September Compliance Academy
September 27 to 30, 2010
New York, NY

October Compliance Academy 2010 Sold out
October 25–28, 2010
San Francisco, CA

November Compliance Academy 2010
November 15–18, 2010
Orlando, FL

December Compliance Academy
December 13 to 16, 2010
San Diego, CA

February Research Academy
January 31 to February 3, 2011
San Francisco, CA

October Privacy Academy
Sold out
October 4 to 7, 2010
San Diego, CA

March Privacy Academy
March 28 to April 1, 2011
Orlando, FL

AHLA/HCCA Fraud and Compliance Forum
September 26 to 28, 2010
Baltimore, MD

Physician Practice Compliance Conference
October 17 to 19, 2010
Philadelphia, PA

Compliance in the Post-Reform World
NEW!
November 8 & 9, 2010
Baltimore, MD

Conducting Effective Internal Investigations
NEW!
November 11 & 12, 2010
Orlando, FL

Managed Care Compliance Conference
February 6 to 8, 2011
Scottsdale, AZ

Audit & Compliance Committee Conference
February 7 to 8, 2011
Scottsdale, AZ

2011 Compliance Institute
April 10 to 13, 2011
Orlando, FL

Research Compliance Conference
Now accepting speaker applications for the 2011 Conference
click here for more

June 12 to 15, 2011
Austin, TX

Regional Conference Prospectus
Now Available

New England Regional Conference
September 13, 2010
Boston, MA

Upper Midwest Regional Conference
September 16, 2010
Minneapolis, MN

Midwest Regional Conference
September 24, 2010
Overland Park, KS

North Central Regional Conference
October 1, 2010
Indianapolis, IN

East Central Regional Conference
October 8, 2010
Pittsburgh, PA

Hawaii Regional Conference
October 15, 2010
Honolulu, HI

Mountain Regional Conference
October 22, 2010
Denver, CO

Mid Central Regional Conference
November 5, 2010
Louisville, KY

South Central Regional Conference
November 12, 2010
Nashville, TN

Desert Southwest Regional Conference
November 19, 2010
Phoenix, AZ

Toss It or Keep It: Coping with Document Retention
September 16, 2010

2011 OIG Work Plan
November 3 & 4, 2010

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The Health Care Compliance Professional’s Manual

Covers everything you need to plan and execute a customized compliance program that meets federal standards. A quarterly update subscription keeps you current. Click here for a brochure and fax order form

A Compelling Case for Clinical Documentation

 Enhance quality of care and reimbursement processing with this award-winning training program that gives physicians the tools needed to consistently produce higher quality clinical documentation.

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Research Compliance Professional's Handbook

This reference tool covers such key areas as: human subject protections, scientific misconduct, conflicts of interest, effort reporting, billing, grants management, privacy & security, records management, and more.

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Compliance and Ethics: An Introduction for Health Care Professionals

HCCA’s 23-minute video and trainer’s guide provides everything you need to conduct training for new employee orientations and staff refreshers.

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This Week's
HCCA Corporate Members

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Compliance & Ethics Social Network: What’s Getting Talked About?

Doctor Sentenced to Five Year Prison Term
Massachusetts AG Announces $1.35 Million Settlement with Stryker Biotech
Saint John’s Health Center Settles, Agrees to Pay $5.25 Million
Second Regional Health Care Fraud Prevention Summit is Held in Los Angeles
Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer Speaks at Health Care Fraud Prevention Summit
Mercy Medical Center Focuses on Patient Privacy
Government Rewriting New Rules on Medical Privacy

This Week’s Link

Regulatory News

CMS Imposes Stronger Protections on Medical Equipment Suppliers
Medicare to Expand Coverage of Tobacco Cessation Counseling
CMS Issues Reminder on January 2011 Target for Testing Transaction Standards       

