When your resident first expresses a desire to leave against medical advice (“AMA”), take it seriously. Step 1: Verbal Prevention Your first line of defense to ensure your resident’s wellbeing (and consequently, to reduce your risk of liability) is prevention – attempt to understand, to the extent possible, the reason for the resident’s desire or …
Want to Challenge a Government Agency Decision? Three Key Takeaways to Consider
Healthcare providers balance their time and resources between providing the best possible care to patients and keeping up with their ever-changing regulatory landscape. Providers are often at the mercy of the federal and state agencies that administer healthcare programs, which have significant discretion in interpreting statutes, promulgating rules and guidance that implement those statutes, and …
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Recent Efforts to Tame the Opioid Epidemic
48,000 Americans were lost to opioid overdoses in 2017. Michigan opioid-related deaths and overdoses rank 18th-highest in the nation. Over the last year, significant attention was dedicated toward combating this widespread issue on both a Federal and State Level. Michigan Recently enacted Michigan opioid laws were executed with the intent to save lives and decrease …
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IRS Issues Proposed Regulations On Deduction for Owners of Pass-Through Businesses: The Good, Bad and Ugly for Health Care Providers
In early August, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued proposed regulations that provide guidance to owners of pass-through businesses as to eligibility for a federal tax deduction of 20% of the income generated by the businesses. This deduction was part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). Although the stated purpose of the proposed …
Before you draft an opioid policy, read this
It’s no secret that the United States is battling an opioid epidemic. As relevant for our Phoenix practice, in Arizona, Governor Ducey declared a State of Emergency on June 5, 2017 which led to the passing of emergency regulations, effective March 6, 2018, and the Opioid Epidemic Act of 2018, most of the provisions of …
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Opioid Litigation Comes To Michigan – What Physicians And Hospitals Need To Know
Michigan, like the rest of the country, suffers from an opioid epidemic. Every day, more than 100 Americans die from an opioid overdose1. Some economists estimate that the opioid crisis has cost the U.S. economy more than $1 trillion since 2001 and is on pace to cost an additional $500 billion through 20202. The profligate …
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Costs Down; Quality Up
How can providers increase quality of care while reducing cost to patients? The answer is through innovation, creativity, increased patient responsibility, partnership, and real-time flow of information. Here are just a few ideas to consider in reaching this overarching goal. While none of the ideas articulated below are novel or groundbreaking on their own, they …
Is Your Organization Taking the Correct Steps to Prevent and Defend Against Harassment Claims? Recent EEOC Guidance Suggests Best Practices
In the wake of the #MeToo movement, most employers have become more acutely aware of the risks involved in failing to effectively prevent and respond to claims of workplace harassment. This renewed awareness should cause all employers, large and small, to evaluate their policies, processes and practices in place to prevent harassment and to respond …
Cyndi Moore Participated in “What’s Driving Health Care Costs in America” Roundtable Discussion
Federal lawmakers need to focus on what’s driving health care costs in America that in turn contributes to the rising cost of health coverage. That’s according to a group of health care industry executives who gathered for a recent roundtable conversation organized by MiBiz. They also said that health care needs more cost transparency and …
Keeping Pace in Clinical Research: The Common Rule Picks Up Speed
In recent years, the world of human subjects research has expanded with regard to the number of clinical research trials being conducted and the array of drugs and devices being tested and with respect to the technology employed to conduct the research and the nature of the research itself. For example, increasing reliance on repositories …
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