DecisionHealth Offers Solutions to Assist Health Care Organizations Survive CMS’ Hospital-Physician Relationship Scrutiny
DecisionHealth™ educates compliance professionals on the latest hospital-physician restrictions and requirements and offers solutions to help professionals maintain strict compliance while still building profitable business relationships with other providers as CMS and other government agencies turn up the heat on potential fraud, anti-kickback and Stark violations.
Gaithersburg, MD, May 29, 2008 --(PR.com)-- DecisionHealth™, a leading source for health care news, analysis and instructional guidance, teams with top attorneys for Health Care Compliance Target: Financial Relationships, July 14-15, 2008 in the Washington, DC area. This 1 ½ day event will brief compliance professionals on the latest hospital-physician restrictions and requirements. Solutions offered by compliance attorneys and experts will help professionals maintain strict compliance while still building profitable business relationships with other providers.
Hospital–physician business arrangements are triggering more rule changes, investigations and fines as CMS and other government agencies turn up the heat on potential fraud, anti-kickback and Stark violations. The need for an effective compliance strategy for both sides of the equation become necessary as numerous cases are expected to surface as enforcement authorities begin to look into the creative ways in which hospitals and physicians have been teaming up over the last few years.
“Hospital-physician relationships are a minefield of regulatory risk. The government is looking at these relationships very closely because they believe they are ripe for potential kickbacks and Stark violations, both of which lead to false claims against Medicare and Medicaid. That's why CMS is making changes to the Stark rules,” notes health care attorney and conference chairman Peter Keohane of DecisionHealth.
“If physicians and hospitals do not establish proper contractual parameters on their relationships, they could face serious investigation from the OIG, DOJ, and their state Attorney General. This conference is designed to give both compliance officers and health care attorneys a clear understanding of critical changes to current laws and regulations as well as tools to establish those parameters,” Keohane adds.
The keynote presenter at Health Care Compliance Target: Financial Relationships conference is former senior counsel at Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General Jacqueline Baratian, currently counsel at Alston & Bird in Washington, DC. Ms. Baratian’s session will give participants an insider’s view of what the government looks for in evaluating potential arrangements and where the biggest risks lie.
Other sessions offered at Health Care Compliance Target Financial Relationships, presented by other leading health care attorneys, focus on the specific areas that the government is targeting. The sessions include:
• How the Changing Definition of “Entity” Will Collapse Your Relationships
Sanford Teplitzky, Principal, Ober Kaler, Baltimore, MD
Participants will discover how four little words – “stand in the shoes” – have already impacted current hospital-physician contracts. Mr. Teplitzky will explain these changing provisions – some of the most confusing and critical to date – in plain English, and offer guidance on which arrangements they will affect most.
• New Fraud and Abuse Issues in Joint Ventures
Bill Mathias, Principal, The Health Law Group at Ober Kaler, Baltimore, MD
Participants will review the most critical fraud and abuse risks in joint ventures through a series of hypothetical scenarios that could prove treacherous in the eyes of the OIG.
• How to Recruit Physicians Within the Changes of Stark Phase III
Bill Maruca, Partner, Fox Rothschild, Pittsburgh, PA
Key issues covered in this session include: who providers can recruit, loan forgiveness, income guarantees, termination clauses, and non-compete provisions. Mr. Maruca will offer tips for fair recruitment practices, and guidance on how to arrange relationships without running afoul of the latest regulations.
• Managing Your Vendor Contracts
Linda Bauman, Partner, Arent Fox, Washington, DC
After big DME settlements, the OIG is looking closely at relationships between providers and DME makers. Participants will be cautioned as to which types of arrangements will likely lead to penalties and how to identify common risks compliance programs (and officers) face when dealing with manufacturers, including off-label marketing pitfalls.
For more information on DecisionHealth’s Health Care Compliance Target: Financial Relationships, on July 14-15 at the Hyatt Regency Dulles (near Washington, DC), visit www.decisionhealth.com/Compliance2008 or call 866-620-5939.
About DecisionHealth™
DecisionHealth serves the business and regulatory needs of health care practitioners, providers and their administrative staff nationwide. For more than 20 years, DecisionHealth has served as the industry's leading source for news, analysis and instructional guidance with brand names such as Medicare Compliance Alert, Part B News and Inside the Joint Commission. Our unique blend of award-winning on-staff journalists and unmatched access to health care executives, providers and their administrative staffs results in business management advice and operationally focused editorial that has captured the attention of nearly 100,000 home healthcare professionals and specialty physician practices. www.DecisionHealth.com
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Hospital–physician business arrangements are triggering more rule changes, investigations and fines as CMS and other government agencies turn up the heat on potential fraud, anti-kickback and Stark violations. The need for an effective compliance strategy for both sides of the equation become necessary as numerous cases are expected to surface as enforcement authorities begin to look into the creative ways in which hospitals and physicians have been teaming up over the last few years.
“Hospital-physician relationships are a minefield of regulatory risk. The government is looking at these relationships very closely because they believe they are ripe for potential kickbacks and Stark violations, both of which lead to false claims against Medicare and Medicaid. That's why CMS is making changes to the Stark rules,” notes health care attorney and conference chairman Peter Keohane of DecisionHealth.
“If physicians and hospitals do not establish proper contractual parameters on their relationships, they could face serious investigation from the OIG, DOJ, and their state Attorney General. This conference is designed to give both compliance officers and health care attorneys a clear understanding of critical changes to current laws and regulations as well as tools to establish those parameters,” Keohane adds.
The keynote presenter at Health Care Compliance Target: Financial Relationships conference is former senior counsel at Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General Jacqueline Baratian, currently counsel at Alston & Bird in Washington, DC. Ms. Baratian’s session will give participants an insider’s view of what the government looks for in evaluating potential arrangements and where the biggest risks lie.
Other sessions offered at Health Care Compliance Target Financial Relationships, presented by other leading health care attorneys, focus on the specific areas that the government is targeting. The sessions include:
• How the Changing Definition of “Entity” Will Collapse Your Relationships
Sanford Teplitzky, Principal, Ober Kaler, Baltimore, MD
Participants will discover how four little words – “stand in the shoes” – have already impacted current hospital-physician contracts. Mr. Teplitzky will explain these changing provisions – some of the most confusing and critical to date – in plain English, and offer guidance on which arrangements they will affect most.
• New Fraud and Abuse Issues in Joint Ventures
Bill Mathias, Principal, The Health Law Group at Ober Kaler, Baltimore, MD
Participants will review the most critical fraud and abuse risks in joint ventures through a series of hypothetical scenarios that could prove treacherous in the eyes of the OIG.
• How to Recruit Physicians Within the Changes of Stark Phase III
Bill Maruca, Partner, Fox Rothschild, Pittsburgh, PA
Key issues covered in this session include: who providers can recruit, loan forgiveness, income guarantees, termination clauses, and non-compete provisions. Mr. Maruca will offer tips for fair recruitment practices, and guidance on how to arrange relationships without running afoul of the latest regulations.
• Managing Your Vendor Contracts
Linda Bauman, Partner, Arent Fox, Washington, DC
After big DME settlements, the OIG is looking closely at relationships between providers and DME makers. Participants will be cautioned as to which types of arrangements will likely lead to penalties and how to identify common risks compliance programs (and officers) face when dealing with manufacturers, including off-label marketing pitfalls.
For more information on DecisionHealth’s Health Care Compliance Target: Financial Relationships, on July 14-15 at the Hyatt Regency Dulles (near Washington, DC), visit www.decisionhealth.com/Compliance2008 or call 866-620-5939.
About DecisionHealth™
DecisionHealth serves the business and regulatory needs of health care practitioners, providers and their administrative staff nationwide. For more than 20 years, DecisionHealth has served as the industry's leading source for news, analysis and instructional guidance with brand names such as Medicare Compliance Alert, Part B News and Inside the Joint Commission. Our unique blend of award-winning on-staff journalists and unmatched access to health care executives, providers and their administrative staffs results in business management advice and operationally focused editorial that has captured the attention of nearly 100,000 home healthcare professionals and specialty physician practices. www.DecisionHealth.com
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DecisionHealth
Jonathan Stern
301.287.2604
www.decisionhealth.com
http://www.decisionhealth.com/compliance2008
Jonathan Stern
301.287.2604
www.decisionhealth.com
http://www.decisionhealth.com/compliance2008
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