In February 2024, the Supreme Court of the United States clarified the standard for proving causation under the whistleblower protection provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. This ruling eases the burden of proof that employees must meet to achieve protection under the Act. Previously, employees were required to show that their employer acted against them with “retaliatory intent.” However,…
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A federal judge has denied HCA Healthcare’s motion to dismiss antitrust litigation brought by North Carolina cities and counties related to the for-profit’s 2019 acquisition of Mission Health. The ruling, signed Wednesday, February 21, 2024, relates to consolidated class-action complaints filed in 2022 by the city of Brevard, Buncombe County, the city of Asheville, and…
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Final rule modernizes the health care system and reduces patient and provider burden by streamlining the prior authorization process As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing commitment to increasing health data exchange and strengthening access to care, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized the CMS Interoperability and Prior Authorization Final Rule (CMS-0057-F)…
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When it comes to protecting patient Protected Health Information (PHI), healthcare providers must exercise due diligence, especially when outsourcing certain functions. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requires that all providers, billing companies, and outsourced agencies use the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system or your Medicare Administrative Contractor’s (MAC) eServices tool to verify…
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On January 31, 2024, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) finalized rules for the prescribing of buprenorphine through the use of telehealth (rules first proposed in December 2022). In these final rules, opioid treatment programs (OTPs) will be able to use telehealth to prescribe buprenorphine without an in-person visit. It is important to…
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