AHLA Health Lawyers Weekly (04 Aug 2006)

With the permission of the AHLA, here's the TOC for last week's HLW [members only] (which came in while I was on vacation); this week's TOC should be available tomorrow.

• Top Stories
• CMS Issues Final IPPS Rule That Phases-In Move To Cost-Based System
  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued August 1 the
  much-anticipated inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) final rule for
  fiscal year (FY) 2007 that seeks to improve the accuracy of hospital payments by moving from a charge to cost-based system and by accounting more fully for patient severity.
• CMS, OIG Release Final Health IT Rules
  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) released final rules August 1 to speed the adoption of electronic prescribing and electronic health records.
• Articles & Analyses
• OIG Publishes Report Of Claims Billed By Independent Diagnostic Testing
  Facilities
  By Marla P. Spindel, Powers, Pyles, Sutter & Verville, P.C.
• 2005-2006 Long Term Care Year In Review
  Compiled by Health Lawyers' Long
  Term Care Practice Group
• 2005-2006 Medical Staff, Credentialing, and Peer Review Year In
  Review
  Compiled by Health Lawyers' Medical Staff, Credentialing, and Peer
  Review Practice Group
• Current Topics
• Corporate Governance
  
  • GAO Releases Survey Results Of Nonprofit
    Hospitals' Executive Compensation Practices
• ERISA
• Eleventh Circuit Upholds Dismissal Of State Law Claims Against Insurer Of ERISA-Governed Health Plan That Failed To Disclose Lapsed Plan
• Food and Drug Law
• FDA Announces Plans For OTC Marketing Of Plan B
• Enzi, Kennedy Introduce Drug Safety Bill
• Fraud and Abuse
• First Circuit Vacates Three-Month Prison Sentence For Executive Convicted Of Conspiring To Defraud Medicare Of Over $5 Million
• Update
• Health Information Technology
• DHHS Recognizes CCHIT Criteria For EHRs, Releases Certification Guidance Document
• Hospitals and Health Systems
• Grassley, Baucus Question Whether CMS' Specialty Hospital Study Is Flawed
• HSC Study Discusses Implications Of Growth In ASCs And Rising Specialty-Service Competition
• Managed Care
• Florida Appeals Court Overturns Dismissal Of Hospital's Action Seeking Reimbursement For Emergency Services Rendered To HMO Subscriber
• Medical Records
• California Appeals Court Finds Health Plan May Disclose To Its Attorney Medical Records Of Potential Malpractice Complainants
• Medicare
• GAO Sees Promise In CMS' New Cost-Based Approach Under IPPS
• CMS Announces First Contract For Payment Of Medicare Part A And B Claims
• Grassley, Baucus Introduce Bill To Improve Accuracy Of Medicare Payments To Hospitals
• OIG Finds Medicare Part B Drug Costs Would Have Been Cut By $16 Million Had CMS Applied Authorized Price Adjustment
• CMS Issues Final Rule Updating Payment Rates For IRFs In FY 2007
• CMS Issues Final Rule On Accreditation Of DME Suppliers
• CBO Researcher Says Medicare Spending Per Beneficiary Has Slowed In Recent Years
• OIG Releases Reports On Medicare Beneficiary Access To Home Health Agencies And Skilled Nursing Facilities
• Report Says Medicare Beneficiaries With HIV/AIDS Face High Out-Of-Pocket Costs Under Part D
• News in Brief
• JCAHO Will Test Measures For Inpatient Psychiatric Services
• NCQA Adds Two New Standards To Its 2007 Accreditation Standards For Managed Care Plans
• Physicians
• New York Court Finds Physician Not Required To Exhaust Administrative Remedies To Sue For Contract Breach
• Quality of Care
• Report Makes Recommendations For Improvement Of Current Flawed Healthcare System