On November 29, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued an update to the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), extending the deadline for reporting companies to disclose beneficial ownership information. Once the CTA goes into effect on January 1, 2024, reporting companies created in 2024 will now have 90 days instead
NY Bill to Reduce Temp Agency Staff in Nursing Homes on Governor’s Desk
A law that would incentivize reductions in the use of temporary staffing agencies in nursing homes awaits action by Governor Hochul, who must either sign or veto the law by December 23.
[UPDATE: Gov. Hochul signed this bill into law (S.6897/A.7328) on December 22. The Governor’s press release can be found here.]
The law…
Brooklyn Cardiologist Hit with Fraud Charges
On December 14, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and other agencies announced the indictment of Niranjan Mittal, a Brooklyn cardiologist, on multiple fraud charges. Mittal allegedly fabricated patient records, paid physicians for patient referrals, and billed for medically unnecessary procedures. The U.S. Attorney’s Office also filed a civil fraud…
New HHS Rule for Nursing Home Ownership and Manager Disclosure
A new rule will require nursing homes enrolled in Medicare or Medicaid to make disclosures about certain facility ownership, management and other operational information. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published the rule on November 17, with lawmakers emphasizing that greater transparency in the operation and ownership of nursing homes will improve…
2024 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Extends Telehealth Flexibilities
The 2024 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule final rule, released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) earlier this month, extended certain telehealth-related flexibilities that were implemented during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. CMS issued a Fact Sheet summarizing the telehealth updates, as well as other important Medicare policy changes.
Until 2020…
Important Changes to NY’s Health Care Proxy Law
As of November 2023, having a valid health care proxy became easier for New Yorkers. A health care proxy allows a competent adult to appoint an agent to make health care choices for them if they lose the ability to make those decisions for themselves. Two adults who are not appointed in the document must…
NY Physician, Wife and Staff Admit AKS Violations
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Trenton, NJ announced on November 22 that primary care physician Yitzchok “Barry” Kurtzer of Monsey, NY, and his wife pleaded guilty to soliciting and receiving kickbacks and bribes in exchange for ordering genetic tests. Kurtzer had offices in the Scranton, PA area that his wife helped manage. Two of his…
OCR Releases Resource Documents on Telehealth Risks
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) recently released two resource documents to help healthcare providers explain the privacy and security risks of telehealth to their patients.
The first document, entitled “Educating Patients about Privacy and Security Risks to Protected Health Information when Using Remote Communication Technologies…
The Corporate Transparency Act: Will it Impact You?
The Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) will affect most small, privately held businesses starting January 1, 2024. Does the CTA apply to you?
What is the CTA?
The CTA, a law enacted by Congress, will require certain business entities to disclose beneficial ownership information to the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).
NY and CT Prohibit Geofencing near Health Care Facilities
New York State and Connecticut have recently enacted laws that prohibit “geofencing” near health care facilities. The New York State law took effect on July 2, 2023, and Connecticut’s on October 1, 2023. These geofencing laws, enacted partly in response to the Supreme Court Dobbs decision (to prevent advertisers from targeting people receiving reproductive services)…
