Legal & Regulatory Issues

Six years ago today, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney signed legislation that required everyone in the state to purchase health insurance.

New Brunswick, N.J.-based Johnson & Johnson has been ordered to pay more than $1.1 billion in fines for misleading physicians and patients about the risks of its antipsychotic drug Risperdal, according to a Bloomberg report.

If Dante Alighieri had written an epic poem describing the recent evolution of American healthcare, it might have much in common with his famous Purgatorio. As the nine U.S. Supreme Court Justices continue deliberation on the fate of the 2010…

The extension of the ICD-10 implementation deadline may not mean much for healthcare providers, according to an ICD 10 Watch editorial.

Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare has agreed to a $42.75 million settlement to resolve allegations that it overbilled Medicare for inpatient rehabilitation admissions.

The Department of Justice's Antitrust Division issued a statement today that paves the way for Pennsylvania's largest health insurer Highmark to affiliate with West Penn Allegheny Health System, the second-largest hospital network in the region.

The California Society of Anesthesiologists is asking the state Supreme Court to review its decision last month that nurse anesthetists do not require physician supervision to administer anesthesia, according to a Legal Newsline report.

UPMC Hamot in Erie, Pa., and five affiliated cardiologists want a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit alleging the providers performed unnecessary heart procedures and overbilled Medicare, according to an Erie Times-News report.

Today, HHS announced a proposed rule (pdf) that would establish a unique health plan identifier under the HIPAA standards for electronic healthcare transactions.

Because the IRS is charged with administering critical parts of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the tax agency has been receiving hundreds of millions of dollars to put the law into action, according to The Hill.