On November 18, 2011, CMS released a new change to the Conditions of Participation (CoP) and Interpretative Guidelines under Transmittal 72. This transmittal required further clarification following the initial requirement that all rehabilitation and respiratory providers writing...
In October, CMS started dinging hospitals for what it considers excessive readmission rates. Some top-ranked hospitals, such as Massachusetts General Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, and North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y., will have to...
For many physicians, their first experience with the state medical board is filling out paperwork, popping it in the mail, and waiting patiently for their licenses to be delivered in return. If a physician has a second experience with the medical board, it is usually for a...
According to the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB), disciplinary actions against physicians have risen 6.8% nationwide. The number of prejudicial actions (including license suspensions, revocations, and probations) rose 4.1%, from 4,798 in 2010 to 4,996 in 2011, while...
Like it or not, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is here to stay. In June, The United States Supreme Court upheld the law after state attorney generals and the National Federation of Independent Business questioned its constitutionality. In a nutshell, the court stated that...
As part of President Obama's executive order "Improving Regulations and Regulatory Review," which aims to reduce unnecessarily burdensome rules, CMS has granted hospitals and medical staffs greater flexibility in several key areas. The updated Conditions of Participation (CoP)...