NEWS AND PUBLICATIONS

The NYS Office of the Medicaid Inspector General ("OMIG") has dramatically increased enforcement activity in connection with Medicaid provider compliance programs: OMIG is notifying providers that their compliance programs are being placed under review. Providers should take immediate action to avoid the prospect of serious sanctions, including but...

Recently, HHS reiterated that severe consequences can be imposed for HIPAA violations, regardless of whether a business is still operational. If HIPAA violations were committed, a business can be charged long after its doors close. Moreover, providers working with associates who shut down operations or went bankrupt are equally liable for HIPAA vio...

CMS has released a list of updated final adverse actions that need to be reported to CMS in a timely fashion. The list includes, but is not limited to, certain convictions, exclusions, and revocations, regardless of whether records are expunged.  Additionally, CMS revoked certain requirements of Medicare enrollment in an effort to reduce provi...

OIG calls for "further scrutiny" of pharmacies and prescribers in connection with compounded drugs billed to Medicare Part D.   Pharmacies must be prepared to aggressively defend against this latest attack on the independent retail pharmacy industry. An explosive new report calls for "further scrutiny" of hundreds of pharmacies and prescr...

Healthcare providers are increasingly feeling the cost of employing excluded individuals.Indeed, over the past year, the number of enforcement actions taken against physician's offices, pharmacies and other entities employing excluded individuals have risen sharply. "Excluded individuals" are parties excluded from Federally-funded healthcare progra...

Q.  When does a purely state criminal law-based matter transform into a federal felony prosecution? A.  When the Federal Travel Act (the "Travel Act") is implicated.Under the Act, a party who travels in interstate commerce or uses the mail or any facility in interstate commerce, with intent to promote or carry on "unlawful activities...

Compounding pharmacies, one of the fastest growing sectors in retail pharmacy, may soon be able to expand the market for their products in exchange for agreeing to be placed directly under federal oversight, according to U.S. Food & Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb. Currently, a sterile compounding pharmacy may&nbs...

Membership programs are a common tool used by retail pharmacies to grow their business. Under this type of program, a pharmacy will give member patients certain benefits, usually taking the form of rebates, discounts, or coupons on in-store items, as a way of developing customer loyalty. As these member patients often fill prescriptions at the same...

In a step viewed optimistically by healthcare businesses, the United States Department of Labor ("DOL") has withdrawn two Obama-era guidance letters used to interpret the overtime wage provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The first guidance letter concerned independent contractors, and set forth the DOL's now-former position that most worker...

Calling the attention of every New York Medicaid provider reimbursing its billing/collection agents on a percentage basis, the New York State Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) has recently sent out recoupment letters demanding repayments of Medicaid funds paid to billing companies under fee-splitting arrangements. Notably, the recoupments actions ...

As providers continue to rely on software vendors to maintain protected health information ("PHI"), a well-drafted business associate agreement ("BAA") becomes increasingly important. The BAA will set forth the obligations between providers and business associates such as software vendors with respect to the PHI. Software vendors will often attempt...

Medical practices, urgent care centers, and other healthcare facilities often employ clinical practitioners, such as physician assistants or nurse practitioners, who frequently work over 40 hours per week.   Whether these employees need to be paid overtime wages is a question our clients frequently ask us in our role as employme...

Effective March 27, 2016, a new law will require New York State prescribers to issue prescriptions electronically directly to a pharmacy, with limited exceptions. The new law requires electronic prescribing for all types of medications (controlled substances and non-controlled substances) and for syringes and other medical devices dispensed at a ph...

The New York State Office of Medicaid Inspector General ("OMIG") has long required Medicaid providers to implement compliance programs as a condition of enrollment with Medicaid. However, now under Federal law, practitioners, regardless of the size of their practice, will have to develop a comprehensive compliance program. Under Section 6401 of the...