021, the number of overdose deaths were more than 30% higher than the previous year. While many

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The OIG Exclusion List of Individuals and Entities is Growing. What Steps are You Taking to Avoid Hiring or Contracting with an Excluded Individual or Entity?

(March 17, 2022): Over the last few months (from mid-November 2021 through mid-March 2022), the number of excluded individuals and entities on the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General’s (OIG’s) List of Excluded Individuals/Entities (LEIE) has grown by approximately 15%. According to our friends at Exclusion Screening,[1] this rapid expansion of

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US Supreme Court Lifts Injunctions of CMS Vaccine Mandate

(January 24, 2022): In a 5-4 decision, the US Supreme Court issued a ruling on January 13, 2022 staying the injunctions preventing the implementation of CMS’ Vaccine Mandate in 24 states.[1] As a result, Medicare and Medicaid providers[2] subject to the CMS Vaccine Mandate interim final rule in those states must quickly take steps to

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OIG’s Renewed Interest in Orthotic Audits and Investigations: What Your DME Company Needs to Know

(February 8, 2019): A series of recent reports out of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Inspector General (OIG) underscore the Federal government’s renewed concerns with respect to orthotic braces, including underlying medical need for these items. From 1994 to 2000, OIG issued half a dozen reports pertaining to orthotics audits

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HHS Issues Final Rule to Address Record High Medicare Appeals Backlog

(January 20, 2017): The Medicare appeals backlog has reached its all-time worst. If you’re a healthcare provider or supplier waiting for a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) at the Office of Medicare Hearings and Medicare Appeals (OMHA) – the third level of the Medicare appeals process – you’ve likely been waiting years to

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It’s Time for CMS and Congress to Review Outdated Medicare and Medicaid Provisions

(November 23, 2016): Michael Cook, co-chair of the Health Care Group, has an article published in the October issue of the American Health Lawyers Association Journal of Health Law & Life Sciences entitled “It’s Time for CMS and Congress to Review Outdated Medicare and Medicaid Provisions.” The article discusses the fact that given the dramatic

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Home Health Pre-Claim Review Demonstration Project Update!

(September 20, 2016): On August 3, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented its “Pre-Claim Review Demonstration” project in Illinois. This demonstration project effectively requires that Illinois home health agencies submit home health claims for review by the Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) or face possible penalties (and be forced to have the

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