The number of qui tam actions brought under the False Claims Act (FCA) has increased over the past several years. There are now more opportunities for potential allegations of FCA violations on the part of health care providers, and more eligible whistleblowers to bring those alleged violations to the government's attention. Given these circumstances, providers should take time to assess their current insurance coverage for defending and resolving FCA claims.… Continue Reading
In “From Sea to Shining Sea: French and US Sunshine Laws,” (Law360 subscription required), Reed Smith attorneys Elizabeth Carder-Thompson and Daniel Kadar discuss recent legislation from both sides of the Atlantic designed to increase the transparency of relationships between drug and medical device manufacturers on one hand and physicians and teaching hospitals on the other. … Continue Reading
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Health and Human Services has issued a proposed rule that would institute several changes to the health care program civil monetary penalty (CMP) regulations. Under the proposed rule, the OIG would have the expanded authority to enforce significant CMPs on providers and suppliers in a variety of scenarios.
Reed Smith has prepared a Client Alert summarizing and analyzing the Proposed Rule, including the various scenarios under which CMPs could be issued under the proposed regulations as well as the changes in technical language proposed by OIG to more clearly define the scope of CMP regulations.… Continue Reading
The health care industry has seen a recent shift towards consolidation, driven in part by legislation such as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act which encourages integration within the industry. As a result, health care entities are increasingly considering opportunities to merge with or acquire other companies. While this can be an exciting prospect … Continue Reading
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Health and Human Services identifies the underlying purpose of its exclusion authority as to protect federal health care programs and their beneficiaries from "untrustworthy health care providers, i.e., individuals and entities who pose a risk to program beneficiaries or the integrity of these programs." The OIG now has published a new proposed rule that would greatly expand the bases upon which it could affirmatively exclude an individual or entity from participation in federal health care programs.
Reed Smith has prepared a Client Alert that provides an overview of the Proposed Rule, including: proposed revisions to definitions; new grounds for exclusion; clarifications to existing regulations to add mitigating and aggravating factors; early reinstatement procedures; and proposed procedural changes in the OIG's exclusion authorities.… Continue Reading
On May 26, 2011, Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin signed into law Senate Bill 104 ("S.104"), significantly modifying Vermont law banning the provision by manufacturers of gifts to health care providers and requiring disclosure of certain allowable expenditures and gifts to health care providers (18 V.S.A. § 4631a and 18 V.S.A. § 4632). S.104 follows amendments made to the Vermont gift ban and disclosure law enacted just last year. This Client Alert includes a summary of the modifications pursuant to S.104. Except as otherwise noted, the changes are effective July 1, 2011.… Continue Reading
States are increasingly imposing marketing restrictions on device manufacturers through laws that previously focused more specifically on pharmaceutical manufacturers. These laws affect compliance activities and relationships with providers, and create new reporting obligations. The impact is significant in that these state laws directly influence how companies conduct business and interact with customers, but implementation is complicated by the variations that exist between states.
Most significantly, under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ("ACA"), beginning March 31, 2013, and annually thereafter, device manufacturers must report payments to physicians and teaching hospitals during the preceding calendar year. This means manufacturers must be prepared to track payments in a comprehensive manner as of January 1, 2012. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ("CMS") is now in the early stages of developing specific provisions to implement the new ACA provisions, with publication of proposed regulations to occur not later than October 1, 2011.
This Client Alert provides a brief overview of the existing state marketing laws that apply to device manufacturers, including recent changes to those laws, as well as federal reporting requirements under the ACA. Although the laws discussed may apply broadly to other entities, we refer in our Client Alert specifically to medical device manufacturers.… Continue Reading
On Friday, May 27, 2011, the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") issued Notice 2011-46 (the "Third Notice"), which extended to June 10, 2011 the deadline to submit error reports in accordance with the dispute resolution process established with respect to the preliminary fee calculation of the 2011 fee imposed on certain manufacturers and importers of branded prescription drugs.… Continue Reading
On May 2, 2011, the Internal Revenue Service (the "IRS") issued Revenue Procedure 2011-24 (the "Revenue Procedure"), which establishes a dispute resolution process for the preliminary fee calculation for the 2011 fee imposed on certain manufacturers and importers of branded prescription drugs pursuant to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (collectively, the "ACA"). As further explained below, in order to participate in the dispute resolution process, a "covered entity" must submit a written error report to the IRS that is postmarked no later than June 1, 2011.… Continue Reading
On January 14, 2011, the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") issued Notice 2011-9 (the "Notice"), which extended the filing date for reporting on Form 8947 a covered entity's 2009 sales of branded prescription drugs under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (collectively, the "Affordable Care Act" or the "ACA"). The filing date for Form 8947 with respect to 2009 sales of branded prescription drugs was extended from January 20, 2011 to February 11, 2011. In addition, in response to numerous comments received by the IRS, the Notice made certain changes to Notice 2010-71, 2010-50 IRB (the "Initial Notice"), primarily with respect to the information requested from covered entities.… Continue Reading
On November 29, 2010, the Internal Revenue Service (the "IRS") issued Notice 2010-71, 2010-50 IRB (the "Notice"), which provides guidance on the calculation of the annual fee imposed on certain manufacturers and importers of branded prescription drugs for calendar years beginning after December 31, 2010, pursuant to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (collectively, the Affordable Care Act or the "ACA"). Reed Smith Tax and LSHI attorneys have prepared an analysis of the guidance which provides background on the annual fee and a summary of the information contained in the Notice. While the Notice provides a solid starting point for IRS guidance, there are nevertheless areas of ambiguity that companies will need to evaluate.… Continue Reading
On September 23, 2010, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a proposed rule that would implement provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) designed to strengthen provider and supplier screening requirements under the Medicare, Medicaid, and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). According to CMS, the Proposed Rule is intended to ensure "that only legitimate providers and suppliers are enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP, and that only legitimate claims will be paid."
