Legal

Legal

CMS vaccine mandate

Court Halts LA Injunction on CMS Vaccine Mandate

Note: The information in this post was accurate as of December 17, 2021. CMS vaccine mandate. The CMS vaccine mandate is back on in 26 states – sort of. On Wednesday, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision partially reversing a nationwide injunction on the rule that required staff of many Medicare- and […]
Published Date: December 17, 2021
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Drug and alcohol use

Employee Drug & Alcohol Use: Justifying Reasonable Suspicion

Statistics show that employee use of drugs and alcohol is on the rise (regardless of your practice size or location). Once identified, the challenge is knowing when the situation justifies taking action and when it doesn’t. It all comes down to reasonable suspicion. Drug and alcohol use. Drug and alcohol use isn’t often as apparent […]
Published Date: December 8, 2021
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self-pay patient

Can You Bill a Self-Pay Patient Less than Medicare?

The Answer: Yes, you can charge your self-pay patients less, as long as you don’t break federal Medicare laws when doing it. Knowing how and when to apply a discount and write-off for a self-pay patient is essential to your practice. It can reduce your risk of violating Medicare and other federal laws – including the […]
Published Date: October 6, 2021
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Doctor patient relationship

When and How to Terminate a Physician-Patient Relationship

Q: We have a challenging patient with a chronic illness that is never satisfied and continues to threaten to sue our practice related to even the simplest mistake. Obviously, this is not a good fit. Can we discharge this patient and terminate our doctor-patient relationship with them? Doctor patient relationship. ~ North Carolina Rheumatology Practice Manager […]
Published Date: October 1, 2021
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physician patient relationship

End Doctor Patient Relationship Carefully to Stop Costly Lawsuit

While dismissing a problematic patient from your practice is never pleasant, things can turn downright litigious if you fail to exercise caution. If you don’t want to get sued, here are several key items you must consider before terminating a physician patient relationship at your practice. Timing is Everything  Although there are several crucial steps […]
Published Date: September 24, 2021
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covid vaccine mandate

Reduce Legal Risk of Requiring COVID Vaccine for Practice Staff

Mandating vaccines for your practice may or may not be your choice, but how you transition to this trend is fraught with risk if not managed correctly. Between federal regulations, state requirements, and union contracts, it’s all too easy to make a mistake that can result in crippling lawsuits and stiff penalties – unless you […]
Published Date: September 16, 2021
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doctor and patient relationship

Avoid Lawsuit for Innocent Patient Relationship Reup Mistake

When your practice has finally made the difficult decision to end the doctor and patient relationship, there are a number of steps you should take to ensure that further contact doesn’t accidentally “unfire” the problem patient. Failing to take precautions could reinstate the doctor and patient relationship, thereby resulting in ethics or even abandonment charges […]
Published Date: September 2, 2021
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Patient Termination Letter

Avoid Costly Lawsuit: Write Compliant Patient Termination Letter

Both you and the patients are free to choose whether you have a relationship or not. In most cases, you are completely within your right to decline to take on a patient if you don’t feel it’s not a good fit. However, if you accept someone as a patient, and later decide that it isn’t […]
Published Date: August 6, 2021
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Patient Abandonment Lawsuit

Stop Costly Reasonable Notice Errors When Ending a Patient Relationship

Reasonable notice is a component of the process to correctly terminate your relationship with a patient.  The goal is to provide your patient with enough time so that they can comfortably find a suitable replacement to take over their medical treatment.  If the patient feels rushed or like you’ve turned your back on them, the […]
Published Date: July 28, 2021
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false claims act whistleblower

Protect Your Practice from False Claims Act Whistleblowers

CMS pays a False Claims Act whistleblower between 15% and 30% of any monies collected on the claims they submit. It’s no wonder that the Justice Department reports that 98% of all healthcare False Claims Act (FCA) cases are whistleblower-initiated. What this means is that every one of your employees is a potential whistleblower. In […]
Published Date: May 7, 2021
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