News & Insights

CMS has now released the 2020 QPP Exception Applications Fact Sheet.

The LDH EOC released Health Alert Network Message 20-38 on June 18, 2020, regarding new demographic data elements that must be collected and reported...

Alarm fatigue has been identified as a top-ten risk area in hospitals for over a decade. The Joint Commission added a National Patient Safety Goal® on...

The 2020 PI and Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances Exception Application Window is Now Open! Promoting Interoperability (PI) is the latest rendi...

A recent decision in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia held that the HHS limit on fees was impermissible.

The USPSTF released updated guidelines on abdominal aortic aneurysm screening in December 2019, adding verification of the benefit of AAA screening.

Practices don’t always know what options they have when it comes to procuring VRI service, or they don’t know where to start.

LAMMICO has created a page on our website where we post resources related to COVID-19.

LAMMICO is offering a complimentary webinar for insureds titled “Prescribing in the Year 2020 & Beyond” presented by Kenneth E. Rhea, M.D., FASHRM.

An info graphic detailing physician burnout and suicide report for 2020.

Reminder: Federal and LA State Financial Resources

The Arkansas Medical Society (AMS) has received some clarification from the Arkansas Department of Health on its April 27, 2020 Directive on Resuming...

Healthcare providers who diagnose cases of COVID-19 in patients that fit into the following three categories should immediately report them to LDH usi...

On May 3, 2020 the CDC added information to its guidance for pediatric healthcare providers regarding the incubation period and clinical presentation...

COVID-19 has brought great challenges and adjustments in both practice and protocol decisions.

LAMMICO has prepared two resources containing information that may be useful to you as you prepare for reopening and resuming your practice

In order to avoid further harm from underlying time sensitive conditions or diseases, the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) has permitted the resum...

LAMMICO has developed a new Members Only resource that is populated with the Louisiana Medical Disclosure Panel forms with the list of procedures and...

LAMMICO has prepared two documents containing information that may be useful to you as you prepare for the reopening and resume your practice.

Documentation, always key to the practice of medicine and defense of claims, is now even more critical due to many challenges posed by COVID-19.

Louisiana law and certain federal statures are favorable for a healthcare provider whose treatment of patients here in Louisiana is called into questi...

Executive Order 20-18 grants limited immunity from liability for medical emergency responders (including physicians and other specified healthcare pro...

A message to LAMMICO insureds from J. Michael Conerly, M.D., MBA.

LSMS continues to work with national organizations and Congressional leaders to have physician and medical practice sustaining provisions included in...

Allied Health Professionals may provide services to clients in the state of Louisiana separated by distance from the provider by using telehealth, or...

A summary of some of the key aspects of the CARES Act grant as posted on the HHS website.

CS Modifier Needed on Medicare Claims Resulting in Covid-19 Cost-sharing does not apply for COVID-19 testing-related services, between March 18,...

Last week, the Arkansas Medical Society (AMS) and a coalition of other healthcare organizations sent a proposed Executive Order to Governor Asa Hutchi...

On March 31, 2020, Proclamation Number 38 JBE 2020 was released and is to remain in effect during the public health emergency unless earlier terminate...

On March 28, 2020, the HHS/OCR issued a bulletin reminding healthcare providers of their obligations under civil rights laws that prohibit discriminat...

To help navigate the frenzied changes and various billing scenarios that have quickly emerged with the COVID-19 public health emergency, LAMMICO prepa...

This article contains information from OCR, CDC, FBI and CISA regarding cybersecurity and social engineering.

The HHS/OCR has issued a notification of enforcement discretion as to allowable uses and disclosures of PHI by business associates (BA) for public hea...

The presentation will provide an overview of the types of assistance available for small business with particular emphasis on the healthcare specific...

The LSBME provided straightforward guidance about Board changes to parts or clauses of certain rules due to the COVID-19 pandemic and proclamations by...

On March 30, 2020 CMS issued guidance providing additional flexibilities for hospitals to set up temporary expansion sites to increase capacity to car...

On Thursday, April 9, 2020 at 12 p.m., employment attorneys A. Kevin Troutman and Lariza Hebert will present a 90-minute webinar on the Families First...

In honor of National Doctors’ Day, we would like to express our appreciation and gratitude to physicians who have dedicated their lives to carin...

Louisiana Department of Insurance has issued Emergency Rule 40 placing a moratorium on cancellation and nonrenewal of insurance. This applies to your...

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, LAMMICO has received many questions similar to the following: “A patient is presently located out...

OCR guidance clarifies the regulatory permissions that covered entities may use to disclose Protected Health Information (PHI) to first responders and...

