Tag Archive for: Oklahoma City Attorney

, ,

NewsOK Q&A: New health measures will require baseline screenings

From NewsOK / by Paula Burkes
Published: February 18, 2016
Click to see full story – New health measures will require baseline screenings, more data

Q: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released core quality measures for physicians on Feb. 15. What does this mean for physicians and for patients?

A: Physicians currently are required to report multiple quality measures to a variety of entities, and this has been confusing for providers and difficult to report effectively. The quality measures, spearheaded for some time now by federal health care reimbursement programs and by commercial insurers, are being used to standardize care and to establish baseline performance for providers they reimburse for services provided to their beneficiaries. These measures are seen as a cost containment initiative and a way to facilitate provision of baseline quality services. It’s also envisioned as an opportunity to empower consumers to become informed decision-makers.

Q: How were these quality measures established?

A: CMS and America’s Health Insurance Plans came together, along with consumer groups, national physician organizations and employers, to form the Core Quality Measure Collaborative. The seven sets of core measures include: accountable care organizations, patient-centered medical homes and primary care; cardiology; gastroenterology; HIV and hepatitis C; medical oncology; obstetrics and gynecology; and orthopedics. CMS currently is using measures from each of these core sets. An example of a core measure for primary care (family practice) is control of high blood pressure by first obtaining a core set of data about the patient. Another primary care example for comprehensive diabetic care is performance of an eye exam.

Q: Does CMS intend to establish core measures for other medical practice “sets”?

A: The CMS news release of the Collaboration’s Core Quality Measures appears to be a single step in a process that will result in future proposed rules in additional clinical areas. Presumably CMS has stated that it will continue to engage in a multi-stakeholder collaboration including additional notice and public comment rulemaking. CMS isn’t newly committed to applying outcome metrics to payments for physicians and other providers. In fact, it’s not unusual for hospitals and other institutional providers to include baseline quality and performance metrics as a prerequisite to salary or bonus compensation in physician employment and other agreements.

Q: Are these additional regulations a win for Medicare, commercial insurers, physicians, patients?

A: The announcement of these regulations is thought to signal successful progress by Medicare and commercial insurers toward value-based purchasing. This is an effort to make the federal and private health care dollars go farther. Part of the federal health care agenda is based upon recouping financial savings by enabling a healthier population. For physicians, although this may initially seem like another layer of regulations tied to reimbursement, the standardized core measures are likely to simplify patient data the information that must be maintained and provided. For patients, although quality improvement is entirely positive, the logical extension of the efforts of the collaboration is to standardize care that will covered by these federal and commercial insurance programs. It’s possible that it will improve services provided to some patients while limiting that available to others.

/by
, ,

NewsOK Q&A: Sunshine Act applies to dentists, podiatrists, optometrists and chiropractors

Published: August 11, 2015
By Mary Holloway Richard

Q: The Physicians Payments Sunshine Act (“Sunshine Act”) was passed with the intent of limiting the affect of prescribing and treatment practices by payments to providers by manufacturers or groups involved with product selection known as group purchaser organizations. Does this mean that payments to physicians are actually listed on this website?

A: Yes, but the law doesn’t just apply to physicians. It also applies to dentists, podiatrists, optometrists and chiropractors. It doesn’t apply to medical or osteopathic residents, physician assistant or nurse practitioners. This information is reported annually by manufacturers and purchasing groups and is available to anyone on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) website https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/. The database is part of the Open Payments program created as a result of the Sunshine Act.

Q: What options does a provider have if he or she believes that information about a reported payment is inaccurate or misleading to the public?

A: There is a process by which physicians and other providers can seek to correct information they believe to be false. A dispute resolution process begins with a 45-day period during which a provider reviews and works with manufacturers or purchasing organizations to correct the information. During the following fifteen days, the reporting entity (manufacturer or group purchasing organization) can submit corrections to the Open Payments database. This combined 60-day period is the only time that corrections can be submitted by manufacturers and purchasing organizations. CMS will not mediate such disputes but encourages the parties to work together to resolve their dispute. You can see from this description that it is the physician’s or other provider’s responsibility to monitor this information on the website.  Providers can locate relevant data by their names.

