The White House presented its FY 2021 budget to Congress in early February. The budget included HHS budget provisions reflecting the Trump Administration’s views on policy areas affecting hospice. ...more
On February 10, 2020, Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) and Congressman Tom Reed (R-NY) introduced the Helping Our Senior Population in Comfort Environments Act or HOSPICE Act (H.R. 5821). ...more
The uncertainty surrounding the use of arbitration agreements in nursing homes has finally ended—at least for now. On July 16, 2019, CMS released its long-awaited final rule, which updates the requirements nursing homes must...more
AGG health care litigation partners Jason Bring, Chesley McLeod, and Jerad Rissler recently filed a friend of the court brief with the Georgia Court of Appeals on behalf of both the Georgia Hospital Association and the...more
We are seeing a wide range of new state laws that impact the prescribing of opioids to hospice patients. Several bills are before the New York State Assembly that, if passed, could affect how prescriptions are written to...more
Every year, health lawyers, providers, consultants, and government experts from across the country convene in Baltimore for the American Health Lawyers Association’s Institute on Medicare and Medicaid Payment Issues, the most...more
Although we are seeing a wide range of new state laws that impact the prescribing of opioids to hospice patients, this year’s legislative session in Georgia has not produced any such laws. Because of the nation’s opioid...more
On Friday, September 14, 2018, U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday for the Middle District of Florida sentenced Dr. John Janick of Port Charlotte to five months in prison and three years of supervised release, plus...more
Medicare’s implementation of post-payment review through overly aggressive zone program integrity contractors (ZPICs) and unified program integrity contracts (UPICs), combined with an ineffective review process at the first...more
Medicare’s implementation of post-payment review through overly aggressive private contractors, combined with an ineffective review process at the first two levels of the administrative appeal process (redetermination and...more
Georgia has enacted a new law implementing a comprehensive program of background checks for Georgia long-term care facilities. The “Georgia Long-term Care Background Check Program” consolidates three existing background check...more
The Georgia General Assembly is considering new legislation that would implement a comprehensive program of national fingerprint background checks for Georgia long-term care facilities. If passed, Senate Bill 406, the...more
On August 16, 2017, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Hospice Compare website. This website joins a variety of other CMS “Compare” websites – including Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility...more
On July 13, 2017, the Department of Justice, in conjunction with the Department of Health and Human Services, announced the largest series of health care charges in American history. The government charged 412 individuals,...more