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
In this episode, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske and Jacob Harris unpack what may be behind the Hospice Item Set (HIS) noncompliance letters that many hospices believe they have erroneously received. These letters indicate...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
Today, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske is joined by the newest member of our Hospice & Palliative care team, Noreen Vergara, where they discuss different ways hospices can come together to succeed in the value-based care...more
In today’s episode of our Hospice Privacy Series, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske is joined by colleagues Wakaba Tessier and Erin Burns, who share insights on the ins and outs of HIPAA breaches. They break down what a HIPAA...more
In today’s episode of Hospice Insights, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske shares her recent wide-ranging conversation with Dr. Kathleen Benton of Hospice Savannah, where they explore how good business planning starts and ends...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
Hospice Audits Series
Audits are a fact of life for hospices—it’s not a matter of “if” a hospice will be audited, but “when.” The alphabet soup of audits has expanded, from UPICs to SMRCs, CPIs, TPEs and more. With the...more
The State of the Hospice Market
Join Husch Blackwell's Meg Pekarske as she talks with Mark Kulik, Managing Director at the Braff Group, who shares his insights on growth and change in the hospice industry and the forces at...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