1. HHS’ Inspector General Issues Advisory Opinion on Physician On-Call Coverage — HHS’ OIG issued an advisory opinion on hospital emergency room on-call coverage that determined a flat-fee payment schedule presented a low fraud and abuse risk.
2. FTC Grants 3 Month Delay of Enforcement of “Red Flags Rule” for Identity Theft — The FTC announced that it will delay enforcement of the new “Red Flags Rule” until Aug. 1 in order to give physicians, ASCs and hospitals, as well as other creditors and financial institutions, time to develop and implement written identity theft procedures.
3. 13 California Hospitals Fined for Violations — Thirteen California hospitals were fined for serious violations that lead to patient deaths in some cases.
4. Three Minnesota Hospitals Pay $2.28M to Settle Medicare Fraud Allegations — Three hospitals in the St. Paul, Minn.-based HealthEast Care System agreed to pay $2.28 million to settle allegations that they submitted false claims to Medicare.
5. West Penn Allegheny Sues UPMC and Highmark, Alleges Antitrust Violations — West Penn Allegheny Health System filed suit against its competitor, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and health insurer Highmark, alleging they conspired to drive competitors out of business.
6. Mass Hospital Layoffs Continue but Slow — The number of mass layoffs at U.S. hospitals in the first-quarter of 2009 continues to be high compared to previous years, but appears to have slowed since fourth-quarter 2008.
7. Study Finds Hospitals Spent $30.8B on Preventable Conditions in 2006 — A study by AHRQ’s Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project found that U.S. hospitals spent nearly $30.8 billion, approximately $1 of every $10 of total hospital expenditures, on potentially preventable conditions in 2006.
8. Maryland Commission Approves 1.77% Rate Hike for Hospitals — The Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission approved a 1.77 percent increase on what its 47 state hospitals can charge their patients.
9. Massachusetts Approves New Rules for Reporting Hospital Errors — The Massachusetts Public Health Council voted to approve new rules for implementing more aggressive public reporting of hospital errors.
10. Study Finds Hospitals Fail to Report Physician Discipline — A study by Public Citizen found that hospitals routinely exploit loopholes to avoid reporting physicians who have had their admitting privileges revoked or restricted for more than 30 days, as is required by federal law.