CMS Upcoming Open Door Forums

In the Federal Register
CMS Transmittals
From the OIG

Acronym Library

Compliance & Ethics Social Network: What’s Getting Talked About
Discussion Group: HIPAA: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Forum
Subject: Missed appointment postcards Click here

Note: you must already have an account on the Social Network to access this discussion. To sign up for a free account, click here: Click here

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Headlines

Doctor Sentenced to Five Year Prison Term
On August 27, 2010 The New York Times reported that “times and personal ethics change. Dr. Sheth was recently sentenced by a judge in Chicago to five years in prison for ripping off Medicare and private insurers for at least $13 million — and possibly closer to $20 million.  For more: Click here

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Massachusetts AG Announces $1.35 Million Settlement with Stryker Biotech
On August 26, 2010 Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley announced Stryker Biotech, a Hopkinton, MA-based medical device company, will pay $1.35 million to the Commonwealth to resolve allegations that it marketed certain orthopedic products for uses that had not been reviewed and approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and misled health care providers about the appropriate uses of its products. Click here

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Saint John’s Health Center Settles, Agrees to Pay $5.25 Million
On August 25, 2010 the U.S. Attorney for the District of Central California André Birotte Jr announced that Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica has agreed to pay the United States $5.25 million to resolve allegations that the hospital submitted false inflated claims to the Medicare program for “outlier payments” that are designed to compensate hospitals for providing extraordinarily costly care to patients. For more: Click here

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Second Regional Health Care Fraud Prevention Summit is Held in Los Angeles
On August 26, 2010 U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius kicked off the second in a series of daylong summits bringing together a wide array of federal, state and local partners, beneficiaries, providers and other interested parties to discuss innovative ways to eliminate fraud within the U.S. health care system.   The summit in Los Angeles included educational panels featuring law enforcement officials, including Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division, consumer experts, providers and key government agencies. For more: Click here

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Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer Speaks at Health Care Fraud Prevention Summit
On August 26, 2010 Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division Lanny A. Breuer addressed the Health Care Fraud Prevention Summit in Los Angeles. The following is the text of his remarks:
Click here

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Mercy Medical Center Focuses on Patient Privacy
On August 25, 2010 the Merced Sun Star reported that “Technology has been a boon to the medical field. Putting patients' records on computers has streamlined record keeping in hospitals and physicians' offices, with old-fashioned paper files taking a back seat.

But that technology has also made it easier for the wrong people to access health records that should be kept secret. For more: Click here

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Government Rewriting New Rules on Medical Privacy
On August 22, 2010 The New York Times reported that “The Obama administration is rewriting new rules on medical privacy after an outpouring of criticism from consumer groups and members of Congress who say the rules do not adequately protect the rights of patients.” For more: Click here

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This Week’s Link:
Stop Medicare Fraud Summit – HHS Secretary Sebelius remarks
Click here

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This week, MediRegs provided TWCC readers with the following: In the Federal Register, CMS Transmittals, and From the OIG.

Regulatory News 

Medicare Imposes Stronger Protections on Medical Equipment Suppliers
On August 26, 2010 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule representing another step to increase protections for Medicare and beneficiaries from potentially fraudulent suppliers of durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS). For more: Click here

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Medicare to Expand Coverage of Tobacco Cessation Counseling
On August 25, 2010 the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services expanded Medicare coverage of evidence-based tobacco cessation counseling, removing a barrier to treatment for all tobacco users covered by Medicare.

Previously, Medicare had covered tobacco counseling only for individuals diagnosed with a recognized tobacco-related disease or showed signs or symptoms of such a disease.  Under the new coverage, any smoker covered by Medicare will be able to receive tobacco cessation counseling from a qualified physician or other Medicare-recognized practitioner who can work with them to help them stop using tobacco.  All Medicare beneficiaries will continue to have access to smoking-cessation prescription medication through the Medicare Prescription Drug Program (Part D). For more: Click here

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CMS Issues Reminder on January 2011 Target for Testing Transaction Standards
On August 24, 2010 the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a reminder to health care providers, health plans, clearinghouses, and vendors about the approaching compliance dates for a new generation of diagnosis and procedure codes and updated standards for electronic health care transactions. For more: Click here.

