The proposed 2022 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule released on July 13 by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) includes a new category of CPT codes for “remote therapeutic monitoring” (RTM). The new codes are in addition to the set of codes introduced in 2019 for remote physiological monitoring, usually called remote patient monitoring
OIG: Hospitals Need to Improve Oversight of Cybersecurity for Networked Medical Devices
On June 23, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) posted on its website an Issue Brief entitled “Medicare Lacks Consistent Oversight of Cybersecurity for Networked Medical Devices in Hospitals.” According to the OIG, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should amend interpretative guidelines or other nonbinding guidelines, or
OCR’s HIPAA Right of Access Initiative Continues
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has pursued its HIPAA Right of Access Initiative since 2019. OCR’s 19th settlement under the initiative, with The Diabetes, Endocrinology & Lipidology Center, Inc. (DELC), curiously resulted in only a $5,000 fine. The West Virginia provider treats patients who have endocrine disorders.
EHR Company in $3.8M Kickback Settlement
The U.S. Department of Justice recently announced that CareCloud Health, a Florida-based developer of electronic health records software, agreed to pay $3.8 million to resolve a whistleblower’s allegations that it paid illegal kickbacks to generate sales of its products. CareCloud’s marketing referral program called the “Champions Program” allegedly violated the federal Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) and
HIPAA Right of Access Initiative Marches On
For those providers who somehow missed or ignored the first 15 settlements in the series, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) recently announced that Sharp HealthCare, doing business as Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Centers, agreed to pay a $70,000 fine for failing to provide a patient with timely access
Flo Health Settles with FTC Over Privacy Violations
Flo Health, Inc., which markets a menstrual and ovulation tracking app, recently entered into a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to dispose of charges that Flo improperly shared consumer data with third parties, including Facebook and Google. The disclosure of the data, which included pregnancy status and sexual history of more than 100
EHR Vendor to Pay $18.25 Million to Resolve Kickback Allegations
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on January 28 that athenahealth Inc., a Massachusetts-based electronic health records (EHR) technology vendor, has agreed to pay $18.25 million to resolve allegations that it paid illegal kickbacks to generate sales of its EHR product, athenaClinicals. The settlement is the government’s latest reminder that marketing initiatives that are
Yet Another HIPAA Right of Access Settlement
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced the 14th settlement in its ongoing HIPAA Right of Access Initiative. Banner Health, a Phoenix-based health system that operates 30 hospitals and many other healthcare facilities, agreed to pay $200,000 for failing to provide patients with timely access to their medical