Groups or providers hoping to ease state-mandated supervision requirements and other restraints on advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) received a boost from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC or Commission) this week when it recommended a state legislature consider removing regulatory hurdles imposed on …
FTC Supports Easing Dental Hygienist Restrictions, Increasing Access to Underserved
February 4, 2016 Leave a Comment
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC or Commission) released a statement on January 29 in support of a Georgia state bill that would further relax supervision requirements for dental hygienists. The proposed bill would expand the safety-net settings where Georgia dental hygienists may work without the direct …
Texas Telemedicine Provider Survives Another Round
December 16, 2015 Leave a Comment
Teledoc, a telehealth services provider looking to do business in Texas, continued its winning streak in Texas federal court: on Monday, a judge rejected the Texas Medical Board’s motion to dismiss Teledoc’s antitrust challenge to the Board’s new rule requiring a “face-to-face visit or in-person …
DOJ Antitrust Head Remains Focused on Health Care in Era of Consolidation
November 16, 2015 Leave a Comment
Speaking at an industry conference on November 13, U.S. Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer reiterated the government’s focus on competition concerns in the health care industry. According to Baer, head of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, while the Affordable Care Act (ACA) “promotes …
Words Hurt: FTC Challenges Proposed Hospital Merger Using Parties’ Own Statements
November 9, 2015 Leave a Comment
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC or Commission) authorized action on November 6 to block the proposed merger of two hospitals located in Huntington, West Virginia. The FTC issued an administrative complaint alleging that the transaction would create a near monopoly for general acute care inpatient hospital …
New Rule Permits Hospitals to Subsidize Physician Employees
November 9, 2015 Leave a Comment
A new 2016 Medicare physician payment rule allows hospitals and other provider institutions to make payments to physicians for the purpose of enabling them to employ nonphysician practitioners, such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants. This is an exception to the general Stark Law prohibition on …