Among many other things, the Proposed Rule would: apply screening tools, including unannounced site visits, background checks, and fingerprinting, based on the level of risk associated with different provider and supplier types; impose a $500 application fee on certain providers and suppliers; authorize temporary moratoria on enrollment of certain types of new providers and suppliers; require Medicare and Medicaid payments to be suspended upon credible allegations of fraud; and update various Medicaid screening requirements. Comments on the proposed rule will be accepted until November 16, 2010.
Our full alert provides an analysis of the proposed rule.… Continue Reading
Today the FDA published a notice announcing public hearings on November 2 and 3, 2010 on implementation of the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009 (BPCI Act), which was enacted as part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The BPCI Act establishes an abbreviated approval pathway for biological products that are demonstrated to be … Continue Reading
In April 2010, Reed Smith provided an extensive analysis of the recently-enacted health reform legislation, H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), as amended by H.R. 4872, the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (Reconciliation Act). In this analysis, we concentrate on those provisions in the new law that will … Continue Reading
This post was also written by Robert J. Hill and Jennifer A. Goldstein. In April 2010, Reed Smith provided an extensive analysis of the recently-enacted health reform legislation, H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), as amended by H.R. 4872, the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (Reconciliation Act). In this analysis, … Continue Reading
In April 2010, Reed Smith provided an extensive analysis of the recently-enacted health reform legislation, H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), as amended by H.R. 4872, the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (Reconciliation Act). Together, these sweeping measures expand access to health insurance (including subsidies, mandates, and market reforms); reduce health care spending (particularly in the Medicare program); expand federal fraud and abuse authorities and transparency requirements; impose new taxes and fees on health industry sectors; and institute a variety of other health policy reforms.… Continue Reading
The PPACA established a tax subsidy for eligible small biotech companies known as the “qualifying therapeutic discovery project” credit. The tax subsidy consists of $1 billion of tax credits or, at the taxpayer’s election, cash grants for “qualified investments” made by small biotech companies for the development of new therapies to prevent, diagnose and treat … Continue Reading
We want to alert our manufacturer clients to the potential importance of a specific provision included in our analysis of the recent health care reform legislation. As we note at page 108 of our memorandum:
Medicaid Exclusion from Participation Relating to Certain Ownership, Control, and Management Affiliations (Sec. 6502)
[T]his provision requires Medicaid agencies to exclude individuals or entities from participating in Medicaid for a specified period of time if the entity or individual owns, controls, or manages an entity that: (1) has failed to repay overpayments during the period as determined by the Secretary; (2) is suspended, excluded, or terminated from participation in any Medicaid program; or (3) is affiliated with an individual or entity that has been suspended, excluded, or terminated from Medicaid participation.… Continue Reading
On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), a sweeping measure designed to expand access to health insurance, reduce health care spending (particularly in the Medicare program); expand federal fraud and abuse authorities and transparency requirements; impose new taxes and fees on health industry sectors; and institute a variety of other health policy reforms. The President also signed a second bill into law on March 30, 2010, the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (Reconciliation Act), which includes a series of "fixes" to the PPACA, including substantive changes to the PPACA's provisions regarding Medicare prescription drug coverage, Medicare Advantage and fee-for-service payments, Stark law self-referral policy, and Medicaid matching payments, among many others. Within the thousands of pages of the new laws are numerous provisions that will have a direct and material impact on nearly every component of the health care delivery and financing systems in the United States, including health insurers, health care providers, and manufacturers of pharmaceuticals and medical devices, as well as employers, taxpayers, and patients. Moreover, the impact of some of these provisions will be felt immediately, as certain provisions are effective upon enactment, and some have January 1, 2010 effective dates. Reed Smith has prepared a major Alert concentrating on those PPACA provisions we believe are of most interest to health care providers and medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers.… Continue Reading
On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA) into law. The PPACA, which is designed to overhaul the United States health care system, regulates all aspects and players in the health care arena, including individuals, employers and health insurers. On March 30, 2010, President Obama signed the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (Reconciliation Act), which amends certain aspects of the PPACA. This legislation is funded, in part, by increased taxes. To view a summary of certain of the tax-related provisions included in the PPACA as currently adopted and as amended by the Reconciliation Act, please read our full alert.… Continue Reading
