Legal & Regulatory Issues

Despite the delay of at least a year, 73 percent of respondents to a Decision Health survey reported their ICD-10 plans will either continue as planned or they will use the same preparations on an adjusted timeline.

Oregon is considering scrapping its glitch-ridden state-run health insurance exchange and relying on HealthCare.gov instead, according to a USA Today report.

Baton Rouge, La.-based Amedisys, one of the country's largest providers of home health services, and its affiliates have agreed to pay the government $150 million to resolve allegations brought under the False Claims Act, according to the Department of Justice.

CMS is developing plans for dealing with the ICD-10 delay, and HHS will make an announcement regarding the plan soon, a CMS official told attendees at the American Health Information Management Association ICD-10 Summit yesterday, according to an ICD-10 Monitor…

A jury in Marion County, Ind. awarded a plaintiff $1.4 million in damages based on Walgreens' negligence in failing to properly train its pharmacists regarding protected health information and HIPAA compliance, according to a National Law Review report.

HHS has announced Springfield, Mo.-based Concentra Health Services and QCA Health Plan, an insurer, will pay a combined $2 million to resolve HIPAA violation investigations that stem from the theft of unencrypted laptops containing patient information.

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of the Federal Trade Commission and ordered Toledo, Ohio-based ProMedica to divest Maumee, Ohio-based St. Luke's Hospital on the basis of competition violations.

CMS Principal Deputy Administrator Jonathan Blum will step down next month, according to a Reuters report.

Four new Michigan laws prevent the Michigan Board of Medicine and 26 other health-licensing boards within the state from unilaterally ending disciplinary investigations into healthcare professionals, according to a Crain's Detroit Business report.

Earlier this month, President Barack Obama signed legislation that delays the transition to ICD-10 coding by at least one year.