INCISIVE ANALYSIS OF EMS LEGAL TOPICS It’s very important in this day and age to find out why people leave your organization so you can take the appropriate action to fix what may be a serious workplace problem. In addition to making good HR sense, exit interviews make good sense for lawsuit prevention. Conducting an […]
The pages of the EMS Insider are filled with glimpses into the future that is happening before our eyes: the transition of EMS into Mobile Integrated Healthcare (MIH) services. The future certainly holds endless possibilities. And, in EMS terms, that future is unfolding fast. While most change is “evolutionary,” the changes brought on by the […]
In a bit of a pendulum swing from earlier opinions, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) on Nov. 27, 2013, posted Advisory Opinion 13-18 disapproving a municipal request for proposals (RFP) arrangement for an exclusive ambulance contract. The OIG found that certain provisions of the proposed arrangement could violate the federal anti-kickback statute (AKS). This […]
The Office of Inspector General (OIG), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, recently issued a report highlighting ambulance utilization trends over the past decade. This report contained some downright startling statistics, and sounds an alarm for some areas the OIG views as potential powder kegs of fraud and abuse. There can be little doubt […]
A new Office of Inspector General (OIG) Advisory Opinion that has absolutely nothing to do with EMS may nevertheless help light the path for a new future in our industry. On Aug. 16, 2013, the OIG issued Advisory Opinion 13-10, which will fast become one of the more important opinions from the OIG in the […]
One of the most requested topics my legal firm is asked to present is on EMS provider documentation. This age-old challenge seems to bedevil every generation of EMS managers and providers alike. Documentation is a fundamental EMS skill, yet comparatively scant attention is paid to it in EMT and paramedic training programs. Most documentation skills […]
What’s ahead for EMS? Welcome to 2013 and the start of a new era in the way EMS is compensated for its services. The election is behind us, and, like it or not, healthcare reform is here to stay. The ambitious aims of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) will continue to be […]
Many EMS managers are familiar with the concept of benchmarking. Whether used for monitoring and improving fi nancial performance, clinical care or other key areas of EMS operations, the consistent measurement of defined parameters over time can yield critical information for management decision-making. With Medicare and Medicaid audits, investigations, overpayment recoveries and other enforcement activity reaching an all-time high, EMS managers must add a new set of metrics to their tool kit: compliance benchmarking.
More important than ever to ‘get your house in order’ This partnership puts criminals on notice that we will find them and stop them before they steal healthcare dollars. —U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius In late July, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a new public-private […]
Documentation is part of the job As part of my job as an EMS attorney, I spend a lot of time providing documentation training to ambulance services and EMS agencies. Many of the administrators who engage our firm for this purpose tell us that one of the most difficult continuing challenges they face is the […]
Doug Wolfberg is an attorney and founding partner of Page, Wolf-berg & Wirth, LLC, the National EMS industry law firm, widely viewed as the leading experts in Medicare and compliance law for the ambulance industry. Contact him via the firm’s Web site at www.pwwemslaw.com.
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