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Blog posts by christopher

Discouraging Information Blocking: Government Issues Proposed Rule

He’s coming right at you. A 295-pound defensive end who is attempting to bull rush you on the inside gap; and all that stands between him and your franchise quarterback is you. Blocking is one of the essentials of American football. It’s considered a major asset for those who can execute it well. But blocking, […]

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2024 Final Rule: 340B Drug Resolution

In light of the Supreme Court’s decision in American Hospital Association v. Becerra [142 S. Ct. 1896 (2022)] and the district court’s remand to the responsible federal agency, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule outlining the remedy for the invalidated OPPS 340B-acquired drug payment policy for calendar years 2018-2022. […]

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2024 OPPS Final Rule: Quality Programs

Sometimes we buy on time. That may call for making a few installment payments. Our reporting on the highlights of the 2024 Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) final rule seems to be working out in similar fashion, i.e., in installments. In this third installment on Medicare’s final rule for the outpatient hospital setting, our focus […]

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2024 OPPS Final Rule: Additional Details

In a follow-up to our previous alert, we would like to provide our readers with additional takeaways from the 2024 Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) final rule, that was published earlier this month by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Based on a fact sheet provided by CMS that summarizes the key provisions […]

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2024 OPPS Final Rule: What Hospitals Need to Know

It’s that time of year again. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has been busy, putting out several new rules in just the last few days, including the 2024 Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) final rule. In addition to the voluminous OPPS rule, CMS also published a fact sheet that summarizes the major […]

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Mum’s the Word: Are Hospitals Underreporting Problematic Providers?

It wasn’t an out-and-out lie, really. You just failed to mention a few details; that’s all! This may be representative of the internal dialog taking place within the heads of more than a few hospital managers these days as they attempt to rationalize a reporting “oversight” on their part. On the one hand, hospitals are […]

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Suits and Settlements: The Latest Legal Actions Against Hospitals

It’s true: we live in a litigious society. That’s not necessarily an indictment against those who initiate a legal action. It may be that they feel forced into taking such extreme measures because of the inappropriate and detrimental behavior of others. Regardless of which party is at fault, one thing remains certain: the lawyers are […]

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Let’s Make a Deal: Kaiser Permanente and Unions Reach Accord

As we reported last week, health system giant Kaiser Permanente (KP) was faced with more than a few unhappy campers over the last month. A coalition of unions organized a three-day work stoppage in several states designed to signal employee dissatisfaction with wages, benefits and working conditions at various KP facilities. The multi-state joint demonstration […]

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Strike One: Hospitals Must Keep Their Eye on the Ball

We’ve seen this before, but not to this scale. A hospital in New York sees a couple hundred of its nurses go on strike. A similar work stoppage occurs in a Michigan facility; and another healthcare-related walkout is reported down in Texas. These 2023 job actions are seen by many as nothing more than random, […]

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