WASHINGTON WIRE
June 5, 2009
Issue 203
SENATE COMMITTEES RELEASE MORE DETAILS OF HEALTHCARE REFORM PLANS
CMS Releases Rule to Cut 2009 LTAC Medicare Payments
PPSV’s Jim Pyles to Speak on Privacy Liability Risks Under HITECH Act
PPSV’s John Kemp to Present on Internet Accessibility under the United Nations Convention
Powers Pyles to Host Transplant Compliance and Cost Recovery Audio Seminar
Top Story
SENATE COMMITTEES RELEASE MORE DETAILS OF HEALTHCARE REFORM PLANS
A portion of the Senate HELP Committee draft bill detailing healthcare reform coverage provisions and an unofficial revised Senate Finance Committee schedule are both circulating among stakeholders this week. The HELP Committee document includes a publicly sponsored health insurance plan and reforms to the private insurance market. According to press reports, the HELP Committee plans to release a bill the week of June 15 and mark up the bill the last week of June. The Senate Finance schedule pushes their mark-up schedule into the week of June 22nd.
Democratic leaders in Congress have set a deadline of the August recess to reach bi-partisan consensus on legislation in both chambers. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) set aside two weeks of floor time right before the August recess, which starts August 7, for discussion of the health reform bill. Reid has warned that Senate Democrats may trigger the reconciliation process if consensus is not reached on a healthcare reform bill through regular process.
This week President Obama held a closed-door healthcare reform meeting with Senate HELP and Finance Democrats. Obama also wrote a letter to the Committee Chairmen repeating his desire to pass a healthcare reform bill this year and supporting inclusion of a public plan option, which has become a polarizing issue.
Health Care News
CMS Releases Rule to Cut 2009 LTAC Medicare Payments
On Friday, May 29, CMS released an interim final rule that would cut Medicare payments to long-term acute care hospitals (LTACs) in the second half of 2009. The rule was coupled with a proposed rule for 2010 LTAC payments. The cut could mean a decrease of $17 million in 2009 and a .6 percent decrease in projected updates to Fiscal Year 2010 payments (a drop from 2.8 percent to 2.2 percent.)
PPSV's Jim Pyles to Speak on Privacy Liability Risks under HITECH Act
PPSV principal Jim Pyles will make a presentation at the annual meeting of the National Community Pharmacists Association on June 11 on new privacy liability risks under the HITECH Act and the HIPAA Privacy and Security laws and how to address them. As part of that presentation, Mr. Pyles will be providing a self-evaluation check list that health care providers can use to reduce liability risks due to electronic health information privacy breaches.
PPSV's John Kemp to Present on Internet Accessibility under the United Nations Convention
John D. Kemp, PPSV principal, will be making a presentation on Friday, June 12 as part of the Accessibility in the Context of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Transatlantic Perspectives. John will be providing an overview of the policy and legal drivers related to Internet/website accessibility and the UN Convention. John shares this expertise on a quarterly basis through a subscription service, the Digital Accessibility Trend Analysis. More information can be found at http://accessibilitytrends.com/.
Upcoming Events
Powers Pyles to Host Transplant Compliance and Cost Recovery Audio Seminar
Powers, Pyles, Sutter and Verville is hosting a transplant compliance and cost recovery audio seminar on June 11 from Noon to 1:30 PM. Organ acquisition costs are among the few remaining areas of Medicare reasonable cost reimbursement. Transplant centers must adopt effective and compliant policies and procedures to ensure that they are properly recovering the organ acquisition costs. In addition, transplant center relationships with physicians, OPOs, laboratories, and suppliers may raise legal concerns. This program is targeted to the unique issues facing transplant centers. It will include an in-depth discussion of the Medicare rules regarding allowable organ acquisition costs, review how the federal fraud and abuse laws impact the operations of transplant centers, address new Medicare certification standards for transplant centers, and provide guidance on survey preparation, plans of correction, and pursuing appeals. There is no fee to participate in this informative session. For more information or to register, click here.
Hearings
Monday, June 8
Senate HELP Briefing on Long Term Services and Supports in Healthcare Reform
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy
2 p.m., 325 Russell Bldg.
Tuesday, June 9
VA's Health Infrastructure
House Veterans' Affairs - Subcommittee on Health
10 a.m., 334 Cannon Bldg.
Wednesday, June 10
Single Payer Health Care Option
House Education and Labor - Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions
10:30 a.m., 2175 Rayburn Bldg.
For More Information
For further information on any topics discussed or publications listed, or to get copies of anything mentioned in this alert, please call (202) 466-6550 and ask for the Legislative Practice Group.
Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville P.C. is a full service law firm specializing in health care and education law and located at 1501 M St., NW 7th Floor, Washington DC 20005
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