CMS recently released a Proposed Rule suggesting significant changes to the Medicare Shared Savings Program, aimed at accelerating the path for providers participating in a Medicare ACO to take on risk for the cost and care of their patient populations. The following is a summary of key changes proposed to the MSSP.
Read MoreIn anticipation of the forthcoming issuance of Virginia’s first pharmaceutical processor licenses, the Virginia Cannabis Industry Association (VCIA) will host a launch event at O’Connor Brewing Co,’s Legalize Virginia Festival, Tuesday, September 18. VCIA’s mission is to represent Virginia medical cannabis business owners and industry stakeholders to advance legislation and bring the highest quality, safest, and most compliant medical cannabis products to consumers in the Commonwealth.
Read MoreMany digital health technology companies have customers from multiple, or even all, states accessing their software and services. If these health tech companies have California customers, then starting in January 2020, they may need to abide by the California Consumer Privacy Act.
Read MoreBy building compliance processes into your internal structure, audits can be completed faster and can bring to light information that is beneficial for both your customers and employees. Here are seven tips to prepare for a healthcare compliance audit.
Read MoreNixon Law Group's managing partner, Carrie Nixon, is featured on this month's Health IT Trends Buzz podcast by the North Carolina Healthcare Information and Communications Alliance (NCHICA). Click here to listen!
Read MoreOstendio, a leading provider of cybersecurity and risk management solutions, today announced that they have partnered with Nixon Law Group, a boutique healthcare law firm headquartered in Virginia, to make it easier for organizations to comply with the ever-changing healthcare privacy regulatory requirements. This partnership brings together a leading-edge software platform with top-tier healthcare attorneys to help organizations better navigate the highly regulated healthcare industry.
Read MoreVirginia’s medical cannabis program is moving forward, with a notice of proposed regulations and a new physician registration form. However, the Board of Pharmacy, whose ad hoc committee is currently evaluating pharmaceutical processor applications, has signaled that it will not be announcing the conditional permit recipients at its August 14th meeting, as was previously expected. The 53 applicants to the Board may be looking at a delay of weeks or months.
In the meantime, physicians can begin to prepare for increased demand from Virginians for medical cannabis certifications by registering with the Board of Pharmacy using its new application form. Also, industry stakeholders have until August 22nd to comment on the proposed regulations to replace the emergency regulations adopted by the Board earlier this summer.
Read MoreWith the July 12, 2018 release of its proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for 2019, CMS further opened the door for use and reimbursement of Remote Patient Monitoring (or Remote Physiologic Monitoring, "RPM") services. In doing so, CMS recognizes the role that new communications technologies play in increasing patient engagement and reducing unnecessary costs.
Read MoreTax credits are a great way to increase cash flow for your business, and it may come as a surprise to many that millions of dollars go unclaimed each year.
If you’re a high growth start-up or early stage business engaging in research and development (R&D), you’re likely leaving State and Federal money on the table. Continue reading to see if you qualify for tax credits to help you propel your business.
Read MoreIn April 2018, Governor Ralph Northam signed House Bill 793, which will allow Virginia nurse practitioners (NPs) with the equivalent of five years of full-time practice with a collaborating physician to be certified to practice independently. What does this mean for NPs in Virginia? Practically speaking, if a nurse practitioner meets the qualifications and makes the appropriate filings with the Board of Nursing, he or she can open up an independent practice to provide care in their community. This change aligns Virginia law with more than twenty other states across the country in adopting full practice authority and is expected to expand access to affordable primary care to thousands of Virginians.
Read MoreOn May 25, 2018, European law officially enforced the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The GDPR was created to protect the personal data of EU citizens. This article examines two GDPR-compliant encryption methods in this article: standard encryption and pseudonymization.
Read MoreNixon Law Group Managing Partner, Carrie Nixon, was interviewed by Randy Wong, M.D. for an episode of the Healthcare's Prescription with Russ & Randy podcast. During the episode, Carrie discusses privacy protections for medical practice websites.
Read MoreThe Qualified Entity Program allows CMS-certified Qualified Entities to obtain and use Medicare claims data to conduct non-public analyses and provide or sell combined data/analyses, consistent with certain program requirements.
Read MoreHealthcare has now surpassed nuclear power and financial services as the most highly regulated industry in the U.S. - and for good reason. The health, safety, and privacy of individual patients and the public at large is at stake.
For better or for worse, there exists a complex web of local, state, and federal laws and regulations that govern the businesses of healthcare providers and healthcare companies - from patient safety and privacy protections, to corporate transactions and contractual relationships. Navigating this complicated landscape requires a deep understanding of the risks and opportunities inherent in the healthcare industry—namely, it requires an experienced healthcare attorney.
Read MoreThis article discusses how you can lower your risk through email encryption, thereby saving your healthcare practice or organization from an expensive data breach. Email encryption can help your organization protect against the most common form of data breach and better comply with HIPAA standards.
Read MoreNixon Law Group’s Cannabis attorneys assist clients with licensing for growing/cultivation, processing/extraction and dispensing; intellectual property; real estate and equipment leases, and business/corporate transactions.
Read MoreBeginning on May 25, 2018, HIPAA won’t be the only healthcare data security standard with which U.S. companies have to comply. Medical practices, digital healthcare companies, and vendors (e.g., electronic health records companies, medical billing companies, and cloud services companies) that do business in the healthcare sector and collect data from European citizens will be required to comply with the new EU General Data Protection Regulation (the “GDPR”). A recent Reuters article called the implementation of these regulations “the biggest overhaul of online privacy since the birth of the internet.”
Read MoreOn December 28, 2017, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a Memorandum (the “Memo”), effective immediately, that represents a clear change to previous guidance on the use of SMS Text Messaging or “texting” by healthcare providers to transmit patient information to other providers that are part of a patient’s care team.
Read MoreThe 2018 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule (“2018 MPFS” or “Final Rule”) went into effect on January 1. Marked by new additions to the Telehealth codes and the un-bundling of Remote Patient Monitoring code CPT 99091, the 2018 MPFS provides plenty of opportunities for providers to grow their practice through digital medicine. This article outlines key changes to the new Rule.
Read MoreOn February 21, the Virginia House of Delegates voted 99-0 (1 abstention) to approve HB 1251, a bill that will dramatically expand the state’s medical cannabis laws. The bill was sent to Governor Ralph Northam for signature and – thanks to an emergency clause recommended by the Governor himself – will be effective immediately once he signs. With this bill, doctors will now be able to recommend the use of medical cannabis oil to patients with any diagnosed condition or disease that the doctor determines will benefit from such use.
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