September 15, 2014 Legislation
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The administration has delayed some of the meaningful use requirements. They can continue to use 2011 EHR technology instead of 2014 until 2015 without penalty. Stage 3 has been delayed another year until January 2017. CMS had to do this because in May, 2014 only 4 hospitals had certified for stage 2. Nobody was happy with the reported change.
The House will vote on a bill that would let insurers offer employer based plans that are not Obamacare compliant for several more years. Currently Obama unilaterally said the plans could be sold through 2016. This would keep it going through 2018. The Democrats on the committee voted against it. The Obama administration issued a veto threat against their own law.
The House passed on a voice vote a bill that would forbid CMS from requiring rural and critical access hospitals from needing a physician to supervise therapeutic tasks such as drawing blood. CMS had started to enforce the rule in January. Top
California has fined Safeguard Health $100,000 for lying in their reports on promptness of payments. The insurer did almost nothing right in the payment of claims promptly and accurately.
California also fined United Dental Care $25,000 for its third denial of paying on time and accurately. The insurer also did not have enough D&O insurance. Top
California fined Kaiser $4 million for not following the state's mental health laws. This was in 2013 and Kaiser appealed the fine. Kaiser has now done a turn around and since they are flush with money and they lost their request to keep some information private they have dropped their appeal. 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.