When conducting telemedicine consultations, physicians should look to the patient’s state for guidance on the rules for telemedicine and the requireme...

COVID-19 has been added to the Class A Diseases in the State of Louisiana, which means that physicians have a mandatory reporting obligation to the St...

Arkansas physicians and other healthcare providers have immediate mandatory reporting obligations to the Arkansas Health Department (ADH) of confirmed...

The Louisiana Department of Insurance (DOI) extended Emergency Rules 36 and 37 on April 8, 2020, which will remain in effect until May 12, 2020.

Healthcare is now being rerouted from face-to-face encounters to delivery via telehealth.

As medical providers continue to work, it must be considered how the actions by federal, state and local authorities might affect litigation between C...

Telehealth/Telemedicine (telehealth) coverage for patients located within an insured provider's state is already covered by your LAMMICO policy.

The OCR recently issued a Notification announcing OCR will waive potential HIPAA penalties against healthcare providers in connection with their good...

The Louisiana Department of Health, Office of Public Health (LDH/OPH) recently adopted an Emergency Rule that adds coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)...

LAMMICO is closely monitoring the developments of COVID-19 in order to ensure continuity of service to our insureds and to protect our employees.

The case suggests that federal courts may be reluctant to allow plaintiff attorneys to add hospital defendants using allegations that properly fall wi...

Cybersecurity is one of the biggest issues facing the healthcare community today.

LAMMICO is offering two new one-hour education courses on “Workplace Violence in Ambulatory Care”—one for physicians and one for practice managers.

LAMMICO has created two new educational activities to help with documentation in the electronic health record.

Physicians who treat patients for pain may benefit from reviewing a report from HHS called Pain Management Best Practices.

The 2020 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule is being promoted by CMS as a vehicle to reduce clinical burden, ensure appropriate payment for Me...

Practice managers can now access a report of their insured physicians’ and healthcare providers’ LAMMICO Risk Management (RM) Credit Balance.

Physicians and other healthcare providers can prepare for more widespread cases of the 2019 novel coronavirus by taking advantage of these resources.

Approximately 400 physicians in the U.S., more than one per day, die by suicide each year.

There is a new feature on LAMMICO’s website available for practice managers and staff. After logging in as a Member on lammico.com, practice man...

Wishing you and your families a very happy and healthy holiday season!

The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) has promulgated rules that modify hospital licensure requirements that may affect certain hospitals. This rul...

A large quality improvement project has demonstrated that when facilities follow an enhanced recovery protocol for patients undergoing bariatric surge...

In late September 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the Omnibus Burden Reduction (Conditions of Participation) Fi...

Is your hospital ensuring that your affiliated practices and clinics are adopting policies and procedures to account for deaf and hard of hearing pati...

LAMMICO’s Patient Safety Award and Grant program is entering its fifth year. Since inception of the program, we’ve given more than $40,000...

The patient safety organization ECRI Institute released its 2020 list of the top 10 technology hazards in healthcare facilities.

In 2020, The Central Line will move to an email newsletter format and will no longer be mailed in a hardcopy edition three times a year.

On December 4, 2019, the LAMMICO Board of Directors declared a 5% dividend, marking the 13th consecutive dividend since 2008.

LAMMICO's Cyber Liability Insurance partner, NAS Insurance Services, LLC (NAS), was recently acquired by Tokio Marine HCC.

Beginning with January 1, 2020 renewals, rate changes as approved by our independent actuary and the Louisiana Department of Insurance represent an ov...

Act 426 of 2019 now requires prescribers to indicate on the prescription that more than a 7-day supply of an opioid is medically necessary.

LAMMICO has produced a new series of controlled substance education to meet the requirements of Arkansas and Mississippi laws, in addition to our exis...

A recent uptick in filings of federal suits against healthcare providers for alleged discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), p...

The LSBME recently amended its telemedicine Rules so that it would not inadvertently prevent physicians from prescribing medication or providing other...

Some of the biggest issues related to NPP billing have to do with the concept of “Incident to.”

If you submitted 2018 Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) data, you can now view your performance feedback including your 2018 MIPS final scor...

We congratulate the following recipients who have been honored for the 2019 medical school year: Alex Miller, Pranav Bhargava and Hunter F. Douglas.

Congratulations to the recipient of the 4th Annual LAMMICO Patient Safety Award and Grant: Jennings American Legion Hospital in Jennings, Louisiana, w...

Plaintiffs frequently test the boundaries of the Louisiana Medical Malpractice Act (LMMA) by arguing the defendant healthcare provider’s alleged negli...

Did you know that all LAMMICO insured hospitals and eligible ambulatory surgery centers could earn up to a 10% discount on their LAMMICO renewal premi...

