Substandard quality care is the subject of survey citations and lawsuits, but it has also been used by the Justice Department to support false claim liability. While historically these cases were rare, a recent multi-million...more
In an audit, election statement deficiencies can be costly. Auditors deny all claims covered by the problematic election statement, and those costs can multiply if more than one patient was affected. In this episode, Husch...more
On May 12, 2025, the Head of the Criminal Division for the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a memorandum outlining its enforcement priorities. In this episode, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske and Jonathan Porter break down...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 owner of a Louisiana hospice was indicted and then convicted of healthcare fraud. How did that happen? In this episode of Hospice Insights: The Law and Beyond, Husch Blackwell's Meg Pekarske and Jonathan Porter talk about...more
In this episode, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske and Jonathan Porter, a former federal prosecutor, discuss takeaways from the recent American Bar Association’s Annual National Institute on Health Care Fraud. Most importantly,...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
The AseraCare court decision benefited hospices and physicians, particularly by recognizing the uncertainty surrounding prognostication of a six-month life expectancy and the principle that two physicians can disagree about...more