Legal/Regulatory Issues In yet another reminder that compliance with perioperative protocols should always be followed, refreshed and reexamined, a patient has been devastated, and numerous providers and facilities have been sued. According to a report from WCHS-TV, a lawsuit filed in Washington County, Ohio, alleges that a patient had her wrong leg…
At Periop Leader Week, two veteran ASC leaders will test your knowledge on legal, regulatory and compliance issues—and explain why you got each multiple-choice answer right (or wrong). Everyone who attends can be a contestant; simply scan a QR code when you enter to access the game show app. At…
The American Hospital Association (AHA) has requested that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) make healthcare workers exempt from its proposed H-1B visa fee of $103,265 for petitions subject to statutory caps. In its letter to DHS on the proposal, the AHA expressed concern that the fee would hinder the…
The American Hospital Association (AHA) has provided its comments to CMS on the calendar year 2027 Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule. The AHA: “expressed support for proposals regarding the Medicare Shared Savings Program that would expand participation in accountable care, such as establishing guardrails for the Accountable Care Prospective Trend,…
PatientRightsAdvocate.org (PRA), a 501(c)(3) “nonprofit, nonpartisan organization focused on ushering in systemwide healthcare price transparency,” has released its latest Hospital Price Transparency Report, which finds 51% of the 2,000 hospitals it reviewed “are still failing to comply with the federal rule that went into effect more than five years ago…
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), has awarded 132 hospitals a total of nearly $25 million through the Rural Hospital Provider Assistance Program. The program is designed to provide direct financial assistance to help “eligible small rural hospitals” avoid…
The American Hospital Association (AHA) “shared concerns” with CMS regarding the calendar year 2027 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment System proposed rule. AHA wrote that the proposed net payment update of 2.4% is “not adequate given the financial challenges hospitals and health systems face.” In…
The Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) has submitted comments to CMS on its proposed 2027 updates to the ASC payment system. ASCA stated its “support for provisions aimed at expanding the range of procedures performed in ASCs, but warned that declining reimbursement will prevent Medicare beneficiaries from fully benefiting from…
The Tennessee Health Facilities Commission has released an 80-page report that details its investigation into the medication errors at Nashville hospital Ascension Saint Thomas Midtown that impacted four surgical patients. It determined the mistakes were primarily caused by human error. According to local TV station WKRN, “at least four out…
The American College of Cardiology (ACC) has submitted formal comments to CMS on the 2027 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System proposed rule. The ACC states that its letter includes: Support for increased reimbursement for cardiac PET/CT services Support for maintaining higher reimbursement…
