McGuireWoods and McGladrey 8th Annual Healthcare & Life Sciences Private Equity & Finance Conference

Posted by Jason Greis on January 9, 2011 under Events | Be the First to Comment

Wednesday, February 23, 2011
10 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Palmer House Hilton Hotel
17 East Monroe Street
Chicago, Illinois
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GAO Report Highlights Differences in LTACH Oversight Standards in Response to Senate Finance Committee Investigation

Posted by Jason Greis on January 8, 2011 under Articles, Industry News | Be the First to Comment

On December 22, 2010, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report (Report) highlighting key differences in Federal oversight standards among long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs) and certain other classes of hospitals and skilled nursing facilities.  The Report was prepared in response to the Senate Finance Committee’s initiation of a formal investigation in March 2010 after a February 10, 2010 New York Times article described patient deaths and allegations of substandard patient care at one of the nation’s largest LTACH providers. Read More...

NCQA Releases Draft Criteria for Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs)

Posted by Jason Greis on November 9, 2010 under Articles | Be the First to Comment

 The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), a private, not-for-profit organization that accredits and certifies health plans and other healthcare related organizations published on Oct. 19, 2010, its 2011 Draft Accountable Care Organizations Criteria. The draft criteria describe the standards NCQA believes ACOs should meet in order to ensure that an ACO has the infrastructure necessary to function as an accountable entity and achieve improvements in quality and reductions in costs. The draft criteria were developed with the guidance of a multistakeholder Accountable Care Organization Task Force assembled by NCQA. Read More...

CMS Issues Stark Act Voluntary Self-Referral Disclosure Protocol – 9 Key Concepts

Posted by Jason Greis on October 17, 2010 under Articles | Be the First to Comment

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) requires the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), with the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of HHS, to establish a protocol for healthcare providers and suppliers to disclose actual or potential violations of Section 1877 of the Social Security Act (Stark Act). Under the Stark Act, healthcare providers and suppliers may not refer patients to any entity for certain services if the physician has a financial relationship with that entity, unless an exception for such referral applies. Read More...

Health Reform: Is the Hospital Industry Misapplying Congressional Intent?

Posted by Jason Greis on October 13, 2010 under Articles | Be the First to Comment

Thunder rolled down from Capitol Hill last week when Sen. Charles Grassley (R–Iowa) claimed that certain hospital systems and associations were misapplying the intent of Section 501(r)(5)(B) that prohibits the use of gross charges under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. In their comments to the IRS regarding implementing regulations, the American Hospital Association (AHA) urged the IRS to apply a “gross charges” basis to charge those who do not qualify for financial assistance, and to use it as a starting place for calculating assistance to those who do. Read More...

ACOs and the Shared Savings Program – Part II: Unanswered Questions

Posted by Jason Greis on October 12, 2010 under Articles | Comments are off for this article

In addition to the numerous misconceptions about Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) and the Shared Savings Program, there are a number of unknowns regarding implementation, including permitted legal structures, payment amounts, and performance measurement. This article identifies and discusses some of the more significant unanswered questions about ACOs and the Shared Savings Program.  Read More...