(Reprinted from October 4, 2010 issue of HealthLeaders Media) In this age of increased transparency with federal business in general, and healthcare in particular, it is somewhat surprising that so much about healthcare procurement still remains unknown. Since July of this year, federal agencies have released an estimated 70 Requests for Proposal (RFPs) for a […]
New Medicare Fraud and Abuse Provisions Under the PPACA
(Reprinted from July 12, 2010 issue of HealthLeaders Media) President Obama recently signed off on legislation that very likely will result in a substantial increase in lawsuits against health care providers. Intended to combat fraud in the Medicare & Medicaid programs, several amendments in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) significantly change the […]
No Bid Contracts and the Age of Transparency
(Reprinted from May 10, 2010 issue of HealthLeaders Media) The “no-bid” contract: The phrase evokes all kinds of connotations about federal contracting: sweetheart deals for big corporations; the revolving door from government to industry and just about everything else wrong with federal contracting. Just think of the controversial billion dollar “no-bid” contracts awarded to Halliburton […]
TRICARE Protests: Round 2
(Reprinted from February 1, 2010 issue of HealthLeaders Media) Several months ago, we wrote about the stunning upset of two of the three managed care support contracts awarded under TRICARE, the military’s health program for retirees and dependents of active duty personnel. Neither Health Net Federal Services (HNFS), the incumbent contractor for one of the […]
Price for Relaxed Vigilance for Business Ethics and Conduct Is Steep
(Reprinted from November 2, 2009 issue of HealthLeaders Media) President Obama recently promised that his plans for healthcare reform would include cracking down on fraud. Even before such plans were announced, a recent HealthLeaders Media article noted that state Medicaid Fraud Control Units recovered $1.3 billion in court-ordered restitution, fines, civil settlements, and penalties for […]
Perseverance Can Result in New Business
(Reprinted from September 8, 2009 issue of HealthLeaders Media) In the most recent article in this series, we discussed federal healthcare contracting opportunities and issues of particular interest to small businesses. With the announcement in July of the Department of Defense (DoD) TRICARE contract awards, we turn to the opposite end of the spectrum and […]