Month: July 2021
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OSHA Issues COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) for the Healthcare Industry
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) for the healthcare industry on June 21, 2021.[1] The Occupational Safety and Health Act (“the Act”) passed in 1970 and created OSHA to administer the Act. It has been thirty-eight years since OSHA issued its last ETS. That ETS was issued in…
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Payor Auditing Activities
By: Kelli Carpenter Fleming During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) suspended certain payor audit and oversight activities. However, now that communities are beginning to reopen, so are the audit activities. CMS and other third-party payors are increasing their audit activities, including claims filed during the public…
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Not a “Rock Throwing” Committee; Pandemic Response Task Force Holds First Meeting
On Thursday, July 1, the first meeting of a legislatively-created task force to examine the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic was held in Montgomery. During the 2021 Legislative Session, amidst a flurry of bills being introduced related to the pandemic (like Sen. McClendon’s bill to abolish the position of State Health Officer and abolish the State Committee of Public…
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SD14 Special General Election
SD14 Special General Election is Tuesday, July 13, 2021. The seat was previously held by Cam Ward (R) and covers Bibb, Chilton and Shelby counties. As the political action committee representing physicians across the state, Alabama Medical PAC (ALAPAC) is proud to support April Weaver in this special election. At a time when healthcare policy…
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Discussions with Decisionmakers: Senator Tom Butler
Background Senator Butler has been a member of both the Senate and House of Representatives and has served in the Legislature for over 30 years. He is on the Senate Healthcare Committee. Senator Butler is also a registered and certified pharmacist and recently passed a bill that allows pharmacies to find more affordable alternative drugs…