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Many individuals associate healthcare law strictly with medical malpractice. All healthcare attorneys, legislators, and experts on healthcare policy, however, know that this is only a very small portion of what the field of health law is all about. Most aspects of health law, including any attempt at health reform, tackle the financial and transactional aspects of healthcare law. In a highly bureaucratic and regulated system, it is about the role that money plays in our society’s medical care.
Healthcare services account for a very large portion of our federal budget. The big three concerns for improvement are access, cost, and quality. Making sure there is more widespread access to healthcare remains a top priority among our government. There is a difference between coverage and access. Many are technically covered, but even less have access to certain services. While maintaining quality is always important, the regulations focus mainly on costs. |
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Tort reform is one suggested tenet of reforming healthcare. The effect of frivolous lawsuits on the system can be damaging. However, what goes on behind the scenes is what is often not mentioned in the news or in courtroom dramas. This includes how a physician is reimbursed for his medical services, how a hospital is funded and potential tax implications, the way group practices are managed, advances in health information technology that can lead the way for the future, and how we pay for all of this. Striving to maintain top quality healthcare, while ensuring as many citizens as possible are covered in some way for treatment, while maintaining the staggering costs that accompany such goals, is no easy feat. This is why it remains regulated. Medicare, Medicaid, pharmaceuticals, audits, utilization of tests and procedures, adopting technological advances such as electronic medical records (EMRs) are all issues the government has addressed on State and Federal levels. It is very difficult to keep up with the changes, especially if you are a physician.
We understand that physicians have enough to worry about with consistently ensuring quality treatment for their patients and keeping up with the latest medical studies to maintain their licenses. It is our job at Midwest Legal Partners to make sure they are updated with the latest laws relevant to their thriving practice. Healthcare is an industry. The business and legal side of healthcare can be just as critical to a physician’s or hospital’s vitality as the medical knowledge required to sustain it. |
Click below for more information on our Healthcare Law practice:
Transactional Healthcare Stark Law Anti-Kickback Statutes and Fraud and Abuse Recovery Audit Contractors and other Government Audits Insurance Coverage and Other Forms of Reimbursement HIPAA and Advances in Health Information Technology Medical Malpractice Defense Running Your Own Practice |