By Lynne Curry bio The first time you saw "Bill" appear to nod off during a staff meeting, you pulled him aside after the meeting. When you asked if he was okay, he said he was. You gave him the benefit of the doubt because he'd worked for you for three years and been a good employee. You knew he'd recently gone through a divorce and thought maybe he'd had a hard … [Read more...] about When an opioid crisis hits your medical practice
Compliance
Avoid these tricky ADA pitfalls when hiring staff
Every manager is aware of the wider doorways and lever handles and curb cuts and so on required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). And every manager is aware of providing accommodations for employees. But not every manager is aware of the less obvious ADA requirements that apply to electronic job applications, says Beth Loy, PhD, principal consultant with the Job … [Read more...] about Avoid these tricky ADA pitfalls when hiring staff
Employment Law Update for HR Managers
By Mike O'Brien bio Here is my periodic update prepared for interested HR professionals trying to deal with the complex American employment laws. In this update: REPEAL? REPAIR? REPLACE? NOT FOR NOW. EEOC/DOJ TAKE OPPOSITE VIEWS IN SEXUAL ORIENTATION DISPUTE DOL SURVEY ON OVERTIME RULES ASKS SOME INTERESTING QUESTIONS TO FIRE OR NOT TO FIRE? EMPLOYERS SHOULD READ … [Read more...] about Employment Law Update for HR Managers
OIG Report: CMS dished out $729.4 million in wrongful EHR incentive payments & we’re going to get that money back
Wrongful payments of Electronic Health Records (EHR) incentives are at the focus of two of the month's biggest stories in health care compliance. The first came down on May 31 when the Justice Department announced that one of the biggest EHR software vendors in the country, eClinicalWorks, had settled false claims charges stemming from allegedly overstating the capabilities of … [Read more...] about OIG Report: CMS dished out $729.4 million in wrongful EHR incentive payments & we’re going to get that money back
Are you sure you don’t have to pay staff overtime?
By Nick Hernandez bio It is a recurrent challenge for human resource professionals: Determining whether an employee is exempt from the overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The FLSA is the federal law that governs minimum wage, overtime pay and working hours. Consequently, the classification criteria for exempt and nonexempt workers are part … [Read more...] about Are you sure you don’t have to pay staff overtime?
Here’s my latest Employment Law update prepared for many HR professionals
By Mike O'Brien bio Lots of ADA Facility Lawsuits in Utah: Here is an interesting legal news update from my partner Mike Judd: Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires places of "public accommodation" to remove all architectural and structural "barriers to access." Under the ADA, "public accommodations" include hotels, restaurants, theaters, … [Read more...] about Here’s my latest Employment Law update prepared for many HR professionals
5 ways for healthcare providers to get ready for new Medicare cards
By Dr. Richard E. Wild, M.D., FACEP Chief Medical Officer Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Region IV (AL, Fl, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN) Medicare is taking steps to remove Social Security numbers from Medicare cards. Through this initiative the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will prevent fraud, fight identity theft, and protect essential program funding and … [Read more...] about 5 ways for healthcare providers to get ready for new Medicare cards
Pain clinic agrees to pay $1.78 million to settle whistleblower lawsuit
Ross Feller Casey, LLP, recently announced that the Atlantic Spine & Joint Institute and its owners, Robert C. McGrath, Sr., D.O., and Robert C. McGrath, Jr., have agreed to pay $1.78 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit alleging they billed Medicare for procedures that were not medically necessary or were not actually performed. The father and son also pleaded guilty … [Read more...] about Pain clinic agrees to pay $1.78 million to settle whistleblower lawsuit
Six HIPAA violations you may be missing
Is your practice HIPAA compliant? Are you sure? Most health-care providers take very seriously this federal mandate to protect patient privacy—at least in theory. In practice, however, lots of things get missed. "When HIPAA was new and everyone was going to lectures and conferences and getting training, everyone was on top of it," says Erika Adler, an attorney specializing in … [Read more...] about Six HIPAA violations you may be missing
Legal education program for health care professionals now online
With health care laws and regulations changing at a near-constant pace, industry professionals need knowledge of the law when facing issues relating to public health, patient care, privacy, data protection, and more. This might help: Emory University School of Law is now making its Juris Master degree for non-lawyers available in an online format designed specifically for … [Read more...] about Legal education program for health care professionals now online