| Physician Recruitment by Hospitals |
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| Physician recruitment arrangements, while not per se illegal, run the risk of violating the federal Ethics in Patient Referrals Act (also known as the "Stark law"). To be valid, physician recruitment arrangements must comply with the provisions of the Stark law. More... |
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| Immigrants' Access to Public Health Benefits |
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| The enactment of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunities Act (PRWOA) and the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) has greatly restricted the ability of many immigrants to obtain public health care benefits. Consequently, many immigrants and many aliens in the U.S. who were previously eligible for Medicaid no longer qualify for benefits. More... |
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| Medical Necessity in Government-Funded Health Plans |
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| Medicare, the government-funded health plan for Americans over age 65 and certain disabled persons, provides its beneficiaries with a number of specific medical services. Medicare does not pay for a number of specific medical services such as routine physical check-ups, routine dental care, or "items or services not reasonable and necessary for the diagnosis or treatment of illness or injury or to improve the functioning of a malformed body part." More... |
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| Bioterrorism and EMTALA |
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| Many hospitals wonder what obligations the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA)imposes on them, with regard to the treatment of patients who have been victimized by biological weapons. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services allow an exception to the EMTALA screening requirement, for hospitals located in communities that have developed bioterrorist emergency response plans. More... |
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| Mental Health Parity |
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| The Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 (MHPA) prevents certain group health plans from placing annual or lifetime dollar limits on mental health benefits that are lower than annual or lifetime dollar limits for medical and surgical benefits offered under their plans. MHPA applies to group health plans and their issuers, including insurance companies and health maintenance organizations (HMOs), with more than 50 participants. More... |
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