Tax-exempt hospitals received a late-season present from the Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service after the agencies released long-awaited final regulations for requirements under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“ACA”). In addition to rules related to the provision of financial assistance and billing and collection […]
Health Law Alert
Tax-Exempt Hospitals: Final Financial Assistance and Billing and Collection Regulations Published
Background Section 9007 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act created and added § 501(r) to the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”). Section 501(r) put into place a number of significant new requirements that tax-exempt hospitals must satisfy in order to retain tax-exemption, including provisions related to financial assistance, […]
OCR Announces Latest HIPAA Settlement for $150,000: Sends Message on Unpatched and Unsupported Software
On December 2, 2014, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) entered into a Resolution Agreement with Anchorage Community Mental Health Services, Inc. (ACMHS) following OCR’s investigation of a self-reported compromise of ACMHS’ electronic health information system due to a malware attack that compromised the records of 2,743 individuals. OCR investigated […]
HHS Releases Guide to Help Health Care Facilities Prepare for Active Shooter Incidents
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness Response recently released a guide to help health care facilities incorporate active shooter planning into their emergency operations plans. Publication of the guide comes at a time of enhanced focus on national preparedness efforts, following the […]
Congress Extends Moratorium on Enforcement of Supervision Requirements for CAHs
On December 4, 2014, President Barack Obama signed into law (Pub. L. 113-198) which continued a de facto moratorium on enforcement of physician supervision requirements for critical access and small rural hospitals. Specifically, the law requires the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to continue to instruct […]

