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)...
The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently conducted a study to examine the effect federal fraud and abuse laws have on hospitals' ability to implement financial incentive programs for physicians. Its findings, although not shocking, are notable: The...
In mid-May, CMS released a final rule containing many changes to its hospital Conditions of Participation (CoP). There has been some confusion over the change allowing one governing body for a multihospital system. Some hospitals have mistakenly interpreted this to mean...
It is important that medical staff leaders, MSPs, and all other hospital staff that carry out credentialing, peer review, and medical staff leadership functions have a clear understanding of the basics of civil litigation that affect such important processes. Unless you're a Law...
Reporting a physician to the NPDB is not to be taken lightly, and hospitals must understand when it is appropriate to do so. In some cases, a hospital can mar a physician's career by reporting him or her for a non-reportable event, such as failing to meet the requirements for ...