On September 28, 2024, Governor Newsom vetoed Assembly Bill No. 3129 (AB 3129), which would have required private equity groups and hedge funds to obtain the Attorney General’s written consent at least 90 days prior to acquisitions or changes of control of certain health care facilities, provider groups, and other providers. More information on the background, evolution, and projected impact of AB 3129 is available at our AB 3129 blog series.[1]Continue Reading Update: Governor Newsom Vetoes California’s AB 3129 Targeting Healthcare Private Equity Deals
Julia D'Errico
Julia D'Errico is an associate in the Corporate Practice Group in the firm's Century City office and is a member of the firm’s Healthcare team.
Update: AB 3129 Passes in California Senate and Nears Finish Line
After its passage in the California Senate on August 31, 2024, Assembly Bill No. 3129 (AB 3129) is now headed to Governor Newsom’s desk.Continue Reading Update: AB 3129 Passes in California Senate and Nears Finish Line
Update: OHCA Approves Amendments to Cost and Market Impact Review (CMIR) Regulations
California’s Office of Health Care Affordability (OHCA) has officially approved amendments (“Amendments”) to the cost and market impact review (CMIR) regulations, effective August 22, 2024. Most significantly, these Amendments expand the scope of health care entities (HCEs) subject to a CMIR, among other notable changes discussed below.Continue Reading Update: OHCA Approves Amendments to Cost and Market Impact Review (CMIR) Regulations
Massachusetts Senate Passes Bill to Increase Oversight of Private Equity Healthcare Transactions
On July 18, 2024, the Massachusetts Senate passed S. 2871, An Act Enhancing the Health Care Market Review Process (the Bill), to increase oversight of healthcare transactions involving private equity firms, real estate investment trusts, and management services organizations (MSOs). The Bill is another example of the increasing trend towards curbing private equity influence in health care, as highlighted in our previous blog series on California’s Assembly Bill 3129.[1] In Massachusetts, 51% of all healthcare provider transactions in the past decade have involved private equity firms,[2] and the Bill targets such involvement with the goals of expanding care and medication access and improving transparency and affordability, particularly in the primary care space.Continue Reading Massachusetts Senate Passes Bill to Increase Oversight of Private Equity Healthcare Transactions
OHCA Proposes Amendments to its Cost and Market Impact Review Program
Only two months after California’s cost and market impact review (CMIR) regime began to require notice of certain healthcare-related transactions, the Office of Health Care Affordability (OHCA) has already proposed several amendments (Amendments) to the regulations. To recap, the CMIR regulations as currently in effect require that health care entities (HCEs) notify OHCA of transactions meeting certain materiality thresholds at least ninety days prior to closing, as discussed in depth in our previous blog series.[1] Public comments to the Amendments will be accepted until June 20, 2024 and the Amendments are scheduled for discussion at an OHCA board meeting on June 26, 2024. OHCA has not yet announced when the Amendments would take effect, if passed.Continue Reading OHCA Proposes Amendments to its Cost and Market Impact Review Program
CMS Issues Final Rule on Medicaid and CHIP Managed Care Access, Finance, and Quality
On April 22, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a Final Rule (CMS-2439-F), effective…
Continue Reading CMS Issues Final Rule on Medicaid and CHIP Managed Care Access, Finance, and QualityCalifornia is Capping Health Care Cost Increases – Starting at 3.5% in 2025
As we previewed last year regarding SB 184 and the establishment of the California Office of Health Care Affordability (OHCA), California now has taken a significant regulatory step aimed at restraining growth in health care costs. On April 24, 2024, OHCA’s board (the “Board”) voted to implement its long anticipated statewide health care cost target, beginning with a 3.5% cap on spending growth in 2025 and decreasing in the following years. As with OHCA’s cost and market impact review (CMIR) reporting regime,[1] this cap will apply to “health care entities,” which include providers such as hospitals, facilities, outpatient clinics, large physician groups and clinical laboratories, payors and fully integrated delivery systems.Continue Reading California is Capping Health Care Cost Increases – Starting at 3.5% in 2025
Solving for Physician Burnout: Creating a Culture of Psychological Safety
Our clients report that addressing and preventing burnout for their physicians and other caregivers continues to be a critical priority in the aftermath of the pandemic. Healthcare organizations need high functioning, engaged clinicians to provide outstanding care and meet goals for quality patient outcomes. However, many grapple with how to create and maintain a robust organizational culture where physicians feel psychologically safe and well resourced, and in which they report lower rates of burnout. In light of ongoing physician shortages, particularly in primary care and high-demand specialties like radiology, effectively recruiting and retaining physicians is critical to delivering care, maintaining contractual staffing commitments, providing for more consistent revenue, and reducing associated costs. We hear often that physicians feel they are being asked to do more with less and adapt to a rapidly changing environment in terms of clinical care, medical record documentation, patient communication, mid-level supervision, and technological advancements. In response, many of our clients are actively exploring how to support providers, create and sustain a cohesive organizational culture, and reduce burnout rates. In this article, we discuss one piece of that larger puzzle – the importance of promoting psychological safety for physicians through both internal programming and participation in external opportunities.Continue Reading Solving for Physician Burnout: Creating a Culture of Psychological Safety
California’s AB 3129: A New Hurdle for Private Equity Health Care Transactions on the Horizon?
Parties involved in or considering health care transactions in California have been focused on navigating the new rules set by California’s Office of Health Care Affordability (OHCA),[1] and newly proposed legislation could present additional challenges in consummating certain health care transactions, particularly those involving private equity. Introduced in February 2024, California’s Assembly Bill 3129 seeks to curb consolidation in the health care industry allegedly driven by private equity firms and hedge funds. As summarized in greater detail below, the bill would require that these parties obtain prior written consent from California’s Attorney General (AG) before an acquisition or change of control of many types of health care businesses and assets.Continue Reading California’s AB 3129: A New Hurdle for Private Equity Health Care Transactions on the Horizon?
Continuity in Coverage: CMS Extends the Unwinding SEP & Issues Final Rule for Medicaid and CHIP Enrollment
On March 28, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), announced that it is extending the temporary special enrollment period (the Unwinding SEP) for prior beneficiaries of Medicaid and Medicaid-expansion Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP) to enroll in the Health Insurance Marketplace (Marketplace). The Unwinding SEP was previously scheduled to terminate on July 31, 2024, but now the end date is extended to November 30, 2024. This 4-month extension will help millions maintain insurance coverage as they navigate their new post-pandemic eligibility statuses.Continue Reading Continuity in Coverage: CMS Extends the Unwinding SEP & Issues Final Rule for Medicaid and CHIP Enrollment
HHS Announces 42 Part 2 Final Rule to Align with HIPAA
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recently released the long anticipated Final Rule to revise the Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Patient Records regulations at 42 C.F.R. Part 2 (Part 2).Continue Reading HHS Announces 42 Part 2 Final Rule to Align with HIPAA