Health Law Advisor

California’s legislature recently passed AB 3129, and it is awaiting Governor Gavin Newsom’s signature. While AB 3129 impacts several different provider types, this article focuses on its impact on Management Service Organizations (MSOs) and Physician Practice Management Companies (PPMCs) as the historically accepted structure for purposes of complying with the prohibitions on the corporate practice of medicine (CPOM). In its initial drafts, AB 3129 seemed highly focused on MSOs and the Friendly PC models for PPMs in the state.

While much of the early language regarding MSOs seems to have been shed from the bill, some ambiguity remains regarding whether, and in what contexts, sponsored MSOs will need to give pre-transaction notice to, or obtain the consent of, the California Attorney General (AG).  A later section of the bill highlights what will likely be CPOM enforcement priorities and is worth the close attention of all MSOs operating in the state.

The application of artificial intelligence technologies to health care delivery, coding and population management may profoundly alter the manner in which clinicians and others interact with patients, and seek reimbursement. While on one hand, AI may promote better treatment decisions and streamline onerous coding and claims submission, there are risks associated with unintended bias that may be lurking in the algorithms. AI is trained on data. To the extent that data encodes historical bias, that bias may cause unintended errors when applied to new patients. This can result in ...

When evaluating the various legal and regulatory hurdles associated with telehealth—such as licensure, reimbursement, and privacy—one hurdle that often goes overlooked is the corporate practice of medicine.  Many states have enacted laws which directly or indirectly are viewed as prohibiting the “corporate practice” of medicine.  While variations exist among states, the doctrine generally forbids a person or entity, such as a general business corporation, other than a licensed physician, professional corporation (“PC”) or a professional limited liability ...