In a Jan. 20 letter to CMS, 10 national healthcare organizations asked the federal agency to issue clear guidance on emergency department signage that discourages violence against healthcare workers. Hospital surveyors have questioned and cited workplace violence signs as potential…
Legal & Regulatory Issues
President Donald Trump released a sparsely detailed healthcare policy framework Jan. 15 that calls on Congress to codify voluntary drug pricing agreements with major pharmaceutical companies, direct payments to Americans over extending enhanced ACA subsidies, and expand price transparency requirements…
The Department of Homeland Security has issued a subpoena to Minneapolis-based Hennepin Healthcare for employee I-9 forms, the health system confirmed to Becker’s. The subpoena, issued Jan. 8, authorizes federal officials to inspect I-9 forms, which are documents used to…
Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente has agreed to pay $556 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by submitting invalid diagnosis codes for Medicare Advantage enrollees to obtain higher payments from the federal government. According to the…
After federal judges blocked HHS’ 340B rebate pilot program from taking effect Jan. 1, HHS is discussing whether to reconsider the drug manufacturers’ plans, according to court documents. On Jan. 7, an appeals court upheld a lower court decision to…
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A federal judge has ordered HHS to restore nearly $12 million in grant funding to the American Academy of Pediatrics, finding the agency’s decision to abruptly terminate the awards in December was likely retaliatory. On Jan. 11, U.S. District Judge…
A Florida insurance brokerage executive was sentenced to prison for his role in a $133 million scheme and a healthcare software company CEO was sentenced to prison for his role in a $1 billion scheme. Here are 10 healthcare billing…
Massachusetts lawmakers have shared plans to file emergency legislation authorizing the state to seize the closed Norwood (Mass.) Hospital property through eminent domain, should negotiations to reopen it prove unsuccessful. Norwood Hospital has been closed since June 2020 when it…
House Republicans have asked the leaders of some of the nation’s largest health insurers to testify before Congress at the end of January as scrutiny intensifies over rising healthcare costs and industry profits. On Jan. 22, the CEOs of UnitedHealth…
Anthem Blue Cross is suing 11 Prime Healthcare hospitals in California, accusing them of defrauding the insurer by “knowingly flooding” the No Surprises Act’s independent dispute resolution process with thousands of claims they knew were ineligible for arbitration. The complaint,…