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
COVID-19 remained a substantial obstacle to hospices’ efforts to comply with quality data reporting obligations in 2021. Those challenges resulted in a number of hospices receiving notices of a 2% Medicare payment reduction...more
For the last two-and-a-half years, hospices and other providers have been using billions in Provider Relief Fund (PRF) payments to prepare for, respond to and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Office of Inspector...more
In this episode, we continue our discussion of home health enforcement trends, focusing on other audits currently troubling agencies. These include audits from Unified Program Integrity Contractors (UPIC), Supplemental...more
In a prior podcast, we alerted you to the Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) nationwide review of hospice beneficiary eligibility. The OIG has begun sending out requests for records to hospices across the country. In this...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 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
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
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
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
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
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
In this third episode of the Husch Blackwell Hospice Team’s “Hospice and the False Claims Act” series, Meg Pekarske, Bryan Nowicki, Jody Rudman and Brian Flood discuss the process and path of a False Claims Act (FCA) lawsuit....more
In this second episode of the Husch Blackwell Hospice Team’s three-part “Hospice and the False Claims Act” series, Meg Pekarske, Bryan Nowicki, Jody Rudman and Brian Flood discuss the precursor to almost every False Claims...more
After waiting years, hospices are getting their “day in court.” How are hospices faring? In this episode, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske is joined by colleagues Bryan Nowicki and Emily Park, who share insights on what it...more
In this episode, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske and Bryan Nowicki discuss the new wave of CMS Center for Program Integrity (CPI) audits that have been issued during the past couple weeks. These CPI audits remain focused on...more
In today's episode of Hospice Insights: The Law & Beyond, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske is joined by colleagues Bryan Nowicki and Erin Burns to discuss the recent denial of physician visits. Over the last several months, a...more
Today's Episode: Spring Audit Bloom—Medicaid UPICs and MAC ADRs
Today, Husch Blackwell's Meg Pekarske is joined by colleagues Bryan Nowicki and Erin Burns to discuss the recent flurry of audit activity, specifically the...more
In this first episode of the Husch Blackwell Hospice Team’s 3-part “Hospice and the False Claims Act” series, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske, Bryan Nowicki, Jody Rudman and Brian Flood discuss how the False Claims Act (FCA)...more