Who doesn't like taking shortcuts. If there is a way to get from point A to point B more easily, that's a good thing, right? That might be true in on the road, but in the health care industry, taking shortcuts around regulatory obligations can lead to financial...
Texas Health Care Law Blog
National Provider Identifiers can be stolen and used for fraud
National Provider Identifiers (NPI) are used to help streamline the medical billing process, and these 10-digit numbers function much like a social security number.Unfortunately, like a social security number, a NPI is also vulnerable to theft. This is because NPI are...
What the opioid epidemic could mean for your medical industry
On May 15, 2018, Texas sued Purdue Pharmaceuticals to assign blame for the thousands of opioid-related deaths throughout the state. Claiming serious misrepresentation, Attorney General Ken Paxton plans to compensate for the 42,000 opioid overdoses that occurred in...
Healthcare Investigations by the Office of Inspector General
As someone working with one or more of the over 100 Health and Human Services programs across the U.S., it’s important that you understand the body that regulates your work. Under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Office of Inspector...
What Medicare audits mean for your telehealth business
Telehealth represents an incredible step forward in medical technology. As a telehealth doctor, you represent the front line of healthcare for folks making their living in the rural parts of the country, and with that comes unique sets of challenges. More Texas-based...
Texas Medicare fraud case highlights the need for integrity
Health care professionals are entrusted with the well-being of their patients through many services that people need when faced with poor health and medical situations. But, sometimes, even health care professionals and the executives who lead their agencies...
Appealing a Medicare or Medicaid revocation
Medicare and Medicaid are critically important to many medical providers in Texas. Being denied the ability to bill for these patients would mean a substantial loss of income to many clinics, possibly forcing them to close. Unfortunately, the revocation of Medicare...
Medical marijuana arrives in Texas, but under high regulation
The medical field is constantly improving; new discoveries, better practices and technological advances allow you to provide the best modern healthcare for your patients. Recently, the health industry has explored the chemical THC, found in cannabis, as a possible...
Do not use a family member as an interpreter
In a pinch, it can be very tempting to grab the nearest family member to help interpret for a patient. You can tell yourself "it is ok to do it this once" or "the patient's child speaks English" but in reality, this is a practice that should be avoided at all costs....
The Stark Law: a basic overview of a complex statute
For a physician, navigating regulation and compliance is vital to operating a successful practice. By adhering to the correct legal guidelines, you can alleviate much of the anxiety and risk that comes with a failure to comply. Certain laws and regulations--such as...