June 1, 2017 Legislation

Healthcare

Physicians

Healthcare

Medicare has said that about 800,000 physicians will be exempt from the new MIPS rules.  This leaves just over 400,000 that must participate.  The exemptions are for those who do not see the threshold amount of Medicare patients or who have qualified for alternative payment model track where more risk is taken.

The administration has given small business an opt-out of dealing with healthcare.gov.  The can go directly to an insurance agent or broken.  The program on line has never been successful.

Nevada has joined eight other states in outlawing psychotherapists form attempting to talk children from being gay.  

Texas has a new law expanding the mediation of surprise medical bills.

California is considering a bill that would ban pharmaceutical companies from providing any remuneration to any physician in the state.  Many physicians in the state are now on the speaking payroll of the companies, especially those in academia.  Should be interesting.        Top

Physicians

Missouri has passed a law allowing those physicians who are legal US residents who graduated from medical school within the last three years and passed the first two rounds of medical licensing exams within the last two year to become "assistant physicians" in underserved areas of the state.  They state passed this originally in 2014 but it has taken three years to get it in motion.  

Texas is about to enact a law that would gut the hospital rule requiring board certification to be a member of the staff.  The bill would bar hospitals and health plans from differentiating between those who have been recertified and those who have not.  The bill would also not allow the Texas Board of Medicine to require re-certification.  Both houses have passed the bill.  

The California Board of Nursing has dropped its massive audit of the state nurses regarding their credentials.  They found they could not keep up with the workload the audit created.

The California Medical Board as asked a court to enjoin neurosurgeon James Kohut from practicing medicine until the board can act.  Kohut is currently in county jail after being accused of molesting several children.  He has lost his hospital staff privileges but still has access to medicine.  He has an suspended Alabama medical license.  That was suspended following his arrest.         Top

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DISCLAIMER: Although this article is updated periodically, it reflects the author's point of view at the time of publication. Nothing in this article constitutes legal advice. Readers should consult with their own legal counsel before acting on any of the information presented.