On Tuesday, July 3, 2013, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced that the mandate requiring certain employers to provide health coverage to their employees or pay fines has been delayed until 2015. The Affordable Care Act (ACA), signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010, mandated various responsibilities of employers.
On April 5, 2013, the IRS issued proposed regulations for compliance with the community health needs assessment (CHNA) requirements under Internal Revenue Code Section 501(r)(3) for hospitals exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3).
The long-term care (LTC) mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market had an outstanding year in 2012, generating 189 deals worth $9.2 billion. The high transaction volume for the year makes 2012 the most active year in LTC M&A since the late 1990s, with approximately 60 percent more transactions than the annual average over the previous four years.
Although the hospital industry has weathered difficult conditions in the past, widespread challenges continue to push change within the sector. Widely reported regulatory changes and the need to obtain operational and financial scale and scope in the health care industry have combined with other auxiliary issues to compound the need for further change within the sector
Although compliance programs for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) are not a new concept, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act , enacted March 23, 2010, requires nursing facilities to have a compliance and ethics program in operation by March 23, 2013, that effectively prevents and detects criminal, civil and administrative violations under the Social Security Act of 1935 and promotes quality of health care.
Regulated transactions with physicians are now common for hospitals. With the significant number of physician practice acquisitions and other affiliations, the number of regulated transactions with physicians has gone up exponentially
As last reported, the long-term care (LTC) merger & acquisition (M&A) market had a record year in 2011 in terms of transaction volume, reporting approximately 74 percent more transactions than the annual average for the previous three years. Although 2011 was a tough year to follow for LTC M&A, the first quarter of 2012 started strong, matching the same period in 2011 with 39 reported transactions.
On Monday, May 21, 2012, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) published a reminder that, effective for services provided on or after July 1, 2012, the statutory moratorium allowing certain pathologists and independent laboratories to bill for the technical component (TC) of pathology services expires. This means the TC for those surgical pathology services provided under arrangement to Medicare hospital patients only will be considered covered and payable by Medicare if billed by the hospital. The hospital will receive additional payment under the Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) for services provided to outpatients, but such services are considered included in the diagnosis-related group reimbursement for inpatients
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) introduced various ways to strengthen primary care by improving care coordination, making it easier for clinicians to work together and helping clinicians spend more time with their patients. One such program is the Comprehensive Primary Care (CPC) initiative.
The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) supports communities, known as Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), with limited access to primary, dental or mental health care by providing financial support for loan repayment and scholarships for professionals working at NHSC-approved sites.