title: Recent hospital charity care controversies highlight ambiguities and outdated features of government regulations.
abstract: For years the hospital industry has been embroiled in controversies involving pricing, charity care, and collection practices. Unfortunately, Medicare regulations and policies governing hospital charge-setting and collection practices have not helped bring much clarity to the situation, nor has related CMS and OIG guidance. Coordinated effort by hospitals and regulatory bodies can help clarify unclear government regulation of charity care, pricing, and collections and end potentially destructive controversies that sap valuable time, energy, and resources from efforts addressing much graver long-term threats to hospital viability.
authors.affiliation: The MacKelvie Law Firm of Chicago, Illinois, USA.
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: MacKelvie
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Apolskis
authors.forename: James J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Unland
mesh_terms: D002608:Charities / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D005607:Fraud / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D033161:Government Regulation; D017722:Hospital Charges / Q000458:organization & administration; D006788:Hospitals, Voluntary / Q000191:economics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006278:Medicare; D010350:Patient Credit and Collection / Q000458:organization & administration; D014481:United States