Medical Journal August 2020 Digital Edition
August 17, 20201 min
Post Views: 2,951
$49 million settlement is a cautionary reminder to monitor marketing practices
August 17, 20208 min
By Allison Shelton and Colleen Byrom, Brown & Fortunato, P.C. On July 23, 2020, the Department of Justice announced a $49 million settlement with Progenity, Inc. The settlement addressed claims that Progenity engaged in fraudulent billing practices and provided illegal kickbacks to physicians and their staff. Progenity is a biotechnology company based out of San Diego, California, that provides molecular and diagnostic testing services, such as prenatal testing, for genetic and chromosomal abnormalities. Claims against...
NexCore and physicians partner on 110,374-square-foot medical office building in Cypress, Texas
August 17, 20204 min
Denver-based NexCore Group, a national healthcare real estate developer, is moving forward on construction, in collaboration with prominent physician partners, to develop the new North Cypress Physician Office Building III in Cypress, a northwest Houston suburb. NexCore is serving as the project’s full-service developer on behalf of its client, North Cypress Land Ventures POB LTD. The four-story, 110,374-square-foot Physician Office Building being developed at 10425 Huffmeister Road is prominently located on the HCA Houston Healthcare...
Workplace coronavirus exposure: What nonsubscriber healthcare providers need to know
August 17, 202011 min
By Joe Gagnon, Partner, Fisher Phillips, Healthcare Industry Team While an employee injury claim arising from occupational exposure to harmful substances or organisms is nothing new, the current novel coronavirus pandemic represents an additional type of occupational exposure claim for employers to confront. The virus can, of course, spread at any place of employment. Indeed, industries outside of healthcare have been the scene of much-publicized cases of workplace infection of COVID-19. That said, healthcare...
Coding changes and here come the audits
August 17, 20208 min
By Catherine Lightfoot, CPA, CHBC, Director of Healthcare at EEPB While nobody could have expected 2020 to be such an interesting year, most practices are settling in with the function of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and starting the forgiveness applications for their Patient Payroll Protection loans (PPP). Let me remind you of the original P acronym, Patients over Paperwork, that started in 2017 and continues to drive changes out of CMS. Through “Patients over...
We must urge vaccination early and often
August 17, 20206 min
By Ted Shaw, President/CEO, Texas Hospital Association As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, health care experts moved quickly to reinforce ways to mitigate disease spread. Good hygiene, social distancing, face coverings, and staying home are important precautions to minimize risk COVID-19. They also are important safeguards to help fight seasonal influenza. Fighting the flu will be paramount this upcoming flu season, as COVID-19 continues to sicken our communities and tax health care systems and infrastructures....
Seeing beyond the mask
August 17, 20208 min
By Laura Porterfield, Clinical Assistant Professor, Interim Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs, UTMB, Department of Family Medicine Before entering, I put on my armor: surgical cap, KN95 mask covered by a secondary surgical mask, face shield, gown, and gloves. Donned in protective gear, I’m barely recognizable even to colleagues who know me well. Grabbing a clean stethoscope, I stride to the examining room, where I pause to read the patient’s name before entering. In...
Implementation of social distancing policies correlates with significant reduction in SARS-CoV-2 transmission
August 17, 20206 min
According to researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, the implementation of social distancing policies corresponded with significant reductions in the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and reduced community mobility, both in the U.S. and globally, providing evidence that social distancing is a useful tool in preventing further spread of COVID-19. The study, published today in PLOS ONE, estimates that social distancing policies enacted nationally in 46 countries prevented an estimated 1.57...
FDA OKs manufacturer’s version of Rice ventilator
August 17, 20203 min
An enhanced version of the ApolloBVM designed by Rice University engineers has received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as an emergency resuscitator for use during the COVID-19 pandemic. The device, as further developed by the Houston manufacturer Stewart & Stevenson Healthcare Technologies LLC, a subsidiary of Kirby Corporation, is designed to deliver air to the lungs of adult patients who require ventilation while they await the availability of a...