Hospital merger and acquisition (M&A) deals continue to thrive through 2021. Just this month, Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare announced the sale of five hospitals to Steward Health Care. Those with information on the deal expect the billion-dollar deal to close in...
Month: June 2021
Will I lose my nursing license if I get a DUI?
A conviction for driving under the influence (DUI) can lead to serious consequences. In addition to fines, those who have a nursing license will likely find themselves the subject of an official investigation by the Texas Board of Nursing (BON). Why would the Texas...
How can I help my home health business thrive in 2021?
The home health industry survived the pandemic and is poised for growth through 2021. Healthcare businesses who struggled to defend their worth to Medicare, Medicaid and other providers in the past found extension of coverage to include their services during the...
3 legislative proposals that impact nursing
Various laws and regulations impact healthcare and, like all things in the legal world, these laws are often evolving. Nursing organizations like the American Nurses Association (ANA) have highlighted a handful of proposals that could impact their profession in coming...
Is professional self-regulation on the verge of collapse?
Our country is one with a long-standing tradition of professional self-regulations. State medical boards regulate physicians, state nursing boards regulate nurses, etc. But what happens if the public feels this type of self-regulation weighs too heavily in favor of...
Feds accuse health records vendor of AKS violation
The federal Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) is one of the most well-known anti-fraud laws in the country. This criminal statute has a huge impact on the healthcare industry and can affect physicians, executives, lab owners and anyone else that files claims for payment...
How do I challenge a nursing board’s decision?
As noted in previous posts, it is important to take a notification from the state nursing board seriously. These notifications are generally a sign of an impending investigation and can lead to serious repercussions. Depending on the details of the allegations,...
Lessons from a failed healthcare merger
Leaders behind what would have been a billion-dollar healthcare merger recently announced plans to walk away from the deal. The merger of the two community focused healthcare systems would have resulted in an $11.5 billion system. The announcement provides an...
Feds take aggressive stance against NP, get 20-year prison term
The United States Department of Justice’s (DOJ) U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas recently announced the sentencing of a nurse practitioner (NP). The feds had accused the NP, who practiced in Texas, of engaging in a scheme to defraud Medicare...
What is a nurse’s first steps if their license is threatened?
Many different things can threaten a nurse’s professional license. A patient could file a complaint with the state nursing board, or an employer may reach out to the board. Whatever led to the complaint, it is likely the board will move forward. The first thing the...