On Friday, April 17, President Barack Obama signed into law the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, repealing the "sustainable growth rate" formula or "SGR" which was set by Congress in 1997 to control Medicare spending by limiting annual increases...
PLDO Law Blog
Firm News
Revocation of Home Health Agency’s Medicare Enrollment and Billing Privileges Upheld
The revocation of a home health agency's (HHA) Medicare enrollment and billing privileges was recently upheld by an Administrative Law Judge in the Civil Remedies Division of the Health & Human Services Departmental Appeals Board (ALJ). The ALJ determined that the...
Health Care Providers Cannot Sue States Over Low Medicaid Reimbursement Rates
On Tuesday, March 31, 2015, in a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court of the United States ("SCOTUS") ruled in the case Armstrong v. Exceptional Child Center, Inc., that health care providers cannot sue a state to challenge low Medicaid reimbursement rates. Initially,...
Technology in Health Care Grows in Popularity
The shift in the health care industry toward greater efficiency and a higher level of quality of care is resulting in technological innovation. The popularity of the practice of medicine via mobile and wireless devices is on the rise and telemedicine is leading the...
Medical Second Opinions In The Digital Age: When A Tumor Isn’t A Tumor
Cybersecurity researchers have recently created a computer virus that was able to trick three radiologists into thinking their patients had cancer. The researchers were also able to fool automated screening systems by altering images and scans to place fake “tumors”...
DOL Issues New Opinion on Expanding Benefits Under The Family Medical Leave Act
With the latest pronouncement by the Department of Labor (“DOL”) regarding the Family Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”), employers are wise to review and revise leave policies to ensure that they do not run afoul of the agency’s most recent interpretation of the law. On...
A Primer on “Piercing The Corporate Veil” Decisions
The phrase, “piercing the corporate veil,” relates to a circumstance in which a claimant is attempting to hold individuals (shareholders or members) liable for the debts and/or obligations of the entity. This issue is also confronted in a parent-subsidiary structure...
Business Succession Planning – What You Need to Know to Succeed
Business succession planning should be part of the overall business development strategy of any enterprise. Leaving it until it is too late may have negative consequences to the future of the business. Important considerations and options for successfully transferring...
RI Supreme Court Clarifies Insurers’ Obligations in Auto Accident Claims
In a recent Rhode Island Supreme Court decision, the Court clarified the duty owed, or better yet not owed, by an insurer to third party claimants in auto accident matters. In Summit Insurance Company v. Eric Stricklett et al., No. 2017-185-A (R.I. 2019), a minor was...
