September 15, 2012 Legislation
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Parkland Hospital in Texas has been threatened with it's accreditation in the past by CMS. Now it received a $1 million fine by the Texas Department of State. This settles all the compliance issues prior to May 31, 2012. The problem is that the hospital is a public hospital and so will pay the state with state and county funds.
The California legislature has passed a bill and sent to Governor Moonbeam that determines how much one may bill for an out of network patient seen in an ED. SB 359 would affect hospitals with over 50% ED utilization rates of out of network patients. The billing may be for 60% of the hospital's in network payments but can not be more than 150% of Medicare.
No one has ever said politicians of either party are intelligent. This is proved again in the People's Republic of Massachusetts. The latest cost containment law in the Republic will lead to a downgrade of provider (hospital) credit ratings. This means it will cost more to borrow money and this will mean the hospitals will have to raise rates. Seems like a potential vicious circle. Top
The feds have finally 11 years later to cover most cancers that developed in the first responders to the 9/11 attack. The new list is now up to 50 different cancers based on information derived from the studies on the dust from the World Trade Center collapses. The problem is that the Act that allows the coverage does not allow any more money to be allotted than the $2.77 Billion already allotted. Therefore more will be covered but will receive less money as the pie will not expand.
The US Office of Special Counsel has filed a charge that Sebilius had violated the Hatch Act which forbid political statements by appointees in their official status. After she was informed of her illegal activity she had the speech changed to a non political one and had the Democratic National Committee pay the transportation costs to the speech. The violation was officially reported to President Obama and will die there or not responded to until after the election.
Speaking of Sebelius, the Inspector General has faulted CMS for its lack of reporting on fraud violations to a data bank.
Those that love Obamacare and the proposed board that will decrease costs will love to hear that the NIH does not pay for the most requested cancer drugs in the UK. This should spread across the pond soon.
The group that has never found a preventative measure that it liked and approved of is at it again. The Preventative Services Task Force is now against any screening for ovarian cancer, the most deadly of all gynecology cancers. They do not recommend the blood test CA-125 nor transvaginal ultrasound as screening measures.
The New York City Board of Health has put in a rule that Jews that have ritual circumcision in the strictly Orthodox manner have signed consent forms. The reason is this particular ritual requires the Mohelim to suck any blood away from the incision. This sounds very unsterile but there have been no studies to suggest any harm. Top
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.