Perspectives on Health Care

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced a policy allowing acute care and critical access hospitals to settle inpatient-status claims currently on appeal in exchange for a partial payment equal to 68 percent of the claims’ net allowable amount.

On September 30, 2014, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit unanimously held that the first-in-the-nation Safe Drug Disposal Ordinance passed by Alameda County, California is constitutional.

Congress created the Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) program to help the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) identify improper payments made to providers by Medicare and Medicaid.

Last month, a federal district court in Georgia ordered Columbus Regional Healthcare System to turn over communications protected by the attorney-client privilege in a decision that could have a chilling effect on requests for legal advice, if misunderstood.

Washington, DC

On July 11, 2014, amendments designed to reform Medicare regulations that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has identified as “unnecessary, obsolete, or excessively burdensome on health care providers and suppliers” became effective.

Legal 500 US has rated 40 Arent Fox LLP attorneys as national leaders in their field.

Chambers USA recognized 31 Arent Fox LLP attorneys as leaders in their field.

On May 21, 2014, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General released a Supplement Specialty Advisory Bulletin entitled to supplement its Special Advisory Bulletin on Patient Assistance Programs for Medicare Part D Enrollees (2005 SAB) (70 Fed. Reg. 70623).

In a decision that may well dramatically change the landscape of medical staff peer review, the Court unanimously held that if a physician claims an adverse peer review action was taken in retaliation against him or her for reporting quality of care issues.

Arent Fox LLP is proud to announce the election of 11 new partners and two new counsel.

Partner Tom Jeffry was quoted in Bloomberg BNA’s Health Law Reporter article on a recent Federal Trial Court decision to enjoin United Healthcare from removing certain physicians from its Medicare Advantage (MA) network.

Linda Baumann, leader of the Washington, DC Health Care practice, was widely quoted by Bloomberg BNA’s Health Law Reporter.