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...
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...
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...
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)...
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...
