The onset of the COVID-19 public health emergency (“PHE”) led to a surge in the use of telehealth by health care providers. In addition, the PHE fueled a boom in the number of direct-to-consumer (“DTC”) telehealth platforms, many of which have relied upon COVID-19 regulatory waivers to launch and operate in multiple states across the nation. For the reasons discussed below, DTC telehealth platforms should re-visit their compliance plans and be prepared for increased state and federal regulatory scrutiny.
Continue Reading Key Legal Issues Facing Telehealth Platforms, as Compliance Concerns Bubble for Platforms Launched During the Public Health Emergency
DOJ’s National Rapid Response Task Force Strikes Again: New Wave of Enforcement Actions Target Fraudulent Schemes
As discussed in a prior blog post, in May of this year, the Department of Justice (DOJ), through its Fraud Section and in conjunction with the Center for Program Integrity, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CPI/CMS), began prosecuting defendants who were alleged to have perpetrated a variety of COVID-19-related scams on federal healthcare programs. On September 17, 2021, the DOJ’s Health Care Fraud Unit, in coordination with its Health Care Fraud and Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid Strike Force, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), announced a new wave of enforcement actions against 138 individuals, including 42 licensed medical professionals, alleged to have participated in health care schemes that resulted in $1.4 billion in alleged losses.
Continue Reading DOJ’s National Rapid Response Task Force Strikes Again: New Wave of Enforcement Actions Target Fraudulent Schemes
New York Medicaid Still Holding Onto Pandemic-Era Telehealth Expansions Even After COVID-19 Waivers Disappear
As discussed in a prior blog post, effective June 25, 2021, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo issued Executive Order 210, which officially declared the end of the New York State of Emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the New York emergency telehealth waivers have expired. These telehealth waivers had previously allowed many digital health companies and health systems to utilize certain flexibilities related to the methods of allowable telehealth technologies and the use of out-of-state providers to expand services and to cover understaffed departments.
In response to the Governor’s announcement, the New York State Department of Health (“NYS DOH”) issued guidance extending the expansion for the ability of all Medicaid providers in all situations to use a wide variety of communication methods to deliver services remotely during the remainder of the federally-declared COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (“PHE”). Note that this guidance does not impact or provide additional flexibilities to non-Medicaid providers and, as discussed in our prior blog post, the New York State Education Department has only commented stating that given the expiration of the New York COVID-19 waivers, “professionals should exercise due diligence and good faith efforts to return to compliance with all Title VIII statutory and regulatory requirements without delay.”
Continue Reading New York Medicaid Still Holding Onto Pandemic-Era Telehealth Expansions Even After COVID-19 Waivers Disappear
Combating COVID Crimes: First Wave of DOJ Enforcement Actions Target Fraudulent Schemes
The early days of the COVID-19 pandemic saw an unprecedented coming together of the health care industry to treat communities beset by a deadly virus that strained provider resources across the country. But just as normalcy returns, enforcement arms of the federal government have announced action against bad actors who took advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to implement fraudulent schemes designed to specifically exploit the pandemic.
In separate actions on May 26, 2021, the Fraud Section of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Center for Program Integrity, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CPI/CMS) announced cases against multiple defendants who perpetrated a variety of COVID-19-related scams on federal healthcare programs. The DOJ charged 14 defendants who are alleged to have defrauded the government of over $143 million in false billings in the aggregate, while the CPI/CMS began administrative proceedings against more than 50 providers who took advantage of CMS programs meant to increase care access during the pandemic.
Continue Reading Combating COVID Crimes: First Wave of DOJ Enforcement Actions Target Fraudulent Schemes