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2008 Physician Fee Schedule
On November 27, 2007 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ("CMS") issued the 2008 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (the "2008 MPFS"). The 2008 MPFS reduces Medicare payments to physicians by nearly 10% (postponed by Congress for 6 months) and makes significant changes in the Stark law, reassignment rules, purchased test rules and IDTF standards. Click here to view the 2008 MPFS.
Stark III
On September 5, 2007, CMS issued the final Stark Phase III regulations. Click here to view the regulations.
New Payment System for ASCs
On August 2, CMS issued a final rule establishing a new payment system for ambulatory surgery centers. Effective January 1, 2008, ASCs will be paid 65% of Medicare rates for similar services furnished in hospital outpatient departments. The new rates will be phased in over a four year period. Click here for more information about the new ASC payment system.
Disclosure of Hospital/Physician Relationships
CMS plans to require an initial 500 hospitals to report on their financial relationships with physicians and their immediate family members. CMS' goal is to determine if these relationships comply with the Stark law. Beginning October 1, 2007, CMS will also require physician owned hospitals to notify patients that they are physician owned and require physician owners to disclose their ownership to patients they refer to the hospital.
Jeremy Miller Honored as a "Super Lawyer"
Jeremy Miller has been recognized as a 2008 "Super Lawyer" by Los Angeles Magazine. Jeremy was also honored in 2007 and 2006. The peer-based award recognizes the top 5% of health care attorneys in Los Angeles and Orange Counties.
Speeches and Articles
On October 19, 2007, Jeremy Miller spoke on the Stark Phase III regulations before the VHA West Coast Corporate Compliance Council.
On October 4, 2007, Jeremy Miller chaired the 4th Annual Healthcare Law Compliance Symposium for the Los Angeles County Bar Association.
Jeremy Miller's articles on medical group "buy-sell" agreements and physician employment agreements will appear in the August and September 2007 issues of Southern California Physician. Click here to view the first article. Click here to view the second article.
On April 19, 2007, Diane Sherman spoke in Irvine, California for the Keenan & Associates Health Care Workers' Education Symposium.
On February 10, 2007, Jeremy Miller spoke on "Negotiating Your Best Professional Service Agreement," for the Radiology Business Management Association meeting in San Francisco, California.
On January 30, 2007, Michael Thornhill chaired "Managed Care 2007: Recent Developments of Interest to California Lawyers," a program sponsored by the Los Angeles County Bar Association.
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Firm Focus
Our practice is devoted exclusively to
representing the needs of health care providers and businesses
including:
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Medical groups
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Physicians and other practitioners
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IPAs
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MSOs
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Billing companies
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Surgery centers
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Imaging facilities and companies
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DME suppliers
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Clinical laboratories
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Sleep labs
While our health care clients are primarily located in
the Western Region of the United States, we represent clients
throughout the country including New York, New Jersey, Florida,
Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Illinois, Indiana, Colorado, Idaho, Utah and
Alaska. We are also regularly retained by other law firms for our
health care law expertise.
Our exclusive focus on the health care industry has
enabled us to develop expertise in a wide-variety of the unique
issues that health care providers and businesses face in a
marketplace that is being dramatically altered by forces such as
managed care, increased government regulation and enforcement
actions, consumer empowerment and information technology. These issues
include:
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Fraud and abuse and "Stark" compliance
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Medical group, IPA and MSO formation and operations
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Managed care contracting
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HIPAA compliance
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Surgery center development
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Imaging joint ventures
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Hospital-physician contracting
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Medicare coverage and billing
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Licensing and certification
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Medicare and Medicaid audits
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Medical staff and medical board disciplinary matters
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Practice and facility purchases, sales, mergers and syndications
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Medical office leasing
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E-health commerce
In addition to advising our clients with respect to
"pure" health care law issues, our various Practice
Groups allow us to serve our health care clients' related
business law needs including general corporate, litigation, labor and employment, tax,
real estate and pension and estate planning.
All of our full time and affiliated Attorneys
are highly experienced experts in their fields; most have
previously practiced with large, national law firms. Because of
our size and unique composition, we are able to provide the
specialized legal advice and counseling required in an
ever-changing health care industry, and do so at a cost that is
often 20-30% or more below the rates charged by our large firm
competitors. Our clients are not paying for the training of junior
associates.
In recognition of our health care law expertise, our
attorneys regularly speak and write articles for various national,
state and local organizations and publications:
Speeches: American Medical Association, Medical
Group Management Association, American College of Cardiology, American College of Radiology,
American Bar Association, State Bar of California, American Society of Medical Association
Counsel, National Association of Health Care Consultants, Managed
Care Consultants Association, Radiology Business Management Association, International Billing Association,
American Association of Clinical Urologists, California Medical
Association, and the American Health Lawyers Association.
Publications: American Medical News, Medical Economics,
MGMA Update and Connexion, The Journal of Medical Practice
Management, California Physician, California Medicine, Healthcare
Financial Management, Modern Healthcare, Imaging Economics, TIPS on Managed Care,
Cybear Compliance News and Physician Practice Options.
We hope you find your visit to our website useful.
Please feel free to Contact Us and Register for our
mailing list.
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