LAMMICO offers insureds an annual opportunity to earn a 10% discount on their premium for completing risk management education.

The handoff in medicine has been defined as a process “in which patient care and accountability is transferred from one clinician (or team of clinicia...

Cybersecurity is one of the biggest issues facing the healthcare community today. The best way to protect your organization is to be proactive and rem...

LAMMICO supports our long-time insureds, Dr. Abraham and Dr. Lord, as they run for elected offices in Louisiana.

Failing to properly enroll in the PCF or choosing to not participate in the PCF, could leave you exposed to uncapped claims.

Individuals throughout an organization have the ability to expose their organization to a wide range of security threats simply because they are consi...

Physician burnout is costing the U.S. about $4.6 billion annually. LAMMICO offers resources to help healthcare providers avoid burnout.

As hurricane season heats up, we recommend that you review the checklist below to ensure that you’re prepared in the event of a flood.

Failure to follow-up or communicate test results can contribute to allegations of malpractice against a healthcare provider. One way to prevent this i...

According to a recent study by Comparitech, medical and health records have become the top target for cybersecurity attacks over the past three years.

Physicians may not realize that they are establishing a physician/patient relationship when performing an IME.

Compliance with applicable laws regarding deaf and hard of hearing patients can be confusing, onerous, and costly, but smart and tactful planning in c...

AM Best recently awarded LAMMICO an “A” (Excellent) rating for 2018.

Louisiana law does not set the copy fees for a patient record request. Pursuant to Title 45 Section 164.524 of the Federal regulations, a patient or h...

Happy holidays from all of us at LAMMICO!

The Board has elected Frederick J. White, III, M.D., as LAMMICO's Chairman of the Board effective January 1, 2019.

A Connecticut allergy practice has agreed to pay the OCR $125,000 and adopt a corrective action plan to settle potential violations of the HIPAA Priva...

Effective August 1, 2018, Louisiana has a new and expanded definition of personal private information.

At the end of a person's life, his or her family may have very different views on medical care, putting the healthcare provider in the middle of famil...

Many healthcare providers likely don’t know that certain types of surgical procedures performed in an office require specialized record-keeping.

Physician burnout has been present for about 20 years, but it has not been actively acknowledged until the past decade. We present some details about...

An example of a claim that resulted in an uncapped exposure is discussed - a claim brought by a third-party alleging negligent discharge.

Beginning with January 1, 2019 renewals, rate changes as approved by our independent actuary and the Louisiana Department of Insurance represent an ov...

Under the Louisiana Medical Malpractice Act (“the Act”), damages are limited or “capped” at $500,000 plus medical expenses in cases filed against heal...

The LAMMICO Risk Management Hospital Premium Discount Program was established to reward hospitals and eligible ambulatory surgery centers that improve...

Could the healthcare professionals at your facility be carefully following hand hygiene protocols but still spreading bacteria via their stethoscopes?...

You can still avoid a QPP Penalty without an EHR! Do you see the N700 remark code on your Medicare EOBs? If your EOBs from Medicare include this remar...

In today’s constant barrage of technology warnings, it is easy to overlook the dusty old fax machine in the corner.

News about cybersecurity threats fills our inboxes daily, and the information can be difficult to process. As cybersecurity threats and regulations co...

Is a staff member’s use of a patient’s full name in the waiting room considered a HIPAA violation?

The Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners (LSBME) and the Louisiana State Board of Nursing (LSBN) have issued congruent rules governing physician...

To address this growing and often unrecognized issue of nursing burnout, LAMMICO has developed a continuing education program designed specifically fo...

The ADA compels healthcare providers to accommodate patients with disabilities, including allowing some types of animals in the treatment room.

The applicable laws relating to audio-visual recording in a healthcare setting are frequently misunderstood.

LAMMICO insures hospitals, facilities, physicians and mid-level providers – giving you the benefit of working with a single carrier to effectively cov...

There are still a lot of pieces that need to fall in place before a Louisiana patient can walk into a medical office and ask for marijuana.

Organizations should consider whether their process for disposing of electronic devices and media does so in a secure manner.

One of the most talked about recommendations of the 2019 QPP Proposed Rule is the proposed changes to the current Evaluation and Management (E&M) code...

One effective but underused technological shield healthcare providers can wield against modern-day security attacks is encryption: usually free, readi...

What should you do if a federal investigative agent shows up at the door of the company that you work for?

There are many things that healthcare providers or their office staff do that could potentially result in a False Claims audit or investigation.

The LSBME and the LSBN have issued congruent rules governing physician collaboration with APRNs required to have a collaborative practice agreement.