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CMS Upcoming Open Door Forums
The next Rural Health Open Door Forum is scheduled for Tuesday, September 14, 2010 from 2pm-3pmET. Click here

The next Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF)/Long Term Care (LTC) Open Door Forum is scheduled for Wednesday, September 15, 2010 from 2-3pmET. Click here

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In the Federal Register
Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems for Acute Care Hospitals and the Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System Changes and FY2011 Rates; Provider Agreements and Supplier Approvals; and Hospital Conditions of Participation for Rehabilitation and Respiratory Care Services; Medicaid Program: Accreditation for Providers of Inpatient Psychiatric Services

On August 16, 2010, CMS issued a final rule that is revising the Medicare hospital inpatient prospective payment systems (IPPS) for operating and capital-related costs of acute care hospitals to implement changes arising from our continuing experience with these systems and to implement certain provisions of the Affordable Care Act.

Rule: Medicare and Medicaid Programs: Changes to the Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems for Acute.. 50042-50677 [2010-19092]: Click here

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CMS Transmittals
Managed Care (PUB. 100-16)
FINAL MA Enrollment and Disenrollment Guidance Update for CY 2011-August 17, 2010 (PDF): Click here
Summary of FINAL MA Enrollment and Disenrollment Guidance Update for CY 2011-August 17, 2010 (PDF): Click here

National Coverage Analyses
Intensive Cardiac Rehabilitation (ICR) Program - Dr. Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease (CAG-00419N) - Expected Completion Date: 8/12/2010: Click here
Intensive Cardiac Rehabilitation (ICR) Program - Pritikin Program (CAG-00418N) - Expected Completion Date: 8/12/2010: Click here

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From the OIG
OIG 07/10 Cumulative Sanction Report-Reinstatements for July 2010 (Excel): Click here
OIG 07/10 Cumulative Sanction Report-Update for July 2010 (Excel): Click here

Audit Reports
Review of Less-Than-Effective Drugs in the Medicare Part D Program (A-07-09-04138) (08/16/10) (PDF): Click here
Review of New York State's Compliance With the Prompt Pay Requirements for the Increased Federal Medical Assistance Percentage Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Audit (A-02-09-01037) (08/05/10)(PDF): Click here
Review of Head Start Health and Safety Standards at Brooklyn Child and Family Services, Inc. Audit (A-02-09-02013) (08/05/10)(PDF): Click here
Audit of the Indian Health Service Fiscal Year 2005 Cost Statement for the Oklahoma City Area Office (A-06-07-00080) (08/10/10)(PDF): Click here

Evaluation and Inspection Reports
Inappropriate Medicare Payments for Transforaminal Epidural Injection Services (OEI-05-09-00030) (08/2010) (PDF): Click here

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Acronym Library

Click here for more from CMS Acronyms: Click here

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Visit Our Website at www.hcca-info.org

NOTE: HCCA Members, please contact April Kiel at Click here if you have not received your password. The Web site allows members and visitors to register for conferences, order products, or join HCCA online. HCCA Members can update membership information and search for compliance resources online in a secure environment. HCCA's Web site also offers Compliance Social Network HCCAnet, which allow regional and industry specific information to be shared through a discussion forum and list-serve. Members can view and respond to documents, tools, forms, policies and other information posted by Regional and Compliance Focus Group leaders! Visit www.hcca-info.org and see for yourself.

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HCCA Headquarters Contact Information
Your HCCA Office is located at:
6500 Barrie Road, Suite 250
Minneapolis, MN 55435
HCCA Toll-Free Phone: 888-580-8373
Fax: 952-988-0146
Minnesota Phone: 952-988-0141
Email: service@hcca-info.org
Contact: Margaret Dragon, Editor, This Week in Corporate Compliance: 781-593-4924

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