News

New reporting requirements for healthcare providers are scheduled to go into effect in January 2018 as a result of the mandate in Section 218(b) of the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 (PAMA). PAMA requires CMS to establish a program to promote ordering physicians to consult “appropriate use criteria” (AUC) prior to ordering advanced diagnostic imaging tests for Medicare beneficiaries.

Measuring Compliance Program Effectiveness The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) recently posted new compliance guidance to assist healthcare entities of all types and sizes of measuring the effectiveness of their compliance programs. The publication, “Measuring Compliance Program Effectiveness: A Resource Guide” was the collaborative result the Health Care Compliance Association and the OIG.

Hospitals and clinics often produce a patient’s medical record multiple times and all copies are not the same; that creates problems in litigation.

Earlier this year, 91st General Assembly of the Arkansas State Legislature held a legislative session during which various acts were passed that are applicable to medical care and treatment. These acts include the Palliative Care Act, Wrongful Birth Civil Liability Protection Act, Patient Right-To-Know Act, POLST, Peer Review Fairness Act and the Telemedicine Act.

Attorneys Lynda M. Johnson and Timothy C. Ezell participated in The Arkansas Health Executives Forum on Thursday, Jan. 12 at Heifer International in Little Rock.

Attorney Lynda M. Johnson conducted HIPAA training today for 100 mental health and human service providers through HARK of Northwest Arkansas at the Center for Collaborate Care in Rogers.

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Foundation Fund recently named Friday, Eldredge & Clark attorney Bruce B. Tidwell to its board of directors. Bruce received his undergraduate degree in business administration from UALR in 1993 and earned his Juris Doctor degree from UALR William H. Bowen School of Law in 1996.