Each July, the Medicare Administrative Contractors issue notices of a 2% Medicare payment reduction to those providers who did not meet quality data reporting requirements. Those notices have been sent. In this episode, Husch...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
When confronted with a complaint, allegation or event that implicates a potential Medicare overpayment, hospices have an affirmative duty under the federal 60-day repayment rule to conduct an investigation and refund any...more
The core of most hospice audits has been, and continues to be, whether the medical record supports the patient’s hospice eligibility. In this episode, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske talks with Bryan Nowicki and Zaina Niles...more
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has recently started mailing letters inviting physicians to one-on-one training sessions about the Medicare hospice benefit. In this episode, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske,...more
Unified Program Integrity Contractor (UPIC) audits are on the rise, and the UPICs are embracing the full array of enforcement tools at their disposal. In this episode, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske and Bryan Nowicki discuss...more
In this era of disruption and market consolidation, the talk of the town is how hospices can make strategic pivots to expand their geography, diversify the scope of their services to get further upstream, and otherwise be...more
As audit activity escalates, hospices are getting increasingly familiar with the alphabet soup of audits and auditors, including OIG, UPIC, CMS, CPI, SMRC, MAC, TPE and more. Unfortunately, there are times when hospices are...more
As we explored in our podcast on June 30, 2021, there is no one way for hospices to collaborate and position themselves for value-based care. In today’s episode, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske has the great pleasure to be...more
In a follow-up to its recent reports on billing outside the hospice benefit for drugs and durable medical equipment (DME), the Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) new data report identifies billions being billed to Medicare...more
Today, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske has the great pleasure to be joined by two of the founders of the Institute for Story, Jamey Espina and Dr. Berry, who is also a best-selling author and top change management speaker,...more
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently announced that its 2022 work plan for hospices will include a nationwide review of hospice beneficiary eligibility. In this episode, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske and Bryan...more
Our hospice team has been fielding questions from hospices across the country on administering COVID-19 vaccination requirements. In this episode, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske is joined by colleague Jessica Brown, where...more
Providing hospice care to vulnerable individuals can embroil hospices in a variety of unwanted situations. The emotions surrounding the death of a loved one can cause families and caregivers to question the kind of care...more
Hospices’ unique regulatory and business environment impacts how they contract with and relate to other private entities. In this episode, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske, Bryan Nowicki and Jake Harris discuss the many kinds...more
The False Claims Act is a powerful enforcement tool used to go after those who defraud the government. Unfortunately, the wide net cast by the False Claims Act can lead to extremely negative consequences for upstanding...more
Private payor contracts will define future revenue for hospices. Whether it be Medicare Advantage Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) contracts for hospice services or for upstream non-hospice services (palliative and...more
What is the latest on vaccine mandates? In this episode, Husch Blackwell's Meg Pekarske is joined by colleague Tom O’Day to discuss the newly released OSHA and CMS rules. They'll uncover the surprises, discuss how to...more
11/12/2021
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Hospice ,
Masks ,
OSHA ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
In Part II of our two-part series on ALJ hearings, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske unpacks strategies for winning with colleagues Bryan Nowicki, Emily Solum and Erin Burns. They explore what it means to be well-prepared and...more
In this two-part series, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske unpacks strategies for winning at ALJ hearings with colleagues Bryan Nowicki, Emily Solum and Erin Burns. They explore what it means to be well-prepared and who should...more
In this episode, Husch Blackwell's Meg Pekarske chats with colleagues Bryan Nowicki and Jacob Harris, who share what happened with the Hospice Item Set (HIS) noncompliance letters. You have to listen—did hospices win or lose?...more
As many hospices begin the hard work of exploring how collaboration can benefit their organizations, it can be helpful and inspiring to hear how others have walked the same path. In today’s episode, Husch Blackwell’s Meg...more
In today’s episode, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske talks with team members Bryan Nowicki and Erin Burns about two recent developments in the hospice audit arena. First, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)...more
By October 1, 2021, hospices will need to update their election addendum form to address a change made by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in the final rule. The government has provided much-needed...more
After exploring the attributes of a well-functioning board, in this episode we delve into common practices and tendencies that can limit board performance. Whether it be factioning, side conversations or confidentiality...more