Steven M. Harris, Esq., is a nationally recognized healthcare attorney and a member of the law firm McDonald Hopkins LLC. Steve has a national reputation as an advisor to business and professional organizations, counsels privately and publicly owned corporations and healthcare clients on contractual and regulatory issues, succession planning, and related transactional matters. He represents clients in acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures and contract disputes. In addition to acting as a business advisor, Steve serves as a member of various boards of directors. Steve also commits substantial time educating the medical profession on business and regulatory matters. Presentations include the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, the University of Chicago Hospital, the American Dental Association, and Illinois Medical Group Management Association (ILMGMA). Contact him via e-mail at sharris@mcdonaldhopkins.com.
Sales and marketing representatives can add tremendous value to your practice: They can generate consistent business by leveraging contacts who have services that can be referred to your practice. However, the services a sales and marketing representative provides are subject to significant scrutiny under the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and state equivalents. For this reason, the… [Read More]
In the daily shuffle of evaluating patients and focusing on the delivery of high-quality patient care, the importance of protecting patient information may get overlooked. Human error is just one possible way patient information can be compromised. Cybersecurity attacks are becoming more numerous and sophisticated every day, with the number of patient records compromised increasing…. [Read More]
The opioid epidemic in the U.S. has destroyed thousands of lives and torn families apart. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an average of 130 people in the U.S. die each day from an opioid overdose. From 1999 to 2017, more than 700,000 died as a result of drug overdoses. In 2017,… [Read More]
You are a new practitioner, ready to begin your first job, one for which you’ve been preparing for years. Your prospective employer gives you an agreement that outlines your compensation, scope of work, requirements and benefits. You are eager to start your new assignment, and you want to sign this document quickly to make your… [Read More]
It is no surprise to practicing physicians that the healthcare landscape is becoming more and more unpredictable. Because of the volatility surrounding today’s healthcare environment, such as increasing overhead costs and decreasing reimbursement rates, many physicians are asking themselves whether there is a different, more lucrative way to practice medicine. Concierge medicine may just be… [Read More]
For a provider of healthcare services, payer audits are always a possibility. Both government and private payers consistently monitor providers to prevent fraud, overpayment, and improper billing or coding procedures. Audits can be nerve-racking and intimidating, even if a provider is billing correctly. Improper billing can lead to civil and criminal sanctions. To alleviate some… [Read More]
Understanding your compensation is critical before you decide to accept a job. In the world of medical practices or groups, however, this understanding is even more essential, because a wide variety of compensation structures for physicians exists. These compensation models can dictate not only what a physician will make in the near future, but also… [Read More]
On Dec. 20, 2017, Congress passed a massive tax bill that will have an impact on nearly every individual and business in America. The bill makes sweeping revisions to existing tax provisions, and it will largely affect the health industry. Individual Mandate Repealed The bill repeals the individual mandate established in 2005 by the Affordable… [Read More]
The ABCs of MACRA The transition year under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) is at an end. MACRA repealed the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) methodology for updates to the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) and replaced it with a value-driven payment system. The new approach to payment is called the… [Read More]
Every day, more than 5 million records are lost or stolen. That’s more than 217,000 records per hour, 3,600 records per minute and 60 records every second. Due to increasingly sophisticated hacking tactics and ransomware, it’s anticipated that the number of reported breaches will continue to rise at an accelerated rate. In August, the list… [Read More]