MINNESOTA
MARCH 2021
PHYSICIAN
THE INDEPENDENT MEDICAL BUSINESS JOURNAL
Volume XXXIV, No. 12
Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute Updates What physicians need to know BY ANTONIO “TONY” FRICANO, JD
O
n November 20, 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) published sweeping rule changes to the Physician Self-Referral Law (the “Stark Law”) and the Federal Anti-kickback Statute (“AKS”). HHS previously indicated that the new final rules for the Stark Law and AKS would be not published until summer of 2021, so the announcement on November 20, 2020 came as quite a surprise. Most of the changes took effect on January 19, 2021. Physicians should be aware of the new opportunities and new obligations resulting from these changes
New Value Based Opportunities
Ransomware in the Age of COVID-19 Addressing cybersecurity issues BY MATTHEW C. BERTKE, CPA, MBA 2020 was a year that saw many changes and one that particularly affected the healthcare community. But while U.S. healthcare workers remained on the front lines heroically battling the COVID-19 pandemic, another hidden menace has been steadily increasing in prevalence underneath the radar. As reported by the nonprofit news organization the Vermont Digger, on October 28, 2020, University of Vermont (UVM) Health Network fell victim to a ransomware cyberattack that affected over 5,000 computers and laptops. The extensive attack Ransomware in the Age of COVID-19 to page 104
In 2018, HHS launched the “Regulatory Sprint to Coordinated Care” to accelerate a transformation of the healthcare system, with a focus on removing Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute Updates to page 124
