Legal & Regulatory Issues

CMS has announced plans to create computer matching agreements with the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to access information needed to determine insurance coverage eligibility for the new health insurance exchanges.

New Jersey's Department of Human Services improperly claimed Medicaid reimbursement for Medicare premiums for 957 beneficiaries, overbilling the federal government $524,000, according to HHS' Office of the Inspector General.

A prescription drug rewards program offered at CVS pharmacies requires patients to sign away rights protected under HIPAA, according to a Los Angeles Times report.

State University of New York Downstate has been ordered to partially restore services at Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn, according to a report on NY1.

The University of Toledo (Ohio) Medical Center is facing a lawsuit from a former nurse who was fired following the accidental disposal of a kidney intended for transplant, according to a Toledo Blade report.

HHS and health insurance marketplace navigators — trained professionals who will help consumers learn about and apply for coverage — will protect privacy and prevent fraud when the new exchanges open for business, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told USA TODAY.

Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., has agreed to pay a settlement of $2.9 million to be released from False Claims Act allegations over the use of cancer research grant funds, according to a Lexology report.

Nashville (Tenn.) General Hospital at Meharry is facing a lawsuit over allegedly failing to compensate employees for working through breaks and after shifts ended, according to a report in The Tennessean.

Progress West HealthCare Center in O'Fallon, Mo., part of St. Louis-based BJC HealthCare, announced it has changed its name to Progress West Hospital.

HHS has announced $67 million in grants awarded to 105 state and federal insurance marketplace navigator organizations.