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The Office of Legal Affairs provides information to member physicians about Board of Medical Examiner activities, third-party payors, HIPAA, EMTALA and other issues that impact the practice of medicine. This information is not intended to serve as legal advice. 
The Iowa Board of Medicine (IBM) formed an ad hoc committee in June 2012 after a new law was enacted that changed the physician to physician assistant supervisory ratio from 1 – 2 to 1 – 5. The law became effective July 1, 2012. The ad hoc committee was formed for the purpose of reviewing...
Governor Terry Branstad announced in his 2013 Condition of the State address that he’s proposing three initiatives designed to keep doctors in Iowa. Governor Branstad is proposing:
To pass a Certificate of Merit law and a cap on non-economic damages in...
The Iowa Board of Medicine has created an informational document (PDF 180KB) reminding physicians of their lawful obligation to report certain occurrences to the board. This summary was created in connection with the new mandatory reporting rule (PDF 267KB), which is tentatively scheduled to become...
A federal court judge has cleared the way for releasing payments in the 2009 settlement that ended the historic court challenge led by the American Medical Association against UnitedHealth Group. Nearly $200 million in awards will be paid to settle claims from physicians for 15 years of artificially low payments from UnitedHealth...
On October 31, 2011, Judge Artis Reis of the District Court for Polk County ruled that administrative rules adopted by the Iowa Board of Nursing (IBN) and the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) authorizing nurse practitioners to supervise fluoroscopy were invalid, illegal, void and of no effect.
This litigation began in June 2010 when the Iowa...
On January 14, UnitedHealthcare will send letters to physicians and group practice administrators about UHC's quality and cost efficiency assessments of them under its Premium designation program. Two-star physicians have met UHC's measurement standards for both quality and cost efficiency;...
The Polk County District Court, on November 23, 2010, issued a stay order placing on hold rules of the Iowa Board of Nursing (IBN) and the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) permitting supervision of fluoroscopy by advanced registered nurse practitioners (ARNPs). The Court's order is in response to motions by the...
In July, the Iowa Supreme Court handed down an opinion in Iowa v. Cashen. In this criminal case, a defendant charged with domestic abuse assault sought access to the mental health records of the abuse victim. The defendant claimed that the records were necessary to prove his innocence. The Iowa Supreme...