Orlando Regulatory

MACRA, SGR Deja Vu

Sep 08, 2016 at 09:13 pm by Staff

Contributed by J. B. Bitar, MD In 1997, Congress passed the SGR (Sustainable Growth Rate) bill as part of the "balanced budget act of 1997", which was then signed into law by.... Read More

Obamacare Marketplace Shakeout Rocks Southeast

Aug 20, 2016 at 10:01 pm by Staff

Phil Galewitz Kaiser Health News Some of the Affordable Care Act's insurance marketplaces are in turmoil as the fourth open enrollment season approaches this fall, but what's.... Read More

As States OK Medical Marijuana Laws, Doctors Struggle With Knowledge Gap

Aug 18, 2016 at 08:37 am by Staff

Shefali Luthra Kaiser Health News Medical marijuana has been legal in Maine for almost 20 years. But Farmington physician Jean Antonucci says she continues to feel unprepared.... Read More

Hidden Plan Exclusions May Leave Gaps In Women's Care, Study Finds

Aug 18, 2016 at 08:37 am by Staff

Michelle Andrews Kaiser Health News Buried in the fine print of many marketplace health plan documents is language that allows them to refuse to cover a range of services, ma.... Read More

Should Big Insurance Become Like Walmart To Lower Health Costs?

Aug 14, 2016 at 03:51 pm by Staff

Jay Hancock Kaiser Health News Retail titan Walmart uses its market dominance to inflict "ruthless," "brutal" and "relentless" pressure on prices charged by suppliers, busin.... Read More

Proposed CMS Rule Aligns Payment Policies

Aug 10, 2016 at 03:44 pm by Staff

A new proposal from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) aims to better align payment policies for physicians in independent practice with hospital-owned pra.... Read More

Medicare's Readmission Penalties Hit New High

Aug 03, 2016 at 10:14 pm by Staff

Jordan Rau Kaiser Health News The federal government's readmission penalties on hospitals will reach a new high as Medicare withholds more than half a billion dollars in payme.... Read More

Medicare Prepares To Go Forward With New Hospital Quality Ratings

Jul 22, 2016 at 02:59 pm by Staff

Jordan Rau Kaiser Health News Despite objections from Congress and the hospital industry, the Obama administration said it will soon publish star ratings summing up the qualit.... Read More

Seven Remaining Obamacare Co-Ops Prepare Survival Strategies

Jul 17, 2016 at 12:17 am by Staff

Phil Galewitz Kaiser News Service New failures are piling up among the member-run health insurance co-ops carrying out one of the Affordable Care Act's most idealistic goals,.... Read More

Florida Passes Telehealth Legislation

Apr 11, 2016 at 01:50 pm by Staff

After several years of developing telehealth legislation in a state that pioneered the practice at the University of Miami circa 1970, Florida lawmakers almost unanimously pas.... Read More

The HIPAA Basics

Apr 11, 2016 at 12:15 pm by Staff

The HIPAA Privacy Rule establishes a set of national standards for the use and disclosure of individually identifiable health information - often referred to as protected heal.... Read More

Physicians Ask Florida Attorney General to Block the Aetna-Humana Mega-Merger

Mar 18, 2016 at 12:12 pm by Staff

In a letter to the attorney general, the physician organizations outlined their strong concern that the anticompetitive consequences of the merger would negatively impact heal.... Read More

Advancing Telehealth

Mar 02, 2016 at 01:26 pm by Staff

Of the two telemedicine bills moving through the Florida Legislature this year, only one seems poised to have a chance to become law: Senate Bill (SB) 1686, which authorizes h.... Read More

Mobile Devices and HIPAA Compliance

Mar 02, 2016 at 12:12 pm by Staff

Mobile device are proliferating in medical practices today. Laptops, tablets, even cell phones are now used to access PHI about patients. If you use any of these devices, your.... Read More

Physicians Displeased with Aetna/Humana Proposed Merger Process

Feb 08, 2016 at 04:13 pm by Staff

TALLAHASEE - In mid-December, the Florida Medical Association (FMA), Florida Osteopathic Medical Association (FOMA) and the American Medical Association (AMA) joined forces to.... Read More

Passage of the 21st Century Cures Act Will Impact Local Research Institutes

Jan 08, 2016 at 05:16 pm by Staff

Research institutes in the Orlando and Tampa area such as Sanford Burnham Prebys (SBP) and H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center (MCC) are curious to see the outcome in Washington DC o.... Read More

Healthcare Group Hopes to See Legislation to Improve Access to Care

Jan 08, 2016 at 04:01 pm by Staff

As he looks ahead to 2016, Ken Peach, executive director of the Health Council of East Central Florida (HCECF), is concerned about increasing access to primary care. "If there.... Read More