Compliance

From Report on Medicare Compliance - Whidbey Island Public Hospital District in Coupeville, Wash., agreed to pay $858,571 to settle allegations that it violated the civil money penalty law related to Stark and kickbacks, the HHS Office of Inspector General said in late December. That’s a large fine for a single-hospital CMP settlement, although Whidbey is not alone. Read more

From Report on Medicare Compliance - A popular type of joint venture may get a new lease on life in light of a Dec. 23 federal appellate court decision. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has cleared the way for a challenge to the 2008 Stark law regulation that essentially put an end to “under arrangements.” The under arrangements provision was contested by the Council for Urological Interests. The upshot of the… Read more

Compliance Blog

By Nina Youngstrom - February 1, 2012
About five years ago, CMS started down the road toward penalizing hospitals for less-than-optimal patient outcomes with potential DRG cuts for hospital-acquired conditions (HACs). But as CMS implements new quality-related programs, such as value-based purchasing, readmission reductions and HACs for...
By Francie Fernald - January 26, 2012
CMS has released its second FY 2012 issue of the Medicare Quarterly Provider Compliance Newsletter (Vol. 2, Issue 2, January 2012). This issue of the newsletter highlights major findings identified by RACs in audits of inpatient hospitals and DME suppliers. It is a good heads-up for providers on...
By Nina Youngstrom - January 20, 2012
There’s been no shortage of hospital civil monetary penalty (CMP) settlements for alleged Stark and kickback violations, most of them stemming from self-disclosures. The HHS Office of Inspector General rolled out a number of them in late December, and the settlement amounts aren’t small potatoes....