On December 19, 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that the central provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Ac t (ACA) – the Individual Mandate (requiring Americans to have health insurance) – is unconstitutional. However, the court did not decide whether the unconstitutionality of the Individual Mandate invalidated the rest of the ACA; instead, the Fifth Circuit sent the case back to the district court for further review and determination of which ACA provisions could survive without the mandate. (Read more...)

On December 4, 2019, the nation’s largest hospital groups united to commence a lawsuit against the Trump Administration related to the recently-finalized federal rule that requires hospitals to disclose negotiated prices starting in 2021. The complaint was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. by the American Hospital Association (AHA), the Federation of American Hospitals (FAH), the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the Children’s Hospital Association , and three hospitals in Nebraska, California, and Missouri. (Read more...)  

Economists, actuaries, and statisticians from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently conducted a full analysis of 2018 U.S. healthcare spending. The research found that the healthcare spending growth rate rose to 4.6% in 2018, from 4.2% in 2017, equating to approximately $11,172 per person. However, continued U.S. economic growth, which contributed to a growing overall gross domestic product (GDP) in 2018, resulted in the share of the economy devoted to healthcare actually declining from 17.9% in 2017 to 17.7% in 2018. This is the first time since 2013 that this share declined, although the ratio remained stagnant between 2016 and 2017. (Read more...)  

Despite the stance of the current presidential administration toward de-regulating healthcare, the regulatory scrutiny of healthcare entities (especially with regard to fraud and abuse violations) has generally increased in recent years. Due to the nature of Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS), and its criminal and civil penalties, disregarding federal and state regulation of the ASC industry may result in more than an unassuming fine. This fourth installment in this five-part series on the valuation of ASCs will discuss the regulatory environment in which ASCs operate.  (Read more...)  
HCC NEWS
An article authored by HCC President, Todd Zigrang , and HCC Vice President and General Counsel, Jessica Bailey-Wheaton , was featured in the December 2019/January 2020 issue of St. Louis Metropolitan Medicine , published by the St. Louis Metropolitan Medical Society . Read the article entitled, “ Proposed Stark Law Changes: Health Care Industry Implications ,”

For more recently published material written by HCC, please visit www.healthcapital.com
 

ANNOUNCING
Advanced Distance Education to Launch in 2020

The  Institute for Healthcare Valuation  (IHV) &  Consultants' Training Institute  (CTI) are pleased to announce premier healthcare valuation training through a distance education program, the Certificate of Educational Achievement (CEA) for Advanced Education in Healthcare Valuation. The program will launch in 2020 and will bridge the interdisciplinary nature of healthcare valuation to include: the Four Pillars of Healthcare (regulatory, reimbursement, competition, and technology); the market forces shaping the U.S. healthcare industry; and the valuation of healthcare enterprises, assets, and services. Legal professionals and healthcare providers, as well as those wishing to expand their scope of activities in healthcare valuation engagements and those seeking to enhance their current healthcare valuation service lines, will gain comprehensive knowledge through completing the expansive program. The program has been developed and is being presented by industry thought leader Health Capital Consultants , alongside a blockbuster faculty of healthcare subject matter experts from the legal, federal regulatory, and valuation professions.

HCC President, Todd Zigrang , and Vice President and General Counsel, Jessica Bailey-Wheaton , were recently interviewed by the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts (NACVA) , where they discussed the development of the distance education program along with the topics that will be covered. Click HERE to watch the entire interview.