Human Trafficking: Hidden Problem, Hidden Costs
New ICD-10 codes allow for clinicians to document treatment of human trafficking victims, but legal considerations should be taken before doing so.
Health System-Owned Physician Practices: Are Any Losses Acceptable?
Health systems that own physician practices should fully address losses those practices incur and take steps to remediate the issues underlying those losses.
Ask the Experts: Reporting Fraud
What types of systems are most hospitals using to allow employees to report fraud?
HIPAA Compliance Needs Improvement
While technology changes over the past 22 years have allowed increasingly skillful data breaches, we can expect even more dramatic developments in the next five years. Attention to potential breaches now—in all their various forms—will be essential to managing unforeseen future threats.
OCR Offers Guidance on Sharing Patient Behavioral Health
OCR has proposed deregulatory rulemaking to clarify when hospitals may share certain patient behavioral health information.
Yet One More Legal Attack by Republicans on the ACA
Arguing that the removal of the insurance mandate means Affordable Care Act is no longer a tax, the DOJ has now challenged its constitutionality in court. The author also discusses some of the likely outcomes, depending on the court’s decision.
Making Decisions About Monetizing Social Media Data
Healthcare leaders confronted with the decision to monetize sharing of social media data should consider the impact on all stakeholders, the oath to “first do no harm,” and how technology is used and designed.
Supreme Court Narrows Whistleblower Law
A Supreme Court decision affects whistleblowers in for-profit companies; those working for not-for-profits are protected by other statutes.
BCBS Case is a Lesson on Antitrust
A U.S. district court judge recently questioned the reasonableness of the claims against BCBS that accuse the health plan of increasing coverage opportunities by eliminating competition.
Healthcare Sector Awaits Regulatory Reform
Two actions that minimize the impact of federal agency guidance documents concern some healthcare experts. Although these changes do not apply directly to healthcare regulatory agencies, government litigators could use them to determine the relevance of HHS or CMS guidance.