September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month — a time for mental health advocates, community organizations, health care organizations and others to highlight resources and raise awareness of this stigmatized, and often taboo, topic.
Last year, Tim Chevalier received the first of many coverage denials from his insurance company for the hair removal procedure he needed as part of a phalloplasty, the creation of a penis. Electrolysis is a common procedure among transgender people like Chevalier, a software developer in Oakland.
Did you know 2023 is the Chinese Year of the Rabbit? Chinese astrology describes the rabbit as being gentle, quiet, elegant, and alert. Rabbits are also thought to be kind and very responsible. Really, rabbits sound like good friends to have. I have never referred to the inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) as a good friend, but as I provide you with a summary of some of this year’s IPPS final rule, I will try to parallel this to rabbits and bunnies, just because it might add a little fun to what is otherwise a dry subject!
HHS recently released final rules for implementing components of the No Surprises Act. These rules expand upon several provisions of the July 2021 and October 2021 interim final rules regarding the qualified payment amount (QPA) and the federal independent dispute resolution (IDR) process.
United States Attorney Will Thompson and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) announced today that Dr. Craig M. Morgan and Eye Consultants of Huntington Inc. have paid $907,074.64 to resolve allegations that they submitted false claims to Medicare and Medicaid.
The United States Attorney’s Office announced on Thursday that Lifestyle Resumption Integrative Health ( “Lifestyle Resumption”), a chiropractic clinic located in Fort Mitchell, Ky., and its owner, Klaude Kocan, D.C., have agreed to pay $200,000 to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act, by improperly billing Medicare for services involving electro-acupuncture devices.
