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McBrayer Blogs
Showing 12 posts in Hospitals.
FDA Approval Means Smoother Road to Vaccine Mandates for Healthcare Employers
Amidst the new surge of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. due to the highly contagious Delta variant, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, one of three that has been available under Emergency Use Authorization, has achieved full approval. As the need for a fully vaccinated healthcare workforce grows more critical, this FDA announcement paves a smoother path for healthcare facilities’ employee vaccine mandates. Healthcare employers should understand how to implement an effective vaccine mandate to protect the health and safety of their employees and patients. More >
Malnutrition Diagnosis Codes: The Compliance Danger You’re Not Taking Seriously Enough
It may seem like hair-splitting, but including the wrong diagnostic codes for malnutrition on hospital inpatient claims – using codes for severe malnutrition in place of other forms of malnutrition – is a costly mistake. The estimated overpayment as a result of these coding errors is a reported $1 billion. Because the payment error rate was so high at a colossal 31%, Medicare-Severity Diagnosis Related Group ("MS-DRG") applicable entities must take note and prepare for a marked increase in Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General ("OIG") audits for these coding practices. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ("CMS") also plans to implement review practices for malnutrition coding on a sample of inpatient claims. The increased payer audits will result in severe financial damage for hospitals and other MS-DRG applicable entities if they do not mitigate coding and documentation risks. More >
Kentucky Supreme Court Addresses Negligent Credentialing
2017 has been a banner year for developments in healthcare litigation in Kentucky. While the focus has largely been on medical review panels, another issue of importance has been that of negligent credentialing claims brought against hospitals. Nationwide, states have been split on whether this cause of action is recognized. Lost in the recent rulings regarding medical review panels was the Kentucky Supreme Court’s quiet release of its opinion on November 2, 2017 striking down negligent credentialing as a separate and new cause of action against hospitals. This opinion provides clarity for hospitals facing claims of negligence related to physicians with staff privileges at their facilities and also provides guidance for counsel to properly defend cases with credentialing allegations. More >
The Unhappy Intersection of Hospital Mergers and Antitrust Laws
The rapidly-evolving field of health care has been moving lately towards a single-minded goal – coordination of patient care in the name of efficiency and efficacy. Hospital systems are more and more often merging with other medical practices to better achieve the standards and goals of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“ACA”). The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, however, recently provided a stark reminder that the ACA isn’t the only law hospitals need to consider compliance with in these mergers.
More >
Medical Staff By-laws are Contracts? Minnesota Supreme Court Says “Yes”
That sound you just heard was the simultaneous gasp of hospital boards of directors throughout the state of Minnesota. In Medical Staff of Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center v. Avera Marshall, Minnesota’s highest court made two holdings that strengthened the autonomy of physicians and may shed light as to how courts may interpret medical staff by-laws in the future. More >
Telehealth/Telemedicine: An Opportunity for Physicians and Providers to Add a New Line of Service
The cost effectiveness of providing health care via telemedicine or telehealth promises to be an effective tool to increase coverage and reimbursement of healthcare provided remotely or through telehealth. Towers Watson, a national consulting company, recently published a 2014 study that suggests that telemedicine could save $6 billion annually for the health care industry. "Achieving this savings requires a shift in patient and physician mindsets, health plan willingness to integrate and reimburse such services, and regulatory support in all states," according to Dr. Allan Khoury, a senior consultant at Towers Watson.[1] Recent studies have assigned significant cost savings generated by telehealth use that include cost savings of $537 million per year for emergency departments using telehealth to reduce transfers and spending reductions of 7.7% to 13.3% per person per quarter in the cost of care for chronically ill Medicare beneficiaries using a health buddy via telehealth. [2] As the cost effectiveness of providing services via telehealth and telemedicine is proven, Medicare, most state Medicaid programs and commercial insurers are increasing coverage as well as reimbursement for telehealth services. State law requirements for providing telehealth and coverage differ greatly. Consequently, physicians and health care providers should be aware of the complexity of providing telehealth and its requirements, but should also incorporate telehealth services into their practices as a new way of providing services and a new line of business. More >
The ACA’s Effect on Nonprofit Hospitals
By considering the promotion of health a charitable endeavor, the IRS has long granted nonprofit hospitals tax-exempt status under 501(c)(3), the charitable organization exemption. To maintain their status, nonprofit hospitals have always been required to meet specific requirements, such as having an independent board of trustees or offering preventive health outreach programs in their communities. More >
An Unlikely Consequence
The Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) took a big leap forward this month with the opening of the federally-facilitated and state-operated Exchanges. Here in Kentucky, 70,467 people reportedly participated in pre-screenings to determine qualifications for subsidies, discounts, or programs like Medicaid on the Health Insurance Exchange’s first enrollment day, October 1, 2013. The ACA is eventually expected to provide health coverage to as many as 30 million additional Americans. So, why are hospitals across the nation slashing jobs? More >
Clarifying the “Two-Midnight Rule” and Part A Payments, cont.
Earlier this week, I discussed CMS’ final rule on the prospective payment for acute care and long-term care hospital inpatient services for fiscal year 2014. The final rule provides guidance to physicians on how to designate a patient as inpatient or outpatient and the impact of the designation on Medicare Part A or Part B coverage. This blog will discuss the two midnight rule. More >
Clarifying the “Two-Midnight Rule” and Part A Payments
In August, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) announced a final rule regarding the prospective payment for acute care and long-term care hospital inpatient services for fiscal year 2014. This rule becomes effective on October 1, 2013. More >