Q: What kinds of payments are included in the CMS Open Payments database?

A: First, it applies to payments by manufacturers. That means manufacturers of prescription drugs, biologic agents and medical devices and supplies. Second, it also applies, as I have mentioned, to groups formed to help providers such as hospitals, home health agencies and nursing homes save money and time by purchasing in volume and obtaining manufacturers’ discounts. These are the group purchasing organizations. Third, it applies to payments such as consulting fees, honoraria, food, travel, entertainment, education, research support, charitable contributions, investment interests, grant, and any direct compensation. That’s not even a complete list.

Q: What is the impact of this database?

A: Many physicians, dentists, podiatrist, optometrists and chiropractors regularly disclose to their patients their participation as lecturers, researchers and consultants to such manufacturers and purchasing organizations. Where that is the case, there is likely to be minimal impact from such information appearing on the CMS website. There a great deal of criticism of the Open Payments program, however. For example, a listing of a specific payment or group of payments may be taken out of context and appear unexplained and create in inaccurate impression and a negative response that is not merited. It seems clear that there will be continued refinement of both the regulations and the manner in which the data is presented to the public in the future.

Mary Holloway Richard is recognized as one of pioneers in health care law in Oklahoma. She has represented institutional and non-institutional providers of health services, as well as patients and their families. She also has significant experience in representing providers in regulatory matters.

/by
, ,

NewsOK Q&A: Americans with Disabilities Act cites only dogs as service animals

Published: July 24, 2015

By Mary Holloway Richard

Q: Sunday is the 25th anniversary of the signing of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). What animals are currently considered to be service animals?

A: The definition of “service animal” comes from the ADA and includes animals individually trained to perform tasks for individuals with disabilities. As of 2011, Titles II (state and local government services) and III (public accommodations and commercial facilities) of the ADA recognize only dogs as service animals, although there’s a separate provision about mini-horses. In addition to service dogs, there are sensory or social signal dogs, psychiatric service dogs and seizure response dogs.

Q: Is there a difference between a “service animal” and a “therapy animal?” 

A: Service dogs are trained to perform tasks or to do work for people with disabilities such as guiding the blind, alerting the deaf, pulling a wheelchair, reminding a person with a mental health diagnosis to take medications, or protecting a person who is having a seizure. The work must be directly related to the person’s disability. Therapy animals provide supports and comfort to people in many different types of situations.  There seems to be an impression among some members of the public that the service designation includes untrained animals providing comfort to owners of varying degrees of independence. It is generally true that a mental health provider may provide a letter indicating that a “regular” pet provides emotional support as needed by the owner who has a mental health condition or disability, and special training is not required. An  important distinction is that these are working animals and not pets. In my representation of hospitals over the years, I’ve been asked to advise concerning requests for visitation by a broad array of animals including burros, boutique cattle, and cats to serve specifically as therapy or emotional support animals. Some of the relevant case law from other jurisdictions involves monkeys and one involves a sugar glider, an Australian
opossum-like creature.

Q: Do these rules apply just to hospitals or do they also apply to other types of facilities and providers of health services?

A: The guidelines for service animals also apply to surgery centers, dental clinics, assisted living and long-term care facilities, and urgent care and outpatient clinics. The federal requirement is to allow service animals to accompany persons with disabilities in all areas of a facility or office where the public is normally allowed to go. It’s my experience that hospitals are better prepared than these other sites listed and physician offices to respond to these requests. Hospitals generally have policies and procedures that mirror state and federal laws and industry best practices.

Q: Are there limits to these ADA requirements?

A: When service dogs raise valid concerns about patient safety and quality of care, all providers in their distinct care settings will find it necessary to balance patient, staff, employee and public safety interests. Common valid concerns for institutional and non-institutional providers include infection control, allergies, animal control, safety of others, disruption of care or ability to safely provide quality services. An example of such a concern is a situation where a service dog’s presence is desired in a health care setting but there’s no one to provide the necessary care for the service dog. I also have encountered service animals with open wounds or otherwise in need of veterinary care that posed risks to patient care and to personnel that had to be considered. Another issue that has arisen is a service dog trained to be protective in a manner that impedes care by staff, such as a dog trained to place itself between the patient and others.

/by