Proposed Rule: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Electronic Health Record Incentive Program Excerpts: SUMMARY: This proposed rule would implement the provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) (Pub. L. 111-5) that provide incentive payments to eligible professionals (EPs) and eligible hospitals participating in Medicare and Medicaid programs that adopt and meaningfully use […]

HHS EMPLOYS NEW TOUGHER STANDARDS IN CALCULATION OF IMPROPER MEDICARE PAYMENT RATES FOR 2009   Excerpt: As part of the Obama Administration’s goal of reducing waste, fraud and abuse in Medicare, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) significantly revised and improved its calculations of Medicare […]

Pfizer To Pay $2.3 Billion For Fraudulent Marketing EXCERPT: News Release by DOJ on HHS.gov: posted Wednesday, September 2, 2009 WASHINGTON – American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. and its subsidiary Pharmacia & Upjohn Company Inc. (hereinaftertogether “Pfizer”) have agreed to pay $2.3 billion, the largest health care fraud settlement in the history of the Department […]