The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) was enacted on March 18, 2020, creating additional leave rights for employees in response to the COVID-19 pandemic through two provisions: the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (EFMLA) and the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA). Since then, however, the exact contours of employee rights and employer obligations under the FFCRA have been the subject of some debate and disagreement ...
In early September, the Department of Justice issued additional guidance that the Commercial Litigation Branch can consider when settling cases for less than the full amount of the claim based on the defendant’s inability to pay. Under its statutory authority, the Civil Division has the ability to settle claims for less when an entity offers the maximum amount that it is able to pay and the federal government is acting as plaintiff ...
Details regarding a new Medicare payment model for radiation oncology care have been released by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The new Radiation Oncology Model (RO Model) qualifies as an Advanced Alternative Payment Model (APM) and a MIPS APM under the Quality Payment Program. According to this release from HHS, the RO Model aims to “promote quality and financial accountability for providers and suppliers of radiotherapy ...
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has adopted several significant amendments affecting disclosure requirements under Items 101, 103 and 105 of Regulation S-K and also expanded the definitions of “Accredited Investor” and “Qualified Institutional Buyer” under Rule 501(a) and Rule 144A, respectively. As SEC Chairman, Jay Clayton, announced in the press release, Items 101, 103 and 105 have not undergone significant revisions in over 30 years ...
While the pandemic and subsequent economic downturn are creating unprecedented challenges for health systems across the country, opportunities for collaboration remain as strong as they had been pre-COVID, and large health systems are well positioned to take advantage of new opportunities. In light of this, Waller has partnered with Kaufman Hall to develop a guide for health system leaders, The Health System Growth Imperative: Charting Opportunities During the Pandemic and Beyond ...
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has implemented a new Medicare payment model, the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Treatment Choices (ETC) Model. The ETC Model was developed to test whether the greater use of home dialysis and kidney transplantation for Medicare beneficiaries with ESRD will reduce Medicare expenditures, while also preserving or enhancing the quality of care furnished to beneficiaries with ESRD ...
President Trump today signed a continuing resolution that will fund the federal government until December 11, 2020. The continuing resolution (the “CR”) also grants relief to the providers and suppliers that were preparing to repay the Medicare accelerated or advance payments they received in response to the COVID-19 pandemic ...
Individuals who participated in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (“CMS”) Quality Payment Program Merit-based Incentive Payment System (“MIPS”) in 2019 may request a Targeted Review of their performance feedback, including their MIPS final score and payment adjustment factor at the Quality Payment Program website. In July, CMS released the MIPS Performance Feedback and scores for eligible providers ...
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”) issued an interpretive letter (the “Stablecoin Letter”) confirming that national banks and federal savings associations are permitted to take and hold fiat currency deposits that serve as reserves for fiat-currency backed stablecoins associated with hosted digital wallets (the “OCC Stablecoin Letter”) ...
Although HIPAA is probably best known for its privacy and security provisions, it also affords certain essential rights to ensure that individuals have access to their medical records. Since 2019, the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has stated its intent to increase enforcement of this specific right in response to a directive from HHS. There has been a gradual increase in this targeted enforcement activity until recently ...
The Federal Reserve Board (“Fed”) recently issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) inviting public comment on an approach to revise and modernize the regulations implementing the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). Enacted in 1977, the CRA served as a landmark piece of legislation in the wake of the civil rights movement to address systemic inequities that inhibited access to credit markets for low- and moderate-income (LMI) communities and minorities ...
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently adopted rules to update the statistical disclosures that bank holding companies, banks, savings and loan holding companies, and savings and loan associations (Financial Institutions) provide to the market. The rules will eliminate Guide 3 and will replace it with new Subpart 1400 of Regulation S-K. The rules primarily streamline former Guide 3 disclosures and eliminate disclosures that overlap with SEC rules and U.S ...
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) Advisory Committee of State Regulators (“Committee”) held its inaugural meeting on October 14, 2020. During the meeting, the Committee emphasized the importance of financial inclusion within the banking industry and the recent efforts to foster inclusion undertaken by the FDIC and applicable state regulators ...
It is the time of year for a good scare– but not all a welcome treat! The U.S. Department ofHealth and Human Services(HHS)published a cyber-threat advisory that comes as no great surprise to healthcare providers. As all healthcare providers are focused on continuing to provide excellent care during this COVID-19 pandemic, it is unfortunate that cyber-criminals see this as an opportunity for healthcare targeted ransomware attacks ...
As the end of 2020 mercifully approaches and the presidential election is now in the rearview mirror, Waller’s Financial Services Industry Team is looking forward to 2021 to bring you its insight into what the future may hold for participants in the financial services industry ...
Last week, Waller kicked off its multi-part series examining the near- and medium-term impact of President-elect Biden on the financial services industry with Part I of a discussion analyzing the likely direction of financial services regulatory reform under the Biden administration. Part II continues the discussion and incorporates emerging information regarding Biden’s financial regulatory platform ...
The White House has completed the final review to clear a path for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to publish the final rule to modernize and clarify regulations promulgated for the Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute. In June 2018, HHS Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan announced a regulatory reform initiative entitled the “Sprint to Coordinated Care ...
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) further codified the shift to a value-based care model with the first major overhaul of both the Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute since they were first introduced three decades ago. Earlier this week, the White House completed the final review of the changes, and on Friday, Nov ...
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a Special Fraud Alert from the Office of Inspector General (OIG) highlighting the fraud and abuse risks associated with the offer, payment, solicitation, or receipt of remuneration related to speaker programs sponsored by healthcare companies ...
2020 was already expected to be a challenging year for the retail industry and the worldwide pandemic only intensified the underlying troubles. Heading into the year, one estimate projected that 12,000 major chain stores would close in 2020. Today, a number of high-profile brands are in bankruptcy and tenants and landlords alike are struggling to recover from COVID-19 related closures ...
In light of the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of new COVID-19 vaccines, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has issued new guidance on the legal implications of the COVID-19 vaccine under federal anti-discrimination laws. Employers should carefully consider these points when making decisions about employee vaccinations. 1. Employers can require employees to receive a COVID-19 vaccination ...
The Paycheck Protection Program (the “PPP”) was passed into law by Congress as part of the CARES Act earlier this year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While considered a relative success at its intended goal of temporarily preserving jobs during the pendency of the pandemic, the PPP ended its initial run with tens of billions of dollars left on the table and frustrated borrowers and lenders because of opaque and frequently changing rules and regulations ...
Apparently, the OCR has a different concept of the holiday spirit than many others do. On December 22, OCR announced the 13th settlement agreement related to its Right of Access Initiative. This time, the provider settled for $36,000 and agreed to enter into a corrective action plan. This latest matter involved Peter Wrobel, M.D., P.C., d/b/a Elite Primary Care ("Elite"). The situation follows a very familiar pattern: a patient requested records but did not receive them ...
