Industry Insights

Since its enactment in 1996, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 ("HIPAA") imposed restrictions on people and entities who are deemed "business associates." Effective February 18, 2010, those restrictions have become substantially more significant. And, coming soon, the pool of people and entities who will be subject to the business associate requirements will grow. This article offers an overview of what business associate needs to know.

Many commentators have observed that the Health Care Reform bill enacted March 23, 2010, known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“PPACA”) represents the most significant legal change to the American health care system since the adoption of the Medicare Program itself in 1965. To assist our skilled nursing facility clients in preparing to meet the new requirements of law, Fenton Nelson has broken down PPACA’s requirements that are directly relevant to skilled nursing facilities (“SNF’s”).

Our last Industry Insight addressed steps health care providers should take in every investigation.  This article considers broadly how providers should respond to distinct categories of inquiries and investigations.

There is perhaps no more trying moment in the operation of a health care facility or business than the discovery that the government is investigating.  How should you respond?  Here are six steps providers should take in every investigation.

Despite the proliferation of compliance among larger health care systems and business entities over the past decade, many smaller and mid-sized health care organizations don't come to understand, let alone appreciate, the value of compliance until after a problem occurs.  This article provides an overview of what compliance planning is, why you need to consider it, and how you go about doing so.

This article, subtitled "Use of Revocable Living Trusts in Structuring the Holding of an Ownership Interest in a Medical Practice," is republished with permission from Southern California Physician's December 2009 issue.

This article is republished from Southern California Physician's October 2009 issue.