Legal

Legal

Attorney General Moody’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit Arrests 19 in Regional Takedown

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody today announced the completion of a statewide Medicaid fraud takedown. The Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit executed 19 arrests for fraudulently billing Medicaid more than a million dollars. The arrests culminated from 14 different cases covering a wide range of charges, including: aggravated identity theft, conspiracy to commit health […]
Published Date: October 22, 2019
Read More
Patient Dismissal Letter

3 Steps for Firing a Patient Without Incurring a Lawsuit

A patient can terminate the physician-patient relationship at any time and is always free to seek another provider. The physician, however, cannot fire a patient, without risking a patient abandonment complaint. When the time comes to terminate the relationship, take these actions to terminate patients in a smooth legally-free manner. Provide a Patient Dismissal Letter […]
Published Date: October 17, 2019
Read More
FLSA Overtime Final Rule

FLSA Overtime Final Rule: 4 Tips to Stay Compliant, Profitable

Effective Jan. 1, 2020, approximately 1.3 million more employees will be eligible for overtime pay. Why? For the first time in 15 years, the U.S. Department of Labor has updated the FLSA — the Fair Labor Standards Act — increasing the salary threshold certain full-time, salaried employees must meet to be considered exempt from overtime […]
Published Date: October 8, 2019
Read More

Credit Card No-Show Policy: Is It the Right Action to Take?

QUESTION: Our practice has a problem with patients no-showing for appointments.  I’ve tried several things, but I haven’t been overly successful in fixing the issue. I’d like to create a credit card no show policy in which we keep a credit card on file and charge patients a fee if they don’t show up. Is […]
Published Date: October 6, 2019
Read More
HIPAA Breach Reporting needed or maybe just a data leak

When Your Data Breach Doesn’t Need HIPAA Breach Reporting

It seems like you hear about HIPAA breach reporting more and more each year. And it’s true. As hackers become more advanced, breaching relatively unprotected healthcare data gets easier and easier. Plus, healthcare data is particularly enticing. Unlike passwords or bank account information, healthcare data — like names, birth dates, and social security numbers — […]
Published Date: September 5, 2019
Read More
responding to subpoena for medical records

Responding to Medical Records Subpoenas: Protect Your Practice

Update Notice: This blog post was reviewed for accuracy by a Healthcare Training Leader expert and was updated on May 26, 2021. This update included adding the following sections to this post, “What if the Subpoena is Inadequate” and “Identifying Request Requirements,” to ensure the information you receive is accurate, up-to-date and complete. responding to subpoena […]
Published Date: August 29, 2019
Read More
OIG Exclusion Database

OIG Exclusion Database

Should a practice check the LEIE database (OIG Exclusions Database) for every vendor in their accounts payable file? I would because you are paying the vendors with funds that come indirectly from the Medicare program. I have done this for a number of entities, and you would be surprised how people end up on the […]
Published Date: February 24, 2017
Read More