Tag: Jeff Baird
Small supplier networks face steep hurdles in next bid round
June 12, 2026Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
WASHINGTON – There may be strength in numbers, but the logistics of smaller suppliers submitting bids as part of a network in the next round of Medicare’s competitive bidding program (CBP) may be too prohibitive, says health care attorney Jeff Baird.
In the next round of CBP, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will implement a nationwide Remote Item Delivery (RID) program that effectively shuts out smaller, independent suppliers.
“The goal of CMS that at...
Tougher enforcement, growing demand: DME suppliers face dual pressures
January 30, 2026Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
WASHINGTON – If it seems like the federal government is ramping up anti-fraud efforts, it’s not your imagination, says attorney Jeff Baird, chairman of the Health Care Group at Brown & Fortunato.
In addition to more aggressive audits coming from the usual alphabet soup of the Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and its contractors, as well...
Q&A with Jeff Baird: What’s the impact of health care monopolies?
July 3, 2024Liz Beaulieu, Editor
AMARILLO, Texas – The Department of Justice’s new task force on health care monopolies and collusion is “absolutely warranted,” says attorney Jeff Baird, chairman of the Health Care Group at Brown & Fortunato.
The DOJ announced in May that it had formed a Task Force on Health Care Monopolies and Collusion (HCMC) within its Antitrust Division to guide its enforcement strategy and policy approach, including by facilitating advocacy, investigations and, where warranted,...
Whistleblowers drive increase in FCA lawsuits
March 22, 2024Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
WASHINGTON – The False Claims Act has led to a growth industry of sorts and it’s unlikely to slow down any time soon, says health care attorney Jeff Baird.
The U.S. Department of Justice recently announced $2.68 billion in settlements and judgments under the FCA, its highest number in a single year, with more than $1.8 billion related to health care. The vast majority are driven by whistleblower lawsuits, says Baird, chairman of the Health Care Group at Brown & Fortunato.
“There...
Physicians, platforms & supplies: ‘It’s a gray area’
June 23, 2023Liz Beaulieu, Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine – The unwinding of the public health emergency and the increasing number of platforms that allow physicians to manage the distribution of medical supplies for their patients have complicated the Medicare market for providers, says health care attorney Jeff Baird.
During the public health emergency, which stretched from March 2020 through much of April 2023, some physician groups took the position that blanket waivers to the Stark law allowed them to mail supplies to...
Post-PHE: Grandfathering patients, continuing telehealth and using EUA devices
February 10, 2023Liz Beaulieu, Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine – Now that there’s an end date, industry watchers are waiting for CMS to publish guidance on patients who providers set up during the public health emergency and who they will bill for beyond the PHE.
President Joe Biden announced in February that the PHE will end May 11, 2023.
“We need to be grandfathered in,” said Jeff Baird, chair of the Health Care Group at Brown & Fortunato during a Feb. 2 webcast. “We don’t want post-PHE...
Stark and Baird on what’s critical to a provider’s livelihood
January 13, 2023Liz Beaulieu, Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine – Medicare Advantage will be the elephant in the room in 2023, say Andrea Stark and Jeff Baird, due to the “sheer mass migration” of beneficiaries to these plans.
“Everything is centered around managed care,” said Baird, chairman of the Health Care Group at Brown & Fortunato. “It seems like, overnight, we woke up and 50% of Medicare patients are now covered by these plans.”
HME News connected with Stark, a Medicare consultant...
Legal spotlight: Mandates, audits
April 2, 2022Liz Beaulieu, Editor
AMARILLO, Texas – With the roller coaster of vaccine mandates and the uptick in audits, legal issues are keeping HME providers on their toes, say Jeff Baird and Denise Leard. Baird and Leard, both health care attorneys with Brown & Fortunato, gave HME News a look into the latest developments on these two topics.
Vaccine variables
The long story short, Baird says, is if you’re an HME company, you have to worry about whether or not your employees are visiting a health care facility...
CMS softens safe harbors, exceptions to promote value-based care
December 3, 2020Liz Beaulieu, Editor
AMARILLO, Texas - CMS's recent reforms to the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Law will benefit HME providers, but “not a whole lot,” says healthcare attorney Jeff Baird.
The agency in late November published two final rules, culminating a years-long process of modernizing regulations to better support coordinated and value-based care, but they mostly impact physicians and hospitals.
Baird, chairman of the Health Care Group at Brown & Fortunato, drilled down to how the...
Legal roundup, COVID edition
May 29, 2020Liz Beaulieu, Editor
AMARILLO, Texas - With Round 2021 a wild card, health care attorney Jeff Baird is advising his clients to hold off on making any serious financial decisions for as long as possible.CMS's latest round of competitive bidding is due to start Jan. 1, with payment amounts announced this summer and contract suppliers announced this fall, but industry stakeholders are trying to make the case to the agency that the bids they submitted last fall are outdated.“It's really difficult to see how competitive...