Compliance gets a dust off with the new General Compliance Program Guidance released by the federal Office of the Inspector General (OIG) in November 2023. While there is a lot to digest, Husch Blackwell’s Josi Wergin and...more
Five years ago, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) initiated audits of 13 hospices and published its findings in 13 separate reports. It appears that the OIG is at it again, as...more
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (OIG) reported in November 2022 that many providers are not complying with Medicare’s billing rules for advance care planning services. In large...more
The Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (OIG) recently released a report detailing its evaluation of CMS’s primary fraud, abuse and waste investigators—the Unified Program Integrity...more
As many hospices continue to diversify into new business lines, staying abreast of enforcement trends outside of hospice is more important than ever. Home health in particular, is receiving significant government scrutiny. In...more
The “rules of the road” for Provider Relief Funds continue to evolve. Recent actions by Congress and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provide further clarification in key areas that are helpful to hospices. In...more
With all that 2020 has brought, the Information Blocking Rule that came out of the Cures Act was under the radar of many hospices. Thankfully, HHS extended the compliance date for the Rule to April 5, 2021, from November 2,...more
Under new guidance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), hospices and other providers who received CARES Act Provider Relief Fund payments can hold off on filing their first quarterly compliance report,...more
Under new guidance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), hospices and other providers who received CARES Act Provider Relief Fund payments can hold off on filing their first quarterly compliance report,...more
After the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) automatically distributed $30 billion to providers as Tranche #1 Relief Fund payments based on 2019 Medicare fee-for-service payment data, HHS subsequently released...more
Many hospices understand the general framework established for use of relief payments from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. However, questions remain about how to evaluate whether specific expenses and losses...more
On Friday, April 10, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services began disbursing $30 billion in relief funds directly to Medicare providers, including hospices. The use of those funds, however, is subject to a number of...more
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) confirmed that hospice physicians and nurse practitioners who serve as a patient’s attending physician (“NPs”) can use telehealth to perform medically necessary